Alumni | 91ąú˛ú Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:11:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 Sean Culkin ’17, MS ’22 /news/sean-culkin-17-ms-22/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:30:34 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=834192 After struggling at another university and arriving at 91ąú˛ú with little confidence, he worked closely with Bridges founder Mitch Nagler, MA ’06. Over time, the program helped Culkin understand his neurodiversity, challenge years of self-doubt and recognize his own capacity to succeed. That transformation became the foundation of his career. After graduation, Culkin spoke at…

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After struggling at another university and arriving at 91ąú˛ú with little confidence, he worked closely with Bridges founder Mitch Nagler, MA ’06.After struggling at another university and arriving at 91ąú˛ú with little confidence, he worked closely with Bridges founder Mitch Nagler, MA ’06. Over time, the program helped Culkin understand his neurodiversity, challenge years of self-doubt and recognize his own capacity to succeed.

That transformation became the foundation of his career. After graduation, Culkin spoke at the opening of 91ąú˛ú’s sensory room about autism, self-acceptance and the importance of Bridges. There he met Julian Maha, MD, founder of KultureCity, a nonprofit dedicated to accessibility and inclusion for people with invisible disabilities. Culkin joined the organization while working in clinical cancer research, eventually leaving the laboratory to make disability inclusion his full-time work in 2024.

As KultureCity’s partnerships manager, Culkin develops educational programs, leads community-learning webinars and visits certified locations to help organizations serve neurodiverse guests effectively. He builds partnerships with schools, hospitals, first responders, arenas, cultural institutions and other community organizations. He has also helped make major public events—including the Super Bowl, World Series, the Governors Ball Music Festival and the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration—more accessible for people with invisible disabilities.

Culkin serves on the board of RVC Blue Speaks, which provides scholarships for neurodiverse students, including Bridges students, and competes in marathons and triathlons to raise funds for KultureCity.

Adelphi honors Culkin for turning self-acceptance into advocacy and building a more accessible world where neurodivergent people can participate fully and confidently.


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Lori Jabour ’16, DDS /news/lori-jabour-16-dds/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:23:20 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=834189 As an Honors College student, Dr. Jabour was mentored by then Dean Richard Garner, PhD, and professors Gregory Mercurio, PhD, Honors College academic director, and Peter Costello, PhD, professor of communications, who helped her see academic challenges as skills she could strengthen. Two experiences proved especially formative: tutoring other 91ąú˛ú students and participating in a…

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Lori Jabour ’16, DDS As an Honors College student, Dr. Jabour was mentored by then Dean Richard Garner, PhD, and professors Gregory Mercurio, PhD, Honors College academic director, and Peter Costello, PhD, professor of communications, who helped her see academic challenges as skills she could strengthen. Two experiences proved especially formative: tutoring other 91ąú˛ú students and participating in a faculty-led study abroad program in Peru.

The Peru experience inspired a sustained commitment to service, while peer tutoring revealed a love of teaching and mentorship. After graduating from 91ąú˛ú, Dr. Jabour earned her dental degree from the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine and completed a general practice residency at Stony Brook University Hospital, where she served as chief resident. She later spent two years as a volunteer clinical assistant professor at Stony Brook, mentoring and educating future dentists.

Now a general dentist in Suffolk County, Dr. Jabour brings a decade of study, training and service to caring for her community. Her volunteer work has reached communities locally, nationally and internationally, and the principle connecting every part of her career is integrity: maintaining the patient’s needs and dignity at the center of care, even amid the pace and pressures of professional life.

Adelphi recognizes Dr. Jabour for using her clinical expertise to serve others, developing future healthcare professionals and carrying the lessons of study abroad and peer mentorship into a life of principled community care.


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Deanna Young ’18, RN /news/deanna-young-18-rn/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:21:07 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=834186 In anatomy and pharmacology courses, she built the scientific knowledge she relies on in clinical practice today. Through nursing faculty and clinical experiences, she also learned that excellent care requires compassion for patients and for the families facing frightening, unfamiliar circumstances. She said she was especially inspired by the passion of Clinical Associate Professor Daniel…

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Deanna Young ’18, RNIn anatomy and pharmacology courses, she built the scientific knowledge she relies on in clinical practice today. Through nursing faculty and clinical experiences, she also learned that excellent care requires compassion for patients and for the families facing frightening, unfamiliar circumstances. She said she was especially inspired by the passion of Clinical Associate Professor Daniel J. McWeeney, DNP.

After graduation, Young joined Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where she has spent nearly eight years caring for critically ill infants and supporting their families. She now serves on both the neonatal intensive care unit team and the pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, team. ECMO temporarily performs the work of a patient’s heart and lungs, and the children who require it are often among the most critically ill patients in the hospital.

Young considers it a privilege to earn families’ trust during some of the most difficult days of their lives. She takes particular pride in her ability to explain what is happening, calm parents’ fears, and offer relief amid medical uncertainty. That steady, compassionate presence is as central to her nursing practice as her specialized clinical knowledge.

Adelphi celebrates Young as a 2026 10 Under 10 honoree for bringing skill, composure and humanity to the highest-stakes moments of pediatric care—and for embodying the science and compassion at the heart of an 91ąú˛ú nursing education.


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Andrew Jacobson ’20, MS ’21 /news/andrew-jacobson-20-ms-21/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:18:08 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=834182 He made the opportunity his own as a finance student in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, an Honors College scholar, a saxophonist in the Jazz Ensemble, and a tutor in the Learning and Writing Center. His mentors, including Robert Goldberg, the James F. Bender Clinical Professor of Finance, and Richard Garner, PhD, then…

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Andrew Jacobson ’20, MS ’21He made the opportunity his own as a finance student in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, an Honors College scholar, a saxophonist in the Jazz Ensemble, and a tutor in the Learning and Writing Center. His mentors, including Robert Goldberg, the James F. Bender Clinical Professor of Finance, and Richard Garner, PhD, then dean of the Honors College, helped him connect technical knowledge with critical thinking and personal growth.

Jacobson graduated at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and began his career remotely as a financial analyst at Northwell Health. While learning a new job from home, he returned to 91ąú˛ú for an accelerated MS in business analytics, gaining skills in programming, data analysis and modeling that he continues to use in his work. He advanced to senior analyst after three years and was subsequently promoted to supervisor.

Today, as supervisor, corporate finance, at Northwell, Jacobson performs financial modeling and analytics related to insurance reimbursement across Northwell’s hospitals. He interprets contracts, analyzes data and helps the health system understand the financial implications of reimbursement arrangements. As a supervisor, he also trains and develops newer analysts—drawing directly on the individualized approach he learned as a peer tutor in 91ąú˛ú’s Learning and Writing Center tutor. He finds particular satisfaction in seeing his team members master new skills, complete important projects and present successfully to senior leaders.

Jacobson continues to make space for the interests and relationships that enriched his 91ąú˛ú experience, including regularly returning to 91ąú˛ú to perform with the Jazz Ensemble.

Adelphi honors Jacobson for his rapid professional growth, his investment in others’ success and his enduring engagement with the University community.


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Jeneanne DeBois ’16 /news/jeneanne-debois-16/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:14:07 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=834180 Through English, communications and Honors College courses, she learned to read closely, think critically, and understand how media can educate and engage children. Faculty mentors, including Lahney Preston-Matto, PhD, professor of English and Craig Carson, PhD, associate dean for academic affairs in the Honors College, challenged her as a student, teaching assistant and thesis writer.…

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Jeneanne DeBois ’16Through English, communications and Honors College courses, she learned to read closely, think critically, and understand how media can educate and engage children. Faculty mentors, including Lahney Preston-Matto, PhD, professor of English and Craig Carson, PhD, associate dean for academic affairs in the Honors College, challenged her as a student, teaching assistant and thesis writer.

An internship at Random House during the summer before her senior year clarified her path. After graduation, DeBois joined Random House Children’s Books as a marketing assistant and has continued to grow with the company. She now serves as assistant director, licensed marketing, overseeing campaigns for licensed publishing programs and collaborating with partners including Disney, Sesame Street and Nickelodeon to connect young readers with beloved characters and stories.

DeBois has also become a published children’s author of Little Golden Books featuring properties from Nickelodeon, Star Wars, Marvel and Sesame Street.

Her career began taking shape on campus in another important way. During four years as an 91ąú˛ú Admissions Ambassador, DeBois learned the power of branding and authentic storytelling while helping prospective students envision their own futures at the University. She remains close to friends she met at 91ąú˛ú, including through a shared book club.

Adelphi recognizes DeBois for building a creative career that brings books to young audiences and for using stories to help people find connection, possibility and joy.


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Ivana Berlin ’18, JD /news/ivana-berlin-18-jd/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:12:07 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=834177 Faculty mentors, including Teaching Professor Stephanie Lake, PhD, and Professor Celeste Kaufman, helped her sharpen her writing, research and media literacy skills, deepen her interest in constitutional law and prepare for a career in civil rights. She later shared that learning as a writing assistant for the course Crime and Punishment. After graduation, Berlin worked…

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Ivana Berlin ’18, JDFaculty mentors, including Teaching Professor Stephanie Lake, PhD, and Professor Celeste Kaufman, helped her sharpen her writing, research and media literacy skills, deepen her interest in constitutional law and prepare for a career in civil rights. She later shared that learning as a writing assistant for the course Crime and Punishment.

After graduation, Berlin worked as a paralegal in family and matrimonial law before enrolling at New York Law School with a clear interest in mental health and disability law. She interned with several organizations serving people with disabilities and participated in the school’s Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic. She graduated magna cum laude, served on the New York Law School Law Review, joined the Dean’s Leadership Council and received the Alvin J. Bronstein Civil Rights and Social Justice Award.

Berlin began her legal career as a Wilf Public Interest Legal Fellow with Disability Rights New York (DRNY), a New York Law School-funded postgraduate program that places recent graduates with social justice organizations. Now serving as a staff attorney at the agency—New York state’s federally designated protection and advocacy system—she represents individuals with mental illness in matters involving employment, special education and access to public accommodations. She also monitors facilities for abuse and neglect and contributes to federal class action litigation, including a recent settlement intended to improve community-based mental health services for an estimated 200,000 Medicaid-eligible children statewide.

Adelphi honors Berlin for challenging inequitable systems while empowering individual clients with the knowledge and confidence to advocate for themselves.


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Erica Ram ’16, MS /news/erica-ram-16-ms/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:09:13 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=834174 Faculty members Professor Robert Siegfried, PhD; Professor Lee Stemkoski, PhD; Assistant Teaching Professor Kristin Pepper; and Kees Leune, PhD, associate professor and chair of mathematics and computer science, helped Erica build both technical confidence and a collaborative approach to learning. Erica graduated with departmental honors as a computer science major. While working on their degree,…

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Erica Ram '16 Faculty members Professor Robert Siegfried, PhD; Professor Lee Stemkoski, PhD; Assistant Teaching Professor Kristin Pepper; and Kees Leune, PhD, associate professor and chair of mathematics and computer science, helped Erica build both technical confidence and a collaborative approach to learning.

Erica graduated with departmental honors as a computer science major. While working on their degree, they held student worker positions at Swirbul Library, the Office of Information Technology and in the Mathematics and Computer Science department. They also interned with the Village of Garden City.

Soon after graduation, Erica was selected for the Microsoft Research Data Science Summer School, a program serving students from diverse, nontraditional and underrepresented backgrounds in STEM. Their team studied customer loyalty using public data and presented its findings at Microsoft Research New York and national diversity-in-computing conferences. Erica then returned to 91ąú˛ú to support the University’s analytics and data-visualization work before earning an MS in computer science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Erica joined The Walt Disney Company first through internships in data science, management science and data engineering and has been with the company full time since early 2020. As a senior data engineer, they partner across product and decision-science teams to define data needs, build pipelines and support the infrastructure that informs decisions throughout the company.

Erica also creates opportunities for others in technology. They were a technologist representative of Disney at the Grace Hopper Celebration in 2019 and, since 2024, have helped lead the Disney Data & Analytics Women Award experience, which brings four women in analytics to the company’s annual conference to present research and build professional relationships.

Adelphi recognizes Erica for technical leadership, career achievement, and sustained work to widen access and belonging in computing and analytics.


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Jordan Daniel ’17, PsyD /news/jordan-daniel-17-psyd/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:06:18 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=834172 He found both—and a community of people and everyday experiences that helped shape his values, relationships and sense of self. A senior neuroscience seminar at 91ąú˛ú, taught by Lora Kasselman, PhD, helped clarify his interest in research and strengthened Jordan’s patience and persistence. Kasselman later connected him with his first research opportunity at the Winthrop…

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Jordan Daniel 17 MS PsyDHe found both—and a community of people and everyday experiences that helped shape his values, relationships and sense of self. A senior neuroscience seminar at 91ąú˛ú, taught by Lora Kasselman, PhD, helped clarify his interest in research and strengthened Jordan’s patience and persistence. Kasselman later connected him with his first research opportunity at the Winthrop Research Institute and ultimately served on his doctoral dissertation committee.

After 91ąú˛ú, Jordan set his sights on becoming a psychologist and pursued clinical and research experience wherever curiosity led him. He cold-emailed people and institutions, volunteered and created opportunities for himself in rehabilitation clinics, county jails, memory care units and suicide hotlines on his path to a clinical psychology doctoral program.

Jordan recently completed his doctoral internship with Lehigh University’s Counseling & Psychological Services and now works at Formal Therapy, a New York City private practice, at the intersection of mental health and athletic performance. He helps athletes and other high performers examine their experiences, navigate the pressures of competition and daily life, and better understand themselves.

Jordan brings firsthand insight to that work through his own career as an elite marathoner. He began running as an outlet during a stressful period, gradually building his mileage before entering—and winning—his first marathon. He went on to compete at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, race the New York City Marathon three times, and complete both the Boston and Chicago marathons. He now aspires to compete in the marathon at the 2028 Olympic Games and provide psychological and performance services to Olympic athletes.

Of all these accomplishments, Jordan is proudest of his commitment to staying true to himself.

Adelphi celebrates Jordan as a 2026 10 Under 10 honoree for uniting clinical insight, athletic excellence and an uncommon willingness to persevere—giving himself and the people he serves another chance to grow.


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Marion Davidson ’17, MSc, PhD (anticipated 2026) /news/marion-davidson-17-msc-phd-anticipated-2026/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:00:45 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=834170 Through mentors in the Honors College and Department of Dance, particularly history professor Anagnostis Agelarakis, PhD, she discovered those interests could strengthen one another. An 91ąú˛ú field school in Crete, Greece, introduced her to osteology, bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, while a study abroad experience at the London Contemporary Dance School led her to the city…

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Marion Davidson

Through mentors in the Honors College and Department of Dance, particularly history professor Anagnostis Agelarakis, PhD, she discovered those interests could strengthen one another. An 91ąú˛ú field school in Crete, Greece, introduced her to osteology, bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, while a study abroad experience at the London Contemporary Dance School led her to the city where she would pursue graduate study.

Davidson earned an MSc with distinction in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology from University College London, where she is currently a PhD Candidate. Her research has developed into a broader examination of decision-making, cognitive bias and professional standards in forensic science. Her work has included nearly 20 first-authored conference presentations, invited lectures at institutions including Oxford University and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and service on a recovery team searching in Sicily for the remains of a missing World War II pilot. She has also analyzed ancestral human remains for the National Museum of Natural History’s Repatriation Office at the Smithsonian Institution and consulted on cold cases and possible wrongful convictions across several states.

Today, Davidson is an assistant teaching professor of forensic science at Loyola University Maryland. She teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate students, conducts award-winning research, and serves on a national task group that develops standards to improve forensic science reliability. A recent study she led examined how transcripts can bias listeners’ interpretations of poor-quality audio and informed a post-conviction appeal.

Adelphi recognizes Davidson for advancing the rigor and fairness of forensic science while bringing compassion, ethics and interdisciplinary thinking to her students, her research and the justice system.


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Hira Javed ’16, MS ’18, JD /news/hira-javed-16-ms-18-jd/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 14:55:38 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=834167 Her campus involvement reflected that breadth: She participated in the Resident Student Association, served on the Graduate Student Council, was a member and leader of Delta Delta Delta, and was inducted into both Beta Beta Beta, the national biological honor society, and Sigma Delta Pi, the national collegiate Hispanic honor society. After completing her undergraduate…

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Hira Javed ’16, MS ’18, JDHer campus involvement reflected that breadth: She participated in the Resident Student Association, served on the Graduate Student Council, was a member and leader of Delta Delta Delta, and was inducted into both Beta Beta Beta, the national biological honor society, and Sigma Delta Pi, the national collegiate Hispanic honor society. After completing her undergraduate degree in 2016, she earned her master’s degree at 91ąú˛ú in 2018 before attending American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. There, she served as symposium editor for Volume 29 of the American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law and earned her JD in 2021.

Javed passed the bar examination in 2021 and began her career in private practice at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP, an internationally recognized intellectual property law firm. During four and a half years with the firm, she worked on patent, privacy and other litigation matters. She also provided pro bono legal services, extending her impact into other areas of the law such as criminal defense.

Her commitment to service has also included membership on the leadership board of Gifts for the Homeless, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit. There, she supported outreach for an annual clothing drive that distributes gently used items to shelters throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, and participated in the organization’s Law Firm Battle of the Bands fundraiser as the lead singer for her firm’s band, “Redacted!”.

Javed recently entered public service as a federal judicial law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, a position that allows her to experience law and litigation from the court’s perspective. 91ąú˛ú celebrates her as a 2026 10 Under 10 honoree for the persistence and intellectual curiosity behind her legal career, as well as her commitment to using her skills in service to colleagues, clients and neighbors.


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