Kutztown University to Celebrate 2025 Spring Commencement May 16-17

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – More than 1,250 students will be awarded degrees during Kutztown University's spring commencement ceremonies May 16-17, at O'Pake Fieldhouse. Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson, university president, and Dr. Lorin Basden Arnold, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, will preside.

Commencement coverage (pictures, video, links)

Graduate students will receive their degrees at 5 p.m. Friday, May 16, including 18 doctoral candidates. Jazmine Lord ’22, counseling, will serve as the graduate student speaker and Dr. Edward P. Hanna, associate professor of social work, will represent the faculty.

Undergraduate students in the Colleges of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences will graduate at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 17. Melanie R. McHugh, psychology, will represent the student body and Dr. Nicole Johnson ’05, professor of special education, will serve as the faculty speaker.

Undergraduate students in the Colleges of Business and Visual and Performing Arts will graduate at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 17. Amanda E. Celentano, communication studies and Spanish, will serve as the student speaker and Dr. Maria Asteriadou, professor of music, will serve as the faculty speaker.

Jazmine Lord ’22 of Upper Darby, Pa., graduates with a Master of Arts in counseling: clinical mental health. A KU alumna who graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in psychology, Lord worked as a graduate assistant with the LGBTQ+ Resource Center and more recently with the Health and Wellness Center, where she helped provide medical wellness needs for students. Following graduation, Lord will be a child and adolescent therapist at Foundations Behavioral Health.

At KU, Lord coordinated more than a dozen events and initiatives focused on diverse populations in collaboration with various multicultural student groups and the Multicultural Center staff. She co-coordinated the Black Student Union’s annual Black Lives Matter march with more than 100 attendees. In collaboration with the LGBTQ+ Resource Center and off campus organizations, she coordinated PrideFest for 500 students. Lord has presented for the Council on Human Diversity Conference on “Contemporary Issues in Human Diversity and Social Justice.” At KU’s Ujima Conference, she co-presented on intersectionality in the Black community titled, “Black is a Color in the Rainbow.” She also spoke at KU’s Unity Day to highlight KU diversity and a sense of belonging in the Golden Bear community.

For all her work and collaborative efforts previously mentioned, Lord was given the “Trailblazer” award from the Multicultural Center. The Women’s Center presented her with the “Phenomenal Woman” award for on-campus efforts to uplift and empower individuals from diverse backgrounds. Lord was inducted into the Alpha Epsilon Lambda Graduate Honor Society and the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Honor Society.

Dr. Edward P. Hanna, associate professor of social work, began his KU career as an adjunct professor in 2005 and joined the Department of Social Work full time in 2008.

With more than 50 years’ experience, teaching is Hanna’s third career in the social work profession. He has served as a direct practitioner, supervisor, and director of mental health and drug/alcohol programs, including his last position as president and CEO of a mental health provider system in Fort Washington, Pa. Additionally, he has spent more than two decades in private practice as a mental health therapist, mediator, consultant and educator. Hanna is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (PA), a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, a board-certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work, an Advanced Practitioner Member of The Association for Conflict Resolution, and a past associate member of the American Bar Association. A Vietnam-era veteran, he has served for many years as a Military and Family Life Consultant and holds memberships and positions in many provider groups and organizations.

Having created a Cognitive Emotional Methodology for critical thinking, Hanna has published, conducted research and presented at conferences in the U.S. and Europe on that topic. He also has presented at many peer-reviewed conferences on issues of professional ethics, military suicide, clinical supervision, conflict management, mediation and legislative policy development.

After graduating high school from Thompson Academy on Thompson Island, Boston, he earned a B.A. in sociology from Colby College in Maine followed by a Master of Social Work and Doctor of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds an Advanced Certificate in Practice Theory Development from Penn.

Melanie R. McHugh of East Greenville, Pa., graduates magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and minors in communication studies and women and gender studies. 

McHugh is a registered behavior technician and direct therapist at Preparing Individuals Today for Tomorrow, specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). She conducts one-on-one therapy sessions to promote positive behavior changes, facilitates skill development and implements treatment plans for clients.

Last spring, McHugh interned at Precipice Healing and Insight as a clinical psychology intern, collaborating with licensed professional counselor Letecia Garcia to gain insight into telehealth private practice. Through this experience, she developed an understanding of various therapeutic theories, including astrological counseling and somatic therapy, to expand her skill set in mental health practices. Engaging with a diverse range of client stories, she broadened her knowledge of human experiences.

At KU, McHugh worked as a peer tutor for biology and child psychology courses. She is a member of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, the National Society of Leadership and Success, and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Additionally, she serves on the Student Government Board and as a Presidential Ambassador.

After graduation, McHugh will return to KU to pursue her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, with the goal of becoming a licensed professional counselor. She also will be working as a graduate assistant in the Career Development Center. McHugh aspires to one day own and operate a successful private practice focused on holistic, client-centered mental health care.

Dr. Nicole Johnson is a professor of special education in the visual impairment program and has taught at KU for 13 years. A KU alumna, Johnson’s areas of research include utilizing wait time for students with disabilities, teaching strategies for students with low incidence disabilities and Braille reading rates.

Johnson has presented at state, national and international levels on sensory impairments and has served as president of the National Council of Exceptional Children Division on Visual Impairment and Deaf-Blindness. Prior to teaching at KU, Johnson taught students with visual impairments and cognitive disabilities as a teacher of the visually impaired and orientation and mobility specialist in school districts in both Pennsylvania and Texas.

Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science in education from KU, followed by a Master of Education in special education/orientation and mobility and an Educational Doctorate in Special Education with an emphasis in Dual Sensory Impairments from Texas Tech University.

Amanda Celentano of Branchville, N.J., graduates summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies and Spanish. She is a Dean’s List student and a member of Sigma Delta Pi Foreign Language Honor Society.

In Summer 2024, Celentano served as a KU BEARS Research Assistant, where she worked with Dr. Megan O'Byrne on a project analyzing the conflict surrounding lithium mining, resulting in a paper seeking publication where she is recognized as the second author.

Celentano is the vice president of KU Choirs, as well as the soprano section leader. In November 2024, she was the student presenter at the Council of Trustees meeting. She also is a member of the Leadership Team and Worship Team of Kutztown Christian Fellowship.

Dr. Maria Asteriadou, professor of piano and chamber music, is celebrated worldwide for her intense artistry and exceptional performances. She has performed in recitals as a soloist with renowned orchestras and has collaborated with many distinguished artists in major concert halls across the United States, South America, Canada and Europe. Her deep connection to her Greek heritage and commitment to contemporary music have led to numerous premieres of works by prominent Greek composers.

Asteriadou also serves as the artistic director of the KU Summer Music Festival, an immersive one-week program drawing faculty and students from around the globe. A recipient of numerous awards, Asteriadou earned first prize in performance from the State Conservatory of Greece and at the Maria Callas International Piano Competition. She won the Dora Zaslavsky Concerto Competition at the Manhattan School of Music, where she gave a critically acclaimed performance of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto. She was also the only pianist selected from the Musik Hochschule in Freiburg to perform in honor of Maestro Pierre Boulez. In recognition of her dedication to mentoring young musicians, Asteriadou was inducted into the Steinway and Sons Teacher Hall of Fame. In addition to KU, Asteriadou is a member of the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division.

Asteriadou holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music and earned a Master of Music from The Juilliard School. After completing her undergraduate studies at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, she continued her education at the Musik Hochschule in Freiburg.