Bloomsburg University Orientation Workshop Leader Staff

1. Major: Early Childhood Education and Special Education
with a concentration in Language Arts
Year: Senior
Hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Activities: OWL’s, Trinity Learning Community, CRU, and
softball
Advice: Grow roots. Reach out. Get involved. After all, it
is Bloom.
“A smile and kind words are always in season.” – Zig
Ziglar
Alexa Erney

2. Amanda Izzo
Major: Dual Education (Special Education PK-8/Early Education PK-
4)
Minor: Educational Technology
Hometown: Flemington, New Jersey
Year: Senior
Activities: OWLs, Alpha Phi Omega, Student Council for Exceptional
Children, Bloomsburg Student Concert Committee, Intramural
Sports
Advice: Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and get
involved! 
“Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside
me and be my friend.”
-Albert Camus

3. Hometown: Schuylkill Haven, PA
Year: Junior - Class of 2020
Major: History
Minor: English and Dance
Activities: OWLs, Honors Program, Presidential
Leadership Program, and Dance Ensemble
Advice: People will love you for who you are so
just be yourself! Don’t be afraid to put yourself
out there because you are awesome!
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Abraham
Lincoln

4. Arabeska Cruz
 Year: Junior
 Major(s): Special Education/ Early Childhood Education with an
ESL Certification & Spanish Major
 Hometown: Hazleton, PA
 Activities: First to go mentor & OWLs
 Advice: Be humble enough to know that you are not better than
anybody and wise enough to know that you are different from the
rest.
 Hubbies/ interests:
1. Helping other people whenever I can
2. I love to embrace and share my culture everywhere I go (I was
born in the Dominican Republic)
3. I love to help people who are trying to learn how to speak Spanish

 Fun Fact: I have a twin sister on campus ♥

5. Ashlyn Parlin
Hometown: Harrisburg,
PA
Major: Early Childhood
Education
Activities: Phi Sigma
Sigma, Best Buddies,
OWLS

6. Autumn McGrath
Year: Junior
Major: Marketing
Minor: Graphic Design
Home town: New Albany, PA
Activities: OWLs – Activities Coordinator, Program
Board – Vice Presedent, Snowboard and Ski Club
Interests: Snowboarding, Yoga, Cooking and Game
of Thrones
Advice: Join clubs that interest you, get out of you
comfort zone and discover yourself in college.

7. BRANDON BOPP
• Hometown – Williamstown, PA
• Year - Sophomore
• Major – Digital Forensics
• Activities – OWLs, Alpha Phi Omega, Center for
Leadership and Engagement, Maroon and
Gold Marching Band

8. • Major:
Psychology
• Minor:
Special Education
• Senior
• Hometown:
Lodi, NJ
• Campus
Activities:
First2Go & Phi
Sigma Pi
Embrace
Change!

9. Cara Eschenmann
Hometown: Carlisle, PA
Major: Mass Communications
Year: Sophomore
Activities: OWLS, Women’s
Tennis Team
Advice: In college, and in life in
general, always try your hardest
to step out of your comfort zone.
You never know where it could
lead you!
“Life is 10% of what happens to
you and 90% of what you make
of it.”

10. Carly Bonomo
Hometown: Ringtown, Pennsylvania
Major: Pre- Accelerated 2nd Degree Nursing
Minor: Aging Studies & Gerontology
Class of 2020
Campus Activities: OWLs, Alpha Phi Omega, Bursar Office
Student Worker, Students Helping Honduras, Best Buddies,
Biology Club, Program Board, Intramural Volleyball

11. Cierra Malehorn
Hometown: Dover, PA
Year: Junior
Major: Early Childhood and Special Education
Activities: OWLS, College of Education Learning
Community Mentor, Kappa Delta Pi, Trinity,
SCEC
Advice: “Life begins at the end of your comfort
zone”

12. z
Cole Neff
Year: Junior
Major: Special Ed. / Elementary Ed.
Hometown: Bernville, PA
Activities: College of Education Learning Community Mentor, Special Olympics
Coordinator for SCEC, Best Buddies, Phi Sigma Pi, Husky Ambassador, and
OWL of course!
Advice: This is a fresh start on your life… take advantage of it! Be the person
you truly want to be!
Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with friends and family, eating, sports,
gaming, anything involving animals, trying new things and meeting new people!
“Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man
who goes farthest is generally the one who is
willing to do and dare.” ~ Dale Carnegie

13. Colleen Kolva • Major: Health Science: Pre-Accelerated 2nd
Degree Nursing
• Minor: Aging Studies/Gerontology
• Year: Senior
• Hometown: Lykens, PA
• Activities: Orientation Workshop Leader,
Alpha Phi Omega
• Advice: Don’t be afraid to be yourself and
get involved!

14. Courtney Stidsen
Year: Junior
Major: Special Education/ Elementary
Education
Minor: Deaf Education
Hometown: State College, PA
Activities: Bocce Bash Basket Coordinator,
SCEC and OWLs!
Hobbies/Interest: listening and singing
(loudly) to music, being forced against
my will to go to the lib and watching
Netflix
”Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is
about creating yourself” – George Bernard Shaw

15. Danielle Ward
• Year: Junior
• Major: Speech Pathology and
Audiology
• Hometown: Vernon, New Jersey
• Activities: BU Lacrosse and OWLs:)
• Hobbies/Interests: Art, Traveling,
Friends! (the TV Show)
• Advice: Smile a little more, regret a
little less

17. Name: Elayne Che
Hometown: Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Major: Psychology
Minor(s): Spanish and Child Life Specialist
Year: Junior - Class of 2020
Activities: OWLs,
MSC, BOG
Advisory Board,
First2Go
“Life is unpredictable, it changes with the
seasons
Even your coldest winter, happens for the
best of reasons,

18. Hometown: Mifflintown, PA
Year: Senior
Major: Social Work
Minor: Special Education
Activities: OWLs, Admissions Tour Guide, Best Buddies, Social Work Club
Advice: Get involved and take advantage of all the great things that Bloomsburg has to offer.
Don’t take your time at BU for granted- it will be gone before you know it!
Eliza Parson

19. Year: Junior
Major/Minor: Theatre Arts,
Dance, Leadership
Communications
Activities: OWLs, BU Players,
BU Speech Forensics & Debate,
BU Active Minds Mental Health
Advocacy, BU Concert Choir,
Admissions Office Worker
Advice: Take care of your
mental & physical health, and
do everything with yourself
in mind FIRST!
“Everyone is struggling… So
just be a good person and try
your hardest.” -Anonymous
EMEL RASIM

20. Year: Senior
Major: Finance
Minor: Economics
Hometown: Delaware County, PA
Advice: Have an open mind and be
yourself!
Gianna Harris
Don't forget to smile(:

21. Hometown: Marlton, NJ
Year: Sophomore
Major: Early Childhood Education (PK-4)/ Special
Education (PK-8)
Activities: OWLs, Student Council for Exceptional Students
Advice: Say yes to as many things you feel comfortable
during your first months here at Bloomsburg, the best
memories and people come from trying new experiences!
Grace Castiglia

22. Hometown: Carlisle, PA
Year: Senior
Major: Early Childhood Education/ minor in
Special Education
Activities: OWL and Women’s Lacrosse
Quote: “Happiness cannot be traveled to,
owned, earned, worn or consumed.
Happiness is the spiritual experience of
living every minute with love, grace, and
gratitude.” -Denis Waitley
Hobbies: Kayaking, spending time with
family and friends, hiking, mission trips,
eating, singing in the car with the windows
down, watching Penn State football, and the
beach.
Advice: College is just one moment of your
entire life… make the most of it 
Hannah Getz

23. Hannah Harple
Hometown: Honey Brook, PA
Year: Sophomore
Major: Mid-level Education
Class Year: 2021
Activities: OWLs, Phi Sigma Pi,
CGA
Favorite Quote:
“I survived because the fire inside
me burned brighter than the fire
around me.”

24. HANNAH TAYLOR
Year: Senior
Major: Accounting (yeah, we have personalities too)
Hometown: Dover, PA
Activities: Orientation Workshop Leaders, Peer
tutor/office staff for U.T.S., S.A.F.E., Exchange in
Aarhus, Denmark for Spring 2018 semester
Advice: Don’t be afraid to care too much. A life
without a passion for something is a life wasted.
Find your passion and you’ll find your niche.
Interests: Cheese. Adventure days. Singing in
the car like a 10 year old with their first chorus
solo doin’ mama proud.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful
lot, nothing’s going to get better. It’s not.”
~ The Lorax

25. Jaime Yarosh
Senior
Majors:
Environmental Science and
Political Science
Minor:
Spatial Analysis/GIS
Activities:
OWLs, Model United
Nations, POSSA, Phi Sigma
Sigma
Hobbies:
Eating a lot of chicken
wings, watching Nailed It,
saving the planet. and
taking excessively long naps

26. Year: Senior
Major: Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology
Minor: Special Education
Hometown: Mountain Top, Pennsylvania
Activities: OWLs, National Student Speech
Hearing Language Association, Cantor, member
of Alpha Sigma Tau
Interests: Singing, Theater, Dogs, Exploring,
Naps, Spending Time with Family and Friends
Advice: Always introduce yourself to the person
next to you!
“What would you do if you weren’t
afraid?”

28. Year: Senior (2019)
Major: Criminal Justice
Hometown: Allentown, PA
Activities: Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, Student
Worker at the Health Center, and OWLs
Interest: Conspiracy Theories, Youtube,
Ed Sheeran, J. Cole, and painting
Advice: It is never too late to start joining clubs! I
wasn’t involved in an organizations my freshman
year and now I find myself busier than ever!
Jaricelys Gonzalez
Prefer to be called Jari

29. JENESSA STARK
Year: Sophmore
Major: Exercise Science
Hometown: Perkiomenville, PA
Activities: OWL’s, Wishmakers, Phi
Sigma Sigma
Advice: Always be yourself and you’ll
find the right people
Interests: Fishing, Camping, Hiking, the
beach, the mountains, and to have fun
with my friends!

30. Jordan Marlow
Year: Junior
Major: Secondary Education with a concentration
in
Mathematics
Hometown: Ashland, Pennsylvania
Activities: OWL’s, Honors Program, Kappa Delta Pi
Education Honor Society, History Club, Club
Baseball, Program Board
Advice: Get yourself out there as early as
possible!
“My attitude is
everything.”
-Keith Harrell

32. Kaeli Quick
Major:
Communications/Organizational
Minor: Emergent Media
Hometown: Gordon, Pa
Year: Junior
Activities: OWLs, Phi Sigma
Sigma
Advice: Live everyday to the
fullest. Have no regrets.

33. Name: Kassie Luna
Major: Audiology & Speech Pathology
Year: Senior
Hometown: Lodi, NJ
Campus Activities:
Orientation Workshop Leader
President of Phi Sigma Pi
National Student Speech Language Hearing Association
Works at Rec Center

34.  YEAR: Senior
 MAJOR: Marketing
 HOMETOWN: Macungie,
Pennsylvania
 ACTIVITIES: OWL’s,
Alpha Sigma Alpha
 ADVICE: Be nice to
everyone you meet!!
Make sure to get involved

 INTERESTS: Hanging
out with friends, going on
vacations with my family,
binge watching Netflix,
and dogs

35. Kayla Barnett
Hometown: Pocono Mountain
Year: Sophomore
Major: Criminal Justice
Minor: Sociology
Activities: OWLS, BUEA,
Speak Out Panelist, Criminal
Justice Society
“Use your smile to change the
world, don’t let the world
change your smile.”

38. Year: Senior
Major: Social Work
Minors: Psychology and Gerontology
Hometown: Edison, New Jersey
Activities: OWL’s, Alpha Phi Omega,
Best Buddies
Advice: Try to live more in the
moment rather than worrying about
the past or the future, life is to short
to worry about things you cannot
control
Interests: Soccer, Choir, Sleeping,
Netflix, Hanging out with friends and
family
“Whether you think you can or think you
can’t, you’re absolutely right”
– Henry Ford
Kiersten Shannon

39. Kira Silimperi
Hometown: Nazareth, PA
Year: Senior
Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders
Minor: Special Education & Linguistics
Activities: OWLS Student Coordinator, Alpha Phi
Omega, NSSHLA, Best Buddies, Students Helping
Honduras
Advice: Take advantage of every opportunity
given to you! Use college as a chance to do the
things you never thought you would be able to do.
“Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can
either run from it or learn from it.” – Rafiki (The Lion King)

40. LINDSAY POWELL
Major: Audiology/Speech Language
Pathology
Minors: Special Education & Linguistics
Year: Senior
Activities: OWLs, National Student
Speech Language Hearing Association
(NSSHLA), Best Buddies, Students
Saving Shelter Animals (SSSA), Alpha
Phi Omega
Hometown: Hershey, PA

41. OLIVIA CAMPBELL
M A J O R : B U S I N E S S M A N A G E M E N T
Y E A R : J U N I O R
H O M E TO W N : B L O O M S B U R G 
A C T I V I T I E S : A L P H A P H I O M E G A ,
G L O B A L B U S I N E S S A S S O C I AT I O N
A D V I C E T O N E W S T U D E N T S ?
G E T A S I N V O LV E D A S Y O U C A N A S S O O N
A S Y O U C A N !
I N T E R E S T S : T R AV E L I N G , C R O C H E T I N G , E AT I N G
M A C A N D C H E E S E B I T E S , C R Y I N G A B O U T
‘ T H I S I S U S ’

42. Lizmeidy
Hernandez
• Year: Junior
• Majors: Health Sciences and
Sociology
• Hometown: Hazleton, PA
• Activities: Health Sciences
LC mentor, Colleges Against
Cancer, Board of Governor’s
Advisory Board, and Husky
Ambassador
• Interests: love to travel and
adventure!

43. Mal
Puchalski
• Senior
• Major: Early Childhood &
Special Education
• Hometown: Scranton, PA
• Activities: Trinity &
Kappa Delta Pi
“Don’t stress. Do
your best & forget
the rest.”

44. Matthew Lattanzio
• Year: Junior
• Major: Communications Studies (Leadership & Advocacy)
• Hometown: Franklin, NJ
• Activities: Club Frisbee, Intramural Sports, and OWL's!
• Advice: Three things... Be yourself,
be organized, and enjoy every moment.
• Hobbies/Interests: dancing and jamming to
music and eating pizza for every meal
"You can't calm the storm, so stop trying.
What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass."
-Timber Hawkeye

47. MICHELLE STEELE
• Hometown: Montgomery, PA
• High School: Montgomery Area High
School
• Major: Information and Technology
Management
• Minor: Human Resource Management
• Year: Sophomore
• Activities: Orientation Workshop
Leader, Maroon & Gold Marching Band,
Brother of Phi Sigma Pi

48. • Year: Senior
• Major: Secondary
Education English
• Hometown: Taylor, PA
(Scranton area)
• Activities: BUnow.com,
University Democrats,
and of course, OWLs!
• Advice: Join
clubs/organizations, stay
organized (at least try!),
and be yourself!
• Favorite Quote: “Be the
change you wish to see
in the world.” - Gandhi

49. NORA YAKSCOE
Major: Communication Studies w/ minor in Special
Education
Class Year: 2019
Campus Activities: OWL’s, Board Member for
Special Olympics-Bocce Bash event, Club Trinity
Hometown: Montgomery County, PA
Advice: Meet as many people as possible, step out
of your comfort zone, and take every opportunity to
get involved!

50. Patricia Loughran
Hometown: Bristol, PA
Year: Junior
Major: Biology Pre-Med
Activities: OWLs, Students Saving Shelter Animals,
BU Equestrian Team
“Be in love with being alive. Find passion in life itself.
Be addicted to being a better version of yourself every
day and knowing that you can always start over if
you’re not proud of the life you’re living.”

51. Rachael
Snodgrass
Year: Senior
Major: Psychology
Minor: American Sign
Language
Hometown: Limerick, PA
Activities: Wishmakers on
Campus, Psych Association,
OWLS
Interests: The beach, ice
cream, music,& How I Met
Your Mother :)
Advice: College goes by
FAST. Take in every moment
and enjoy it,and take lots
of pictures!

52. Rachel Raccio
Hometown:
West Chester, PA
Year:
Sophomore
Major:
Physical Therapy
Campus
Activities:
OWLs, Phi Sigma
Sigma

53. RASHEE HALL
MAJOR: NURSING
CLASS: SENIOR
ACTIVITIES:
• BOG SCHOLAR
• CHI ALPHA EPSILON
NATIONAL HONOR
SOCIETY
• PASS MENTOR
HOMETOWN: PHILLY

54. RONNIE RHOADS
Early Childhood Education
Senior
OWLS, and
Alpha Phi Omega
Shamokin
Take advantage of joining
organizations, sports teams, and
clubs. So many amazing
friendships are formed this way!

55. Ryan Soley
Year: Senior
Hometown: Collegeville, PA
Major: Secondary Education Earth/Space
Science
Activities: OWLs/Best Buddies
Advice: Do not take these four years for
granted. They will fly by. Get involved and
enjoy every minute of it. Take risks. These four
years are the first four years of the rest of your
life.

56. Sam Tankred
• Year: Junior
• Major: Middle Level Education
Language Arts
• Minor: Educational Technology
• Hometown: Allentown, Pa
• Activities: OWLs, Medlife, Club
Softball, Best Buddies, and KDP
• Hobbies: Photography, exploring,
reading, playing sports, watching
Netflix, and hanging out with friends!
Advice:
• You can do anything you set your
mind to!
• Do what makes you happy 

57. SAMANTHA ZANGARI
SENIOR
MAJOR: PSYCHOLOGY
MINOR: AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
HOBBIES: HIKING/ GOING TO THE BEACH
FAVORITE QUOTE: FOR EVERY MINUTE YOU ARE ANGRY YOU LOSE 60
SECONDS OF HAPPINESS

59. Sofie Sellers
 Hometown: Harrisburg
 Early Education
 Junior
 Activities: Owls and Alpha Phi Omega

60. Name: Thomas Herman
Major: Social Work
Minor: Special Education
Year: Junior
Campus Activities: Students Helping
Honduras, Alpha Phi Omega, and OWLs
Hometown: Long Island, New York
Fun Fact: I have three dogs, but the one
in the picture is not mine!

61. Travis Dayhoff
• Year: Junior
• Major: Nursing
• Minor: Aging Studies and Gerontology
• Hometown: Bloomsburg, PA
• Activities: Student Nurses’ Association, Phi Sigma Pi National Honors
• Fraternity, Homecoming Committee, and OWL’s!
• Advice: Get involved on campus and be yourself!
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them”
-Walt Disney

62. • Name: Tristen Wade
• Year: Junior
• Intended Major: Biology/Pre-medicine
• Hometown: Bristol, CT
• Activities: OWL’s, Pre-Medical Sciences Club,
IMPACT, Student Poetry Association Public
Relations Representative, BEUA, Sleep
101(completely made up)
• Interest: Sleeping, watching movies, eating any
candy with chocolate, dancing in the room when
no ones around and staying melanated and proud.
• Advice: Find something your passionate about and
put your all into it. Once you open up and branch
out your comfort zone, you’ll create unforgettable
memories and friendships. Take lots of naps!!!!
• “You will face many defeats in your life, but never
let yourself be defeated.” -Maya Angelou

63. Vinny Plessel
• Year – Junior
• Major – Business Management
• Hometown- Rutherford, NJ
• Activities- Greek Life, ZCOB LC Mentor, Pi Lambda
Phi, Beta Gamma Sigma.
• Advice- Don’t let people treat you like a yellow
starburst… you’re a pink starburst.
• Hobbies/Interests – Wrestling, Soccer, Drinking Milk,
Eating, and Naps

64. Hometown: Coatesville, PA
Year: Senior
Major: Computer Science
Activities: OWL’s, Association for
Computing
Machinery(ACM),Flag Football,
Tennis
High School: Coatesville Area High
School
Advice: “Only I can change my life.
No one can do it for me.”