Sociology Alumni News

Undergraduate Alumni 

Congratulations to the May 2009 graduates, Matthew Bottegal, Paula Carusella,Lee Jones, Nicholas Olivero, Elizabeth Palmisano, Keith Ricca, Adam Sitsis, and Conor Sullivan.  Also, Anthony DelBorrel and Ololade Ogunfowokan who received their Degrees in October 2008.

Adam Sitsis - While I have only been a member of the sociology program here at CUA for the past two years, it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic career. I found sociology by accident while searching for a major that was more accurately tuned to my interests, and sociology has become a passion of mine since that first exposure. The sociology program has fundamentally enhanced the way that I view the world around me while simultaneously offering me the forum to express my own ideas and theories regarding criminal justice, education, and poverty. Because the sociology program has had such a profound influence on me as a student, I have decided to attend CUA for two more years in pursuit of my masters degree. I hope that future students find the department and the professors themselves to be as valuable as I have.

Degrees Conferred in 2008: Michael Delaney, Victoria Freerks, Jacob Gallay, Joseph Maca, Michael Maloney, Matthew Rosner and Jeffery Sheehan.

Victoria Freerks - my experience as a sociology major has taught me many valuable skills that can be easily implementd in today's work world.  Sociology has taught me to look at everyday situations from a global viewpoint.  I have been able to critically analyze both research as well as day-to-day interactions amongst people and institutions.  The sociology department was always warm and welcoming, providing any assistance I may have needed as well as guidance.

After graduating I will be moving to New York to work as the Assistant Director of Tutoring and Educational Services for the Princeton Review's Corporation Headquarters in Manhattan.  I will be overseeing the tutoring program created by The Princeton Review which encompasses all test prep programs from college entrance exams such as the SAT to graduate exams such as LSAT, GRE, and MCAT.

Jacob Gallay - the Sociology Department has been crucial in my success at CUA.  They have been availabe for all academic needs.  The classes are interesting and informative, and each has some application that can be related to real life as well as other classes.  Also the department parties are awesome.

I am currently looking into getting a job at a publishing company in New York City and hope to pursue creative projects like writing and voice acting.

Michael Maloney - my experiences with the sociology major were definitely positive.  Studying sociology has allowed me to grow intellectually in a way that has opened my eyes to a unique way of thinking that would be unattainable in other majors.  The department provided a good support system of professors and teaching assistants that allow students to excel in the major.

I have been interning in commercial real estate for several different companies in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania doing both office sales and leasing.  I obtained my real estate licenses and valuable hands on experience at each company.  During Christmas break I was offered several jobs by different commercial real estate companies in the Philadelphia area.  I have recently accepted a position working with the Senior Vice President of NAI Geis located in Wayne, PA which is located about ten minutes outside of Philadelphia.  I will focus on the relocation and negotiation of large office tenants into new office space on both the regional and national level.

Jeffery Sheehan -My experience here at Catholic University has been nothing but a positive one.  As a freshman I did not know what direction I wanted to take my studies.  I always wanted to study criminal justice, but Catholic University did not offer this as a major.  The next closest major was sociology and it has been a great experience.  The people within the Sociology Department have been nothing but helpful and pleasant to deal with.  I have completed an internship with the Department of Justice, U.S. Parole Commission. I have received my certificate stating that I have completed the Crime, Justice, Pre-Law Concentration in Sociology.

As I graduate I do not have a specific job lined up, but I an currently looking into different areas of criminal justice.

Degrees Conferred in 2007: Serena Barton, Brian Gilman, Laura Gove, Terrence Mahoney, Reuben Simmons, Jr.           

Brian Gilman - is currently working for the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) as FASD Curriculum Information Coordinator in Washington, DC.  At NOFAS, Brian is helping to reduce the cases of children with prenatal alcohol exposure, the only preventable cause of mental retardation, by developing programs for women who are or may become pregnant.  Working with Government agencies and congress, Brian hopes to help women understand the benefits of abstaining from alcohol during pregency.

Degrees Conferred in 2006: John Bane, Sarah Bleaken, Bernadette Di Rita, Noelle Hughes, Keely Lavelle, Kevin Long, Matthew McCarron, Kevin McNulty, Daniel Nichols, Paige Owen, Michael Schmidt, Erich Imphong, and James Hood.

Keely Lavelle - is currently working at Barton, Barton & Plotkin in Manhattan as a Legal Assistant.  She is working with other legal assistants on various personal injury, madical malpractice and corporate cases, as well as doing a bit of administrative work.

Kevin M. Long - is currently employed at MITRE Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development.  At CAASD, he has recently been promoted to Human Factors Engineer Associate who assists the various groups with their ongoing evaluations and taking a bigger role in helping to design experiments and reporting their results.  Kevin believes it is the skills he learned in data collection and data analysis that helped him get this job.  Kevin is also in the Human Factors/Applied Cognition Masters program through the Psychology department at George Mason University.  Kevin  volunteers with the McLean, VA Volunteer Fire Department currently holding certification as an EMT-B and will be attending Fire School this summer.

Paige Owen - has been admitted into the counseling graduate program at Old Dominion University. Paige said everything she learned in sociology is helping her out now to be able to see the whole person and to take into account environmental factors.  She said it is really amazing.  Paige is currently working with troubled kids and said it is really eye opening. 

Degrees Conferred in 2005: Michael Alvino, David Beety, Florence Cole, Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Kristin Haley, Kevin King and Kathleen Patterson.

Degrees Conferred in 2004: Shannon Cade, Patrick Hennessy, Marie Jochum,Kathleen Madl, Kevin Maloney, Sara Perla, Angela Schwartz, Nicole Trivlis and Meghan Wojtal.

Kathleen Madl - is currently a case manager at Catholic Charities with the Hurrican Katrina evacuees that have relocated to Chicago.  Kathleen said it has been an amazing experience to have spent four years studying social problems, theories and the possible way to go about trying to alleviate them and in her current job to see her studies in action. She has currently applied to the University of Chicago for a Masters in Social Services Administration.  Kathleen would eventually like to continue to either a Doctorate or a Law degree for human rights or advocacy.

Meghan Wojtal - Meghan has been living in Baltimore, Maryland since graduation.  She spent a year working for the Language Doctors, a non-profit based in the District of Columbia where she provided services to a blind attorney working for the Center for Medicaid Medicare services.  Meghan is currently working for The Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, a non-profit based in Baltimore doing family advocacy work with tenants and property owners throughout Maryland that have been effected by lead poisoning.

Degrees Conferred in 2003: Nadya Andrusik and Kate La Vine.

Degrees Conferred in 2002: Elizabeth Heichel, Elizabeth Mintzer, Nina Weiss, and Owen Whooley*.

Owen Whooley - received his MA degree in sociology from Boston College and his Ph.D. degree in sociology from NYC.

Degrees Conferred in 2001: Hyung-Taek Jo, John Portalatin, Timothy Varian and Julia Young*.

* Summa Cum Laude

Graduate Alumni

Aniedi Okure received his Ph.D in January 2009.  His dissertation title was "The Church as Social and Political Actor: An Analysis of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, 1060-1090".

Florencia Riguera received his PhD in January 2009.  His dissertation topic was "Framing Environmental and Other Problems in Asian/Pacific Contexts: A Comparative Study of Campaigns on Social Issues

Jacqueline Wenger received her PhD in January 2009.  Her dissertation topic was "Middle-Class African American and White Nondenominational Protestant Congregations: Their Characteristics and Significance".  Jackie is now working with the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, one of the projects of the Pew Research Center.  Her job is to help Forum with the planning, implementation and coordination of its various research projects.  In addition, she does background research for new projects.  Jackie says it is a great job because the Forum continually explores the big picture on religion in the U.S. and internationally.

Ashley Kopack received her M.A. in May 2009. Ashley is working as a Survey Specialist at Mathematica Policy Research.   Mathematica, is a nonpartisan firm, that conducts policy research and surveys in health care, education, welfare, family support, employment, etc.

Emily Ricke received her M.A. in May 2009.

Fang Fang received her M.A. in May 2008.  She will start in the Ph.D. Sociology program at Virginia Tech next semester.  While at CUA Fang worked with Dr. Hanson as a Research Assistant on her NSF grant entitled "Gender, Race and Science: Asian American Women as a Model Minority?"  Her duties in this capacity included literature review and data analysis involving two large data sets.

Xiaoyan Wang received her Ph.D. in January 2008.  The title of Xiaoyan's dissertation is An Empirical Test of American Church and Denominational Growth Models, 1990-2000. Starting in June Xiaoyen will be working as a consultant for IBM.

Ismail Demirezen received his Ph.D. in October 2007.  The title of his disertation is Repertoire Identies in Islamist Movements in Turkey and Egypt.  Ismail is currently working at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC.

Fr. Boguslaw Augustyn received his Ph.D. degree in May 2006.  The title of his dissertation is The Growth and Decline of the Ordination Rates to the Roman Catholic Diocesan Priesthood Cross-Nationally, 1950-2000.  Fr. Augustyn is currently pastor at Sacred Heart Church in New Jersey.

Meng Yu (Monica) received her M.A. degree in May 2006.  She is currently in the Ph.D. Sociology Program at Georgia Tech.  She has accepted a one-year visiting scholar position at the Fraunhofer Institution for Systems and Innovation Research in its Innovation Indicators Group starting fall 2009.  The focus of the activities is on empirical innovation research, in particular the use and development of science and technology indicators in the context of science and technology policy analysis

Lele Yang received her M.A. degree in May 2005.  Lele is currently working for a private firm called "Guardians of Honor" and works on-site at the National Science Foundation (NSF), primarily for the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL). Lele assists with Education and Human Resources (EHR) wide program evaluations.

Nataliya Kravets  received her M.A. degree in Politics May 2001.  She was admitted to the Sociology Ph.D. program in 2001.  Nataliya was on a leave of absence but hopes to finish her dissertation soon.  Nataliya works as a Public Health Analyst/Programmer for NOVA Research Company. She currently works under contract with the National Center for Health Statistics/CDC. She has co-authored a couple of publications and presentations in the last year (2007-08).