"Alumni Updates" highlights career achievements by College of Education alumni.
— Emily R. Aguiló-Pérez, assistant professor of English at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, has a new book, “An American Icon in Puerto Rico: Barbie, Girlhood, and Colonalism at Play” published by Berghahn Books. In this study, author Aguiló-Pérez focuses on a group of multigenerational Puerto Rican women and girls, exploring how playing with Barbie dolls as children has impacted their lives. Aguiló-Pérez earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the College of Education.
— Downingtown Area School District Superintendent Emilie Lonardi, who earned a doctorate in educational administration from the College of Education in 1992, recently received the PA School Administrators Association (PASA) Award for vocational service. The PASA Award for Service to the Profession is an annual award that recognizes one administrator from across Pennsylvania. Winners must demonstrate a commitment to excellence, as evidenced by the notable service of the profession.
— Nuria A. Diallo Padro, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation services in 2001 and a master of education in counselor education: vocational rehabilitation from the College of Education in 2007, was recognized last fall by the Governor of Texas, Texas State Senate, and the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) Board of Trustees for her exceptional AmeriCorps service at a Latino-majority middle school in the heart of the West Side of San Antonio. Padro is currently a board member of the Penn State Social Equity Alumni Network and the president of the National Society of Leadership and Success honor society at Our Lady of the Lake University. She is completing a master's degree in social work at Our Lady of the Lake University, where she is also the program coordinator for the McNair Scholars Program and interns with the City of San Antonio's Homeless Outreach Program.
— Elizabeth Raff, an educator at Penn Manor School District in Lancaster County, was named the 2022 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year in December during the SAS Institute, the Pennsylvania Department of Education's annual professional development conference. Raff earned her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the College of Education in 2016 and is currently pursuing her principal certification through the Department of Education Policy Studies.
Did you get a new job, celebrate a career milestone, get a promotion or award, recently retire, or have other career-related news to share? If so, we want to hear from you. Email us at edrelations@psu.edu with your name, information about your achievement, and the degree(s) you earned and year(s) of graduation from the Penn State College of Education.