Success Stories

Success Stories

The Alvernia Impact

Discover how ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû¾«Æ·¸£Àû students, alumni, and faculty turn education into action. Explore success stories of leadership, service, and innovation that reflect our Franciscan mission. Ready to see where your story begins? Explore how you can join a community that leads with purpose.

 

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Daria Powell

Celebrated Philadelphia group taps Alvernia grad to be its first full-time medical social worker

As Daria Podell ’24, MSW ’25 was wrapping up her internship at the Black Doctors Consortium during her accelerated master’s in social work, she sought out recommendations for her job search.Podell, 25, was met with puzzlement from Dr. Ala Stanford...

  • College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences
  • 2026
Faith Bentz

Member of inaugural engineering class leaves legacy for female STEM students

For Faith Bentz, Berks County pride runs deep. Bentz was born and raised in the county by parents who met and graduated from Alvernia. She has always kept the institution as a top college choice. The year Bentz started at Alvernia coincided w...

  • College of Innovation, Discovery, and Enterprise
  • 2026
Abby Stair soccer

Soccer phenom continues family's sports stardom at Alvernia

You might say sports are in the Stair family blood. ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû¾«Æ·¸£Àû holds a place there, too.It’s also firmly rooted in the heart of first-year student Abby Stair and her parents, Rob '99 and Amy '99, who met on campus. While her parents didn’...

  • College of Innovation, Discovery, and Enterprise
  • 2026
Ebony McNeil

'Power of connection' helps nonprofit founder forge ahead, earn master's degree

Life kept happening. It’s what kept Ebony McNeil MAOL '25 from pursing his master’s degree for so long.Until he met Rodney S. Ridley Sr., Ph.D., RTTP, chief operating officer of the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship an...

  • College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences
  • 2026