Meet Rebecca Diehl, who recently completed the Teacher Certification Pathways program.
“The Wilson College TCP program stands out because of its comprehensive curriculum, experienced faculty, and flexibility which allowed me to work full time while completing all program requirements in just 18 months. Wilson College equipped me with the necessary skills to become an effective and impactful teacher, and the support I received throughout the process, everything from scheduling, advising, to mentorship, has been superb,”
Rebecca DiehlTCP Completer ‘24, Secondary Education
Rebecca’s TCP Program completion at Wilson College means the education profession welcomes an exemplary educator! Rebecca is a champion for students and is an advocator and innovator, committed to making a difference in the lives and families of students.
Fifteen students from Chambersburg Area Senior High School and Career Magnet School will end the fall semester with college credits from Wilson College that they earned without leaving their high school campuses. Through a new agreement, Wilson became a preferred partner of both schools and now offers dual enrollment classes on site at each location.
The Chambersburg Area School District and Wilson College began conversations last winter and reached an agreement during the summer. The high schools aligned their Advanced Placement (AP) courses—seven subjects this fall—with the Wilson curriculum to ensure both schools meet their required learning outcomes. Interested students were then required to work through the standard Wilson admissions and registration processes to enroll. Qualified high school teachers who meet the College’s requirements for credentials and qualifications will teach the courses. Wilson College applies the same interview and vetting process to the dual-enrollment teachers as they do to adjunct instructors.
While Wilson already offers dual enrollment courses at its Philadelphia Avenue location, one of the main benefits of this new program is to provide access to dual-enrollment courses for more students. “We’re providing opportunities for the students who don’t have transportation to get to the Wilson campus,” said William Sommers, Wilson College Vice President for Enrollment Management.
The high schools also saw increased enrollment in their advanced classes because the dual-enrollment course is automatically transferable at the college level. Without dual enrollment, an AP student needs to earn a passing grade for the course as well as take the AP exam and score high enough to transfer the credit to their selected college or university. Wilson College benefits from the agreements by garnering a more direct relationship with area schools. “This program helps create greater awareness of Wilson College, not only among the students who are taking these courses but also among the staff, the counselors, and the teachers,” said Sommers.
Master of Organizational Leadership students are required to complete a project in which the students propose, design, organize, and carry out a service-oriented community/campus enterprise. This project could be a fundraiser, a conference, a series of workshops, or other service project designed to demonstrate the application of student learning and benefit the broader community. Angela Wilt '25 planned a fundraiser for two local nonprofits, The Salvation Army of Chambersburg and the Cumberland Valley School of Music.
On Thursday, December 5th, the Coyle Free Library Conservatory was transformed into a winter wonderland for the Sweaters, Sweets & Sips Festive Fundraiser, bringing together the community for an evening of holiday cheer and charitable giving. With cozy vibes, live music, and a raffle tree brimming with prizes, the event was a joyful celebration of the season—and a huge success for two local nonprofits.
Guests in their best holiday attire enjoyed delicious charcuterie, participated in holiday trivia, and danced to festive tunes. Attendees also had the chance to win big with the evening’s highlights: the Best Holiday Outfit competition and the coveted Raffle Tree grand prize.
Thanks to the generosity of the community, Sweaters, Sweets & Sips raised an impressive $1,810 to benefit The Salvation Army of Chambersburg and the Cumberland Valley School of Music.
BCM Payroll’s sponsorship and dedication ensured every dollar raised went directly to supporting these vital nonprofits.
Event organizers extend their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who attended, donated, and contributed to the success of the fundraiser. This event proved to be a shining example of how community spirit can come together to make a meaningful difference during the holiday season.
Two Wilson alumni who work together at the Abraxas Youth Center (AYC) recently returned to campus to share their experiences with the Gender, Crime, and Justice class taught by Julie Raulli, Ph.D., professor of sociology. AYC is a multi-faceted treatment center for adjudicated delinquent male youth in South Mountain, Pa.
Teaghan Ewing ’24, a psychology and criminal justice major, and Ethan Kron ’24, a history and political science major with minors in sociology and philosophy, both work at AYC. Their majors and minors are what Raulli called great examples of the varied academic experiences you can have at Wilson. In fact, Ewing first visited Abraxas as an undergrad when another of Raulli’s classes toured the facility where Kron was already working. Ewing started working there as a youth development specialist shortly after her graduation in May.
Although they work in different areas, Ewing and Kron shared how they each play a part in the lives of the male youths placed in their care. Treatment at the Center focuses on three main areas—residential, clinical, and education—and while each area focuses on different aspects of treatment, they all follow the same rules and expectations. “All three areas complement each other, but we’re all consistent in our approach with the students,” explained Kron. Ewing works in the residential area while Kron teaches in the education department.
Kron said he began working at AYC after he searched for a less conventional teaching opportunity than a regular classroom. The Center has two different programs; one for younger juveniles who display early signs of sexual predatory behavior or fire setting tendencies, and another for older high school students who have continually shown patterns of concerning behavior, leading them to more serious criminal offenses. Kron works with the high school students where the goal is to address their systemic issues, their trauma, and the reasons that they act out in the classroom. Ultimately, he explained, AYC teachers try to help students find an alternative path to avoid funneling into the adult criminal justice system.
AYC students attend classes each morning and the rest of the day they are part of the residential program where Ewing works. During the afternoons and evenings, Ewing makes sure that students read and do homework, clean, eat dinner, take part in recreational activities, and attend a group session that focuses on different aspects of the students’ criminal history.
Most of the students Ewing and Kron work with are in AYC’s 6-month reset program, what Kron referred to as a crash course to being a good kid. “A lot of the skills that we are trying to teach them are transferable skills that they’ll need to take with them when they leave our facility. For them to be healthy, safe and successful in the outside world,” said Kron.
While Ewing said it was a shock how extreme everything was when she first started working at AYC, she also explained how her work experience directly correlates to the education she received at Wilson. “Everything that I learned in school has something to do with the training that we do at the facility,” she said. Kron agreed as he told the class, “A lot of the things you are learning about in your coursework with Dr. Raulli are theoretical. When you get out into the real world, that theory becomes application in your everyday life.”
At the end of class, Ewing and Kron answered questions that included a discussion on the impact of the AYC program. Each of their students has a tough story, and Ewing and Kron explained how they try to help each one start on a new journey after leaving the facility. While they may not always be successful, Raulli reminded her students that Ewing and Kron are really doing great work to make a difference in the lives of those in their care.
A burst of energy filled Wilson College’s Dance in America class on November 7 as acclaimed dancer Jess Beach transformed the dance studio into a vibrant hip-hop stage. Beach's liveliness filled the room as students, ranging from novices to seasoned dancers, immersed themselves in a high-energy urban fusion class, learning not just dance moves, but also the cultural significance of hip-hop.
“My goal for you today is to take away something you can show off at the next wedding you go to or a night out with your friends,” Beach said. “If you have rhythm, I’ll help you find your groove. If you don’t have rhythm, just follow along.”
Beach presented a hip-hop buffet in a high-energy style that taught not only classic steps but also the community and communication embedded in hip-hop cultures. She walked the class through moves like the matrix, rock step, grapevine, Brooklyn rock, and six step. As the students grew comfortable with each move, they layered them together until the class learned a full, choreographed routine.
“I never grew up doing hip-hop,” said Rachel Biesecker ’26. “I love things like this because it’s a chance to try something new in a low-judgment area. You can fall down and nobody will care.”
Wilson’s dance minor incorporates these hands-on experiences for students to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the dance forms they study. Executing the steps shifts perspectives and changes the relationship to the dances learned in class, making it personal, communal, and meaningful.
“Dance is a distraction from what is going on in the world,” Beach said. “It’s a place where I’ve always felt safe. It’s a sanctuary where we get to play. There is no space for noise or static in our brains — just the steps.”
At an opening reception held in the Bogigian Gallery of Lortz Hall on Wednesday, November 6, Wilson College Assistant Professor of Graphic Design Adam DelMarcelle announced the winners of the 14th Annual Juried High School Student Art Exhibition.
DelMarcelle said this was an incredibly hard show to judge and described the importance of the show as two-fold. “This is a way for Wilson College to do community outreach in a really important way. The idea of us promoting our programs with the hope that students come here is one thing, but it’s more about us letting students know that what they do is massively important to their communities.”
The senior winners were:
The three undergraduate winners were all 10th grade students at the Barbara Ingrim School of the Arts who submitted photographs. They were:
Honorable mention went to:
This exhibition is an opportunity to be inspired by visions of creativity and celebrate regional excellence in the visual arts. The show includes works of art from entries submitted from Franklin, Adams, Cumberland, and Fulton counties in Pennsylvania and Washington County, Md.
Presented by Wilson’s School of Arts and Sciences, the exhibition runs through December 2 and features 45 pieces on display in the Bogigian Gallery on the second floor of Lortz Hall. The Gallery, named in honor of Wilson College benefactor Hagop Bogigian, is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
Wilson College recently received a grant from WellSpan Health and the Summit Endowment that will assist the College in upgrading equipment that supports studies in nursing, healthcare, and exercise science education. WellSpan Health and the Summit Endowment provides grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that address health issues impacting Franklin County or Shippensburg, Pa. residents.
The grant will provide learning opportunities through the maintenance and purchase of new healthcare equipment, including an upgrade to an existing pediatric simulator and the purchase of a new metabolic cart. Using a pediatric simulator provides hands-on learning that will enable the students to feel more confident when assessing patients in a clinical setting. Providing students access to a metabolic cart will allow them to measure metabolic wellness and develop unique programs for the community that promote weight loss, disease prevention, management of chronic conditions, and overall well-being.
“The items purchased or upgraded through this donation will give students access to a higher level of technology that will enable them to assist others in the greater Franklin County community,” said Mindy Guinard, Ed.D., director of Nursing and Health Sciences.
With the high demand for skilled workers in all health and wellness careers, Wilson remains dedicated to preparing her students with the skills required to succeed in these patient care professions. Upgrading equipment and providing students with hands-on experiences will help prepare them for clinical settings after graduation. In addition to the equipment upgrades, Wilson College will participate in several health initiatives both on and off campus during the 2024-2025 academic year.
Political science major, Tristan Worlock '25 was stationed in front of Brooks Science Center on Constitution Day, encouraging students to register to vote while handing out free ice cream.
"A lot of students, especially around my age, think that their vote doesn't matter due to the Electoral College system. But in order for the Electoral College to cast a vote for the state, they need popular votes, so people need to get out and vote." he said.
Tristan is currently working as an intern for Wilson College to spearhead Wilson's involvement with ALL IN to Vote, a project of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization. This project aims to increase college student voting nationally.
“Having the right to vote for whoever you like, with no political persecution, is one of the basic human fundamentals that Americans have, and I believe it's taken for granted by many. It’s important students understand that they need to get out and vote.”
When asked why he chose political science as a major at Wilson College Tristan replied, “I was a business major, but I didn’t see myself going into the world of business. I love politics too much. I've always been a history nerd. It's been my favorite subject, and that slowly turned into learning about the history of political ideologies throughout time. With that, I started to inform myself more on American politics and world politics in general. After that, it kind of all smashed together.”
How has Wilson College played a role in Tristan’s future? He enthusiastically explained, “I’m a transfer student, and this is the fourth college I've been to. It's been a complete turnaround. Two years ago, I thought I did not want to go back to school at all. But my best friend graduated from Wilson last year and he brought me here, and I've loved it ever since. This is the best possible choice that I could have made for myself.”
Tristan plans to be back at encouraging students to vote on Election Day. He will working a table providing students with guidance on where they can go locally to vote.
The Wilson College Orr Forum on Religion invited the community to hear the perspectives and experiences of Palestinian and Israeli Peace Activists Osama Illiwat and Rotem Levin.
This duo, known as "Salt of the Earth", travels the country sharing stories of their personal experiences as a path toward collective safety and liberation.
“We are for humanity. No one will be free if the others are living under occupation. No one will be safe unless everyone is safe,”
Conferences are a great way for college students to learn about the latest research in their field, network with other professionals, and gain experience presenting their own work. Students from the Wilson College history program and history club attended the Pennsylvania Historical Association meeting, October 10 through 12, in Johnstown PA.
There were three undergraduate student poster presentations, one graduate student presentation, and a presentation by Maxine Wagenhoffer, Director of the Hankey Center for the History of Womens Education, while Bonnie Rock-McCutcheon, Assistant Professor of History & Ancient World Studies, was the coordinator of the Student Research Session.
Posters:
Anne Wolfrum '27, Queer History in Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Matthew Line '25, Native Americans of Pennsylvania: The Cultural Protection and Preservation of the Susquehannock-Conestoga People
Jeremiah Loyer '27, Wilson College and Its Effect on the Civil Rights MovementPresentations:
Ciji Holthaus (Master of Humanities graduate, Spring '24), Women of Wilson College: Wartime Response During World War II, 1941-1945
Maxine Wagenhoffer, Political Identity at Wilson College: Wilson Women and the Republican Party
