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.

 

Search for success stories at Alvernia

Student with dog on campus

Making the case for K-9 units

Criminal Justice Administration graduate Elizabeth Goida values the education she received at ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû¾«Æ·¸£Àû, which included real-world experiences, such attending the Reading Police Academy and working with the Reading Police ...

  • College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences
  • 2026
Cora Cox Commencement 2024

Community-college transfer thrives at Alvernia before graduating at age 18

Envision entering college as a 16-year-old. Actually, imagine transferring from taking classes at your local community college and living at home during COVID to a school away from home as a full-time student at age 16. That’s what Cora Cox '24 di...

  • College of Business, Communication, and Leadership
  • 2026
Chelsea Burke transfer student

Transfer student driven to help commuters feel at home on campus

Chelsea Burke '25 admits that when she set to transfer from Montgomery County Community College to ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû¾«Æ·¸£Àû after earning an associate degree, she was putting all of her eggs into one basket, so to speak. But that’s because it was the p...

  • College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences
  • 2026
Wanda Cruz adult student comeback

Family support encourages educational comeback

 When Wanda Ivette Cruz ’22, MSW ’23 graduated in 1994 from high school in Philadelphia, she had her eye on going to community college. Then she got pregnant as a teenager, waylaying those plans.“I had to make a very tough decision—put a roof...

  • 2026