Thiel Happenings

Lutheran Bishop, Trustee, educators, graduates in the spotlight at Thiel Commencement

Thiel College will celebrate the academic accomplishments of the Class of 2025 and recognize several distinguished individuals during its annual Commencement Exercises at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10, in the William A. Passavant Memorial Center.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Thiel College awards $25,000 Leadership Scholarships to five incoming students

Thiel College has awarded a total of $25,000 in Leadership Scholarships to five high school seniors from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York in recognition of their academic achievement, leadership potential, and community involvement.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Army veteran and doctoral scholar appointed Director of Thiel College’s Career Development Center

Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and doctoral student Jennifer Martin has been appointed the Director of the Career Development Center at Thiel College.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

WXTC Radio shatters fundraising goal for Lupus Foundation during 24-hour broadcast

Thiel College’s student-run WXTC radio station, achieved a historic milestone during its recent 24-hour broadcast, raising a record-breaking $1,270 for the Lupus Foundation of America.

+ Read the full story in the newsroom

Scholarship & Arts Symposium opens Thursday

The Scholarship & Arts Symposium opens at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, April 24 with opening remarks by President Susan Traverso, Ph.D. in Stamm Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center which will then be followed by student performances.

There will be morning and afternoon presentation sessions in Stamm Hall (DHI Thesis Presentations), Pedas 125, and the Pedas Discovery Room (120). In addition, there will be poster sessions held in the Pedas Common area.

The morning sessions will end by noon.

The keynote address, given by Assistant Professor of History Jay Donis, Ph.D. will be from 1:15-1:30 p.m. in Stamm Hall. His address is entitled “Why Research When AI Does It For Me?”

The afternoon sessions will begin at 1:30 p.m. with student performances in Stamm Hall following the keynote address. The Library Research & Writing awards begin at 3 p.m. in Stamm and will close out the Symposium.

Faculty & staff: Remind students to fill out the FAFSA

Thiel Choir flower fundraiser

Help support the Thiel Choir's fundraising efforts as they prepare for their Austria/Switzerland tour in March 2026. Click the link to check out the catalogue. At check out, you will have the option to specify a "seller" who will get credit for the sale. If none specified, the funds raised will go into the general choir trip fund. If you provide your home address, the products will be shipped directly to you; otherwise, they will be delivered to the college.

• Browse the online catalog.

• Refer a student to the TLC.

• Schedule for Accessibility Resource Center finals testing.

Student News

IT business architect shares how time at Thiel shaped her career

Danyelle Lucido-Kendra ’19 was the featured speaker at the April 16 Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar. She is an IT business architect with enGen, a subsidiary of Highmark Health, in Pittsburgh, Pa.

“Our senior seminar class had the opportunity to hear from Danyelle Lucido-Kendra, a 2019 graduate of Thiel College who now works as a Business Architect at enGen, a subsidiary of Highmark Health. At 28 years old and currently expecting her first child in July, Danyelle shared not only her professional journey but also how her time at Thiel helped shape the path she’s on today.” Vincent Laribee ’25

“This week we had another perspective of the business field outside of finance and accounting, Ms. Danyelle Lucido-Kendra was a well-rounded speaker and provided much insight into the business world, as well as the interview and hiring process.” Natalie Pape ’26

“During her time at Thiel, Ms. Lucio-Kendra was named Student of the Month and held leadership roles in several honor societies, as well as serving as vice president of the PAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. A dedicated athlete, she was a four-year starter on the women’s basketball team, led in assists, and received the 2019 PAC Sportsmanship Award. Beyond academics and athletics, she worked in the campus IT and sports offices, served as a resident assistant, and volunteered with Akron Hope.” Sam Denu ’26

“Danyelle began her presentation by sharing various fun facts about her personal life, something that many previous speakers have not done. This allowed her to connect with the students in the room by finding points of commonality, like a love for dogs.” Anna Kavulla ’27

“Lucido-Kendra mentioned during her speech just how beneficial it was to be able to have two degrees to fall back on; it opened her to be qualified to apply for more roles and gave her flexibility during the interview process due to her knowledge range and different developed skills.” Kaitlyn Herrmann ’26

“Throughout her presentation, Danyelle explored how Thiel College prepared her for the “real world,” discussing how her time as a student athlete gave her collaboration, teamwork, and time management; her dual majors and extracurriculars gave her skills in flexibility and having a diverse experience for interviews and applications; and how the small class settings that Thiel provides gave Danyelle the opportunities to enhance her soft skills, giving personalized attention when necessary, and be able to foster relationships and network with others.” Kaitlynn Wolffe ’25

“She wanted to start her career in a rotational program, yet she was not accepted into the program. She did not let this get her down, though; she applied for a role in a department that worked closely with her father’s department. From May 2019 to February 2021, she was an infrastructure analyst. This role included coding and project management. From February 2021 to February 2022, she was a business analyst, where she oversaw equipment and software. Her current role as a business architect allows her to oversee 5-8 projects weekly, and she coordinates technology teams to implement more software.” Ava Kavulla ’25

“Danyelle Lucido-Kendra delivered a thoughtful speech about navigating career growth, project management, and adapting to remote work environments. Drawing from her experiences in hospital project management and corporate governance, she emphasized the importance of documentation, clear communication, and flexibility when managing projects and career challenges.” Seungyeon Hong ’25

“During her presentation, Danyelle shared some key growth points she’s experienced in her career. These included facing letdowns, being told “no” and then “yes” shortly after, and taking a short-term position knowing she wouldn’t be in it for more than a year. While these situations weren’t ideal, she explained how they helped her grow and learn to adapt.” Bryce Stubert ’25

“Now preparing for maternity leave, Danyelle is focused on long-term goals in leadership, emphasizing the importance of trustworthy managers, work-life balance, and growth opportunities. Her career philosophy centers on continuous self-development and building meaningful professional relationships.” Shinyoung Kim ’25

“Since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, she has been working remotely. While she enjoys flexibility, she encouraged us young professionals to go into the office early in our careers to build relationships with coworkers.” Josie Gadsby ’26

“Throughout her various roles, she learned multiple important lessons, such as the vitality of honesty and being upfront with people, especially managers. She also stressed the importance of asking her managers for critiques, as well as being open to receiving those critiques to learn from them.” Ethan Tabaka ’26

“At the end of the presentation, she said to reflect on what you are known for as a co-worker and employer. Be the person who is not afraid to go the extra mile!” Ava Kavulla ’25

“Overall, Danyelle’s story was both inspiring and relatable. Her journey showed us that success isn’t always linear, but with perseverance, flexibility, and the foundation built at Thiel, great things are possible.” Vincent Laribee ’25

“Danyelle’s story, from her time at Thiel to her professional career, was inspiring and will be a great reminder as I begin the job search process in the near future.” Anna Kavulla ’27

“Overall, Danyelle had a great presentation and was entertaining. It was interesting seeing how her schooling and basketball career had translated to help in the workforce.” Derrik Zappa ’26

“These are valuable lessons that can benefit any of us in our future careers. It was a great presentation filled with learning points—and even more inspiring because she gave it while she was seven months pregnant!” Bryce Stubert ’25

Lessons Learned

• “Balancing academics, athletics, and work builds strong time management.” Vincent Laribee ’25
• “Just because you get told no at first does not mean it is a no forever.” Jacob Castona ’25
• “Define your “brand.” What do you want to be known for?” Anna Kavulla ’27
• “Foster strong relationships.” Bryce Stubert ’25
• “Do not pretend to know something you don’t.” Lexi Brown ’26
• “Be honest and upfront with everyone, especially superiors.” Ethan Tabaka ’26
• “Be open to criticism. Ask your bosses frequently what you could improve upon.” Ava Kavulla ’25
• “The value of communication and collaboration.” Shinyoung Kim ’25
• “Identify your audience.” Derrik Zappa ’26
• “Always keep a positive attitude.” Kaitlyn Herrmann ’26
• “Remote work demands high levels of self-discipline, adaptability, and proactive relationship-building.” Seungyeon Hong ’25
• “Even when you do not want to work push through and reach your goals, because it will all be worth it in the end.” Natalie Pape ’26
• “Document and save EVERYTHING!” Anna Kavulla ’27
• “Always ask questions, curiosity is good!” Ethan Tabaka ’26
• “Challenge yourself in your roles; it will help your growth the most.” Kaitlynn Wolffe ’25
• “Don’t overshare personal information.” Bryce Stubert ’25
• “It may take longer than you expected to reach where you would like to be in your career; be patient.” Kaitlyn Herrmann ’26

Dinner Dishing

• “For tonight’s dinner, I was the Dinner Concierge. For the dinner, I had wanted to take inspiration from my experience in Japan a few years ago; for the appetizer, we had sunomono, or Japanese cucumber salad; for the entrée, we had ‘kake udon,’ with thick noodles served in a broth with steak and eggs; lastly, for dessert, we had a creamy matcha panna cotta, taking a Japanese twist on an Italian dessert. I do not like cucumbers, so this dinner allowed me to try new things and push my comfort zone. For dinner, I also led with a short instruction on chopstick etiquette, telling others why we should not cross our chopsticks or point at others with them.” Kaitlynn Wolffe ’25
• “Dinner was very good. Kaitlynn did a great job as the Dinner Concierge! The prayer was extremely well thought out and delivered very well; it was my favorite blessing from this semester. I have never tried Japanese food before, but I was pleasantly surprised. I did, however, fail miserably attempting to use chopsticks.” Kaitlyn Herrmann ’26
• “The menu included a unique Japanese fare, such as a spring cucumber salad and rice noodle soup. Everyone allowed themselves to be challenged by eating the various dishes with chopsticks!” Ava Kavulla ’25

Price reduction for Scandinavia trip

Professor of Environmental Science, Department Chair, Associate Director of the Dietrich Honors Institute Anna Reinsel, Ph.D. ’06 has altered the intinerary for the May 2026 trip to Scandinavia. The trip is slightly shorter but will still have stops in Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm.

• Read more information on the trip.
  

Regalia available for May graduates

The Campus Store has caps, gowns and regalia available for purchase. Students can stop by weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

• Bachelor's degree Gown, cap and year-dated tassel: $38/set
• MBA Gown, cap, year-dated tassel: $43 plus hood $35: total $78/set

Prospective PA students get tour of Thiel

A group of Youngstown State University Pre-Physician Assistant students visited Thiel campus last week. They toured our facilities, learned more about the PA program, and got the chance to connect with current students to gain insight into the PA student experience.

DHI seniors celebrated during banquet

The Dietrich Honors Institute Senior Banquet was held on Tuesday, April 15 in the Sawhill Georgian Room. This annual special event recognizes graduating DHI seniors. They are presented with the medallions they will wear for Commencement. The banquet featured a keynote address from English major Hannah Stoughton '25 who spoke on how "We Change the World by Changing Each Other." The seniors also received awards and shared their fondest DHI memories.