Honors & Achievements

We have conferred degrees on healthcare professionals since our first commencement in 1922 as the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry (PSCO). Over the years the name of our institution may have changed, but the excitement and anticipation of commencement day has remained the same.

This is a day of great pride for our graduates as well as their families and friends. The faculty and staff of Salus University are proud of what our graduates have achieved during their time with us and hope you will join us in this celebration of their achievements. Congratulations to the families and friends of the Class of 2021 for your ever-important, unheralded support of your graduate. Congratulations to the Class of 2021! We are proud of what each of you has accomplished.

Pennsylvania College of Optometry

Awards

Alumni Association Award Optometry Accelerated Scholars Program

  • Natalee Camille Rackus

Alumni Association Award Optometry Traditional Program

  • Andrew J. Muckin

Dr. John E. and Ethel M. Crozier Memorial Award

  • TBD

Good-Lite Award

  • Beth Katz

Clinical Excellence Citation

  • Suite 1: Lorenzo Dominic LoGrasso​
  • Suite 2: Andrew J. Muckin
  • Suite 3: Colin P. Kane
  • Vision Rebahilitation: Tasnim Zakaria
  • Neuro-Oph: Colin P. Kane 
  • Pediatrics: Leah Michelle Tatsak
  • Scholars: Mara R. Tresansky

College of Optometrists in Vision Development Award for Excellence in Vision Therapy

  • Meron Almaz Fitta

Dr. Arthur Shlaifer Memorial Award

  • Andrew J. Muckin

Eshenbach Award for Excellence in Low Vision

  • Yubisela Toledo

Noir Low Vision Award

  • Natalee Camille Rackus
  • Kara Rhine

Alcon Student Scholarship Award

  • Andrew P. Halton

Beta Sigma Kappa Award

  • Andrew J. Muckin

Cooper Vision Excellence in Contact Lens Award

  • Selena Huang

Blanchard Contact Lens Excellence Award

  • Madison Ivey Dunning
  • Tylor Tongsavan Pravongviengkham 

Conforma Laboratories Award

  • Rebecca L. Lepovsky Braunsdorf
  • Michael Anthony Casey
  • Austin Carl Loshinskie
  • Brittany Luksich
  • Zachary Reynard
  • Yu-Jen Su
Pediatrics and Binocular Vision Service: Award for Excellence
  • Andrew J. Muckin
The Sarah Appel Excellence in Special Populations Assessment and Rehabilitation Center (SPARC) and Pediatric Low Vision Award
  • Maya Panchal

Graduation with Honors

Summa Cum Laude
  • Ashley Marie Amico
  • Geerdhana Sinthu Arun
  • Ilan Moshe Dock
  • Mélanie Laferrière
  • Andrew J. Muckin
  • Natalee Camille Rackus
  • Mara R. Tresansky
  • Allison Marie Young
  • Zachary Van Yuhas
Magna Cum Laude
  • Amalia Catherine Burrell
  • Madison Ivey Dunning
  • Kevin J. Feng
  • Meron Almaz Fitta
  • Andrew P. Halton
  • Kelsey A. Harnish
  • Selena Huang
  • Tessa Lane Ives
  • Kiera Brinn Jeschke
  • Tanya Malhotra
  • Mark A. Nagy
  • Puja H. Patel
  • Nancy Phung
  • Karamvir Singh Sidhu
  • Yu-Jen Su
  • Wayne H. Tan
  • Leah Michelle Tatsak
  • Heidi Kristine Tedrick
  • Tanya Marie Vigdal
Cum Laude
  • Marissa Elaine Albert
  • Zarsh G. Bhatti
  • Rebecca L. Lepovsky Braunsdorf
  • Michael Anthony Casey
  • Hannah Elizabeth Covey
  • Patricia Siter Dickey
  • Anastasia Rose Goerl
  • Veronica Janette Gonzalez
  • Pooja Kadakia
  • A. Kaddour
  • Krista Nikole Kaspar
  • Maura Theresa Josephine Nolan
  • Jenna Quasmieh
  • Zachary Reynard
  • Lara Marie Schad
  • Victoria Alexis Shust
  • Alexander M. Trezza
  • Ashley Sharrel Wright

Adornments

Beta Sigma Kappa
  • Ashley Marie Amico
  • Geerdhana Sinthu Arun
  • Amalia Catherine Burrell
  • Ilan Moshe Dock
  • Madison Ivey Dunning
  • Kevin J. Feng
  • Meron Almaz Fitta
  • Kelsey A. Harnish
  • Selena Huang
  • Elizabeth Rachael Ide
  • Tessa Lane Ives
  • Kiera Brinn Jeschke
  • Andrea Labunski
  • Mélanie Laferrière
  • Tanya Malhotra
  • Andrew J. Muckin
  • Mark A. Nagy
  • Puja H. Patel
  • Natalee Camille Rackus
  • Kara Rhine
  • Yu-Jen Su
  • Wayne H. Tan
  • Leah Michelle Tatsak
  • Heidi Kristine Tedrick
  • Mara R. Tresansky
  • Tanya Marie Vigdal
  • Allison Marie Young

Gold Key Honors Society
  • Amalia Catherine Burrell
  • Marissa Joan Ferris
  • Lauren Elizabeth Furicchia
  • Veronica Janette Gonzalez 
  • Kiera Ann Hagan
  • Andrew P. Halton
  • Tessa Lane Ives
  • Colin P. Kane
  • Mélanie Laferrière
  • Alethia I. Love Harris
  • Andrew J. Muckin
  • Puja H. Patel
  • Sofia M. Schedler
  • Victoria Alexis Shust
  • Samantha R. Spinnato
  • Tanya Marie Vigdal
  • Ashley Sharrel Wright

Optometry Advanced Studies

Anterior Segment
  • Sigalit Y. Davidov
  • Dhirin Aashishkumar Debie
  • Kevin J. Feng
  • Jordan Elizabeth Rogaliner
Binocular Vision & Vision Therapy
  • Afsana Amir
  • Lauren Elizabeth Furicchia
  • Traci-Lin Goddin
  • Elizabeth Rachael Ide
  • Mélanie Laferrière
  • Ashley Sharrel Wright
Contact Lens
  • David Lennox Bacho
  • Rebecca L. Lepovsky Braunsdorf
  • Michael Anthony Casey
  • Stephanie Marie Castellanos
  • Tiffany T. Chen
  • Hannah Elizabeth Covey
  • Patricia Siter Dickey
  • Madison Ivey Dunning
  • Marissa Joan Ferris
  • Kiera Ann Hagan
  • Andrew P. Halton
  • Kelsey A. Harnish
  • Selena Huang
  • Kiera Brinn Jeschke
  • Natalee Camille Rackus
  • Zachary Reynard
  • Sabrina Kayla Steed
  • Yu-Jen Su
  • Leah Michelle Tatsak
College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation

Awards

Alumni Association Award Blindness and Low Vision Studies Program

  • Emily Rose Brown
  • Megan L. Deely
  • Briana Harriston
  • Rochelle Miller

Blindness and Low Vision Studies AmbuTech O&M Award

  • Emily Rose Brown
  • Megan L. Deely
  • Briana Harriston

Blindness and Low Vision Studies Excellence in Direct Service Award

  • Nicole Simone Jay

Blindness and Low Vision Studies Dr. Audrey J. Smith/Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness Award

  • Rochelle Miller

Blindness and Low Vision Studies Association of Vision Rehabilitation Therapists Academic Excellence Award in Vision Rehabilitation Therapy

  • TBD

Alumni Association Award Speech-Language Pathology Program

  • Julia Marie Sanelli
  • Haley Christine Wikoff

Speech-Language Pathology Leadership Award

  • Deanna Maree Della Pia

Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Excellence Award

  • Dariann Carolina Pastelok

Occupational Therapy Outstanding Leadership Award

  • Olivia Judith Gorski
  • Camille Marcina Menns
  • Olivia Pereira

Occupational Therapy Excellence in Scholarship Award

  • Elizabeth Ann Aroune
  • Kristen Elizabeth Hasse

Occupational Therapy Superior Professionalism Award

  • Monica Rose Huber
  • Nina Marie Majewicz
  • Natalie Marie Schaffer

Occupational Therapy Clinical Excellence Award

  • Kelly Erin Quigley
  • Rachel Nicole Weaver

Occupational Therapy Service to the Community Award

  • Tavii Aleasha Denise El
  • Johana L. Fortune

Alumni Association Award Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program

  • Carol A. LaTeer
Alumni Association Award Biomedicine Program
  • Kathleen Demery Valverde


Graduation with Honors

Summa Cum Laude

  • Meghan Bretz
  • Emily Rose Brown
  • Lauren E. Coggshall
  • Megan L. Deely
  • Deanna Maree Della Pia
  • Briana Harriston
  • Nora Grace Hopkins
  • Nicole Simone Jay
  • Rachael M. Lang
  • Olivia Lewandowski
  • Kayla Rose Mercado
  • Michelle J. Mikviman
  • Rochelle Miller
  • Kara M. Ozimkiewicz
  • Dariann Carolina Pastelok
  • Shannon Elizabeth Reilly
  • Rebecca Ritsick
  • Julia Marie Sanelli
  • Jaclyn Victoria Tasker
  • Emily E. Taylor
  • Gabrielle Bailey Verrillo
  • Kelsey Lynn Walsh
  • Haley Christine Wikoff
  • Julia Michelle Zoll
  • Maria Theresa Zonies
Magna Cum Laude
  • Courtney N. Bentzel
  • Bridget Brazil
  • Monica Frances Hopkins
  • Hannah E. Jaskuta
  • Cameron Rose Keller
  • Carol A. LaTeer
  • James Lu Jr.
  • Meaghan Marie Manfre
  • Nina M. Metz
  • Amanda Emma Moxham
  • Andrea Ortega
  • Melanie Taylor Polo
  • Samara Claire Santry
  • Shannon C. Spicer
  • Allison Stern
  • Andrew John Tarafas
  • Kathleen Demery Valverde
Cum Laude
  • Alyssa Rose Balarinni
  • Sydnee M. Curran
  • Barbara Ho
  • Haley Elyse Snyder
  • Jenna Emmalynn Utz
Osborne College of Audiology

Awards

Alumni Association Award Audiology Online Bridge Program
  • Katrina Valencia-Intervencion
Alumni Association Award Audiology Program
  • Gina Roslynn Lerner
Student Academy of Audiology George S. Osborne Service Award
  • Amy F. Wilson
Victor Hugo Bray Fourth Year Clinical Excellence Award
  • Marisa Lyn Fassnacht

Graduation with Honors

Summa Cum Laude
  • Gina Roslynn Lerner
  • Angela Renae Lowe
Magna Cum Laude
  • Megan Elise Boehler
  • Payton Evan Burke
  • Anna Teresa Demko
  • Marisa Lyn Fassnacht
  • Alexandra Ariel Homsany
  • Samuel Timothy Johnson
  • Troy W. Scanlon
  • Katelyn Helen Wolfe
Cum Laude
  • Glenn Allen Elms
  • Madelynn Jane Petrancuri
  • Amanda B. Shapiro

Adornments

Alpha Upsilon Delta
  • Gina Roslynn Lerner
  • Angela Renae Lowe
Commissioning and Promotion
Gabrielle Murphey, OD
  • Action: Promotion from Second Lieutenant 
  • Branch: Army
  • Rank: Captain
  • Date: May 27, 2021
Legacy Families
Edita Abazaga, OD
  • Mirjeta Abazaga, OD '15 - Sister
David Bacho, OD
  • Alan Bacho, OD '86 - Father
Amalia Burrell, OD
  • John Burrell, OD '92 - Father
  • Kerry Burrell, OD '03 - Uncle
Tessa Ives, OD
  • Louis Ives, OD '43 - Grandfather
  • Paul Ives, OD '83 - Father
  • Alexa Ives, OD '19 - Sister
Kassidy Margaret McCullough, SLP
  • Kylie McCullough, MSOT '14 - Sister
  • Kara McCullough, SLP '20 - Sister
Katherine Morris, OD
  • Archibald Morris, OD '84 - Father
Athamandia Perry, OD
  • Nathan Bond, OD '92 - Father
Gina Piorkowski, OD
  • Thomas Piorkowski, OD '97
Jenna Quasmieh, OD
  • Sanna Quasmieh, MSOT '16 - Sister
Andy Ruan, OD
  • Teresa Chen, OD '09
Victoria Shust, OD
  • Helene Kaiser, OD '89 - Mother
  • Mark Shust, OD '89 - Father
Heidi Tedrick, OD
  • Brendan Tedrick, MS '06 - Brother
Anderson Werner, OD
  • Annette Zamboni-Werner, OD '89 - Mother
  • F. Joseph Werner, OD '88 - Father
  • Alexander Werner, OD '19 - Brother
Zachary Yuhas, OD
  • Michael Yuhas, OD '06 - Cousin