The Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation Awards Annual Scholarships
Philadelphia, PA – The Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation takes great pleasure in announcing the academic year 2023-24 scholarship recipients. These members demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement, chapter leadership and community service.
The Educational Foundation awarded 21 general undergraduate scholarships as follows:
Alessandra Prezioso, Alpha Eta chapter at Montclair State University
Alyssa Divins, Epsilon Phi chapter at Thomas Jefferson University - East Falls
Ana Luisa Giusti Pedrosa, Alpha chapter at New York University
Ashley Pelletier, Alpha Lambda chapter at York College of Pennsylvania
Elizabeth Owen, Psi chapter at the University of Georgia
Emily Wenke, Beta Omega chapter at St. John's University - Jamaica Campus
Faith Fischer, Alpha Delta chapter at Seton Hall University
Gabrielle Wheeler, Psi chapter at the University of Georgia
Jamie Martin, Psi chapter at the University of Georgia
Kaitlyn Marnien, Alpha Alpha chapter at West Chester University
Katherine Civitano, Beta Omega chapter at St. John's University - Jamaica Campus
Kayla Smakal, Alpha Lambda chapter at York College of Pennsylvania
Lauren Gray, Beta Tau chapter at Nova Southeastern University
Madeleine McCann, Beta Alpha chapter at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Arizona)
Madisen Hicks, Beta Upsilon chapter at Rochester Institute Of Technology
MaryPat MacRae, Zeta Epsilon chapter at Carleton University
Rachel Osband, Phi Lambda chapter at Emory University
Rachel Dionne, Zeta Iota chapter at Northern Arizona State University
Robin Murray, Epsilon Phi chapter at Thomas Jefferson University - East Falls
Sophia Brasley, Phi Psi chapter at Keene State College
Stella Witter, Delta Pi chapter at Pennsylvania State University - University Park
The Educational Foundation awarded 5 general graduate scholarships as follows:
Lindsay Woodard, Alpha chapter at New York University
Jennifer Majchrzak, Alpha Eta chapter at Montclair State University
Aubrianna Gholar, Delta Upsilon chapter at The University of Tampa
Taylor Choi, Epsilon Delta chapter at Binghamton University Of The State University Of New York
Katarina Kobetitsch, Beta Omega chapter at St. John's University - Jamaica Campus
The foundation also awarded the following endowed scholarships:
The Arleen Kruger Honick Scholarship was awarded to Gabrielle Wheeler, an undergraduate member of the Psi chapter at the University of Georgia.
The Dr. Toby Tamarkin Scholarship was awarded to Amelia Medina, an undergraduate member of the Beta Tau chapter at Nova Southeastern University.
The Madeleine Claire McNulty Scholarship fund awarded two scholarships this round as follows: Amelia Medina, an undergraduate member of the Beta Tau chapter at Nova Southeastern University, and Victoria Hennessey, an undergraduate member of the Gamma Upsilon chapter at Campbell University.
The Dream Girl Scholarship was awarded to Gabriela Dean, an undergraduate member of the Alpha Gamma chapter at Florida International University.
Scholarship committee chair, Kristin Morgan, stated, " The caliber and number of applications we received this year made identifying the top candidates challenging. Although the need for financial support is great, the level of chapter, campus and community involvement of our collegians is impressive. The scholarship recipients this year are well deserving and are a diverse representation of our founding values. Our future is bright because of these outstanding and deserving sisters!
The Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation offers its congratulations to the 2023-24 scholarship recipients on this accomplishment. To learn more about the educational foundation, please visit www.dphie.org/scholarships.
###
About Delta Phi Epsilon
Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority is an organization dedicated to creating a global network of future women leaders. DPhiE was founded on March 17, 1917 at New York University Law School as a social organization for women. The mission is to provide a sisterhood experience rich with tradition, innovation and opportunities for growth. Learn more about Delta Phi Epsilon at www.dphie.org.
Delta Phi Epsilon Mourns the Loss of Notable Alumnae, Judy Heumann
Philadelphia, PA – It is with heavy hearts that Delta Phi Epsilon mourns the loss of notable alumnae, trailblazer and activist Judith “Judy” Heumann —who passed away on the afternoon of March 4, 2023. Judy was known internationally as a pioneer in disability rights and was at the forefront of prominent demonstrations and passing legislation that protected the rights of disabled people.
Born in 1947 to Ilse and Werner Heumann, and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she contracted polio at age two and lost her ability to walk. Her activist career started in the 1970s in New York, where she sued the New York Board of Education for refusing to give her a teaching license, which she later won and became the first teacher in the state to use a wheelchair.
Within the decade, Judy helped lead a historic non-violent protest in support of the Rehabilitation Act, specifically section 504, which would outlaw disability discrimination for institutions that receive federal funds. Judy, only 29 at the time, organized the occupation of a San Francisco federal building for almost a complete month with support coming from San Francisco’s mayor, George Moscone, and the Black Panther party. This demonstration would lead to Judy testifying in a special congressional hearing which facilitated the later passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Judy served as an official in the Clinton administration and a special advisor to the Obama administration’s State Department. She helped found the Berkley Center for Independent Living, the Independent Living Movement, and the World Institute on Disability; and served on the boards of the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, and many more.
In 1966, prior to her many accomplishments and accolades, Judy was initiated into Delta Phi Epsilon in the Upsilon chapter at Long Island University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in 1969. Committed to the sisterhood, Judy, just as recently as of July 2022, held a fireside chat for our members at our International Leadership Forum to speak, inspire, and educate our members about disability advocacy and her work.
While we could go on about her many accomplishments and accolades, Judy to us was a sister, a vital part of the fabric of the modern Delta Phi Epsilon. She constantly reminded us, like our founders, that justice is rooted in equality and that it’s something to be cherished and for which to fight.
“Some people say that what I did changed the world,” Judy wrote, “But really, I simply refused to accept what I was told about who I could be. And I was willing to make a fuss about it.”
###
About Delta Phi Epsilon, Inc.
Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority was founded on March 17, 1917 at New York University Law School as a social organization for women. The mission is to provide a sisterhood experience rich with tradition, innovation and opportunities for growth. Learn more about Delta Phi Epsilon at www.dphie.org.