Pennsylvania College of Technology

Vincent M. Pellechia, of Catasauqua, a landscape/horticulture technology: landscape emphasis major, is among 16 Pennsylvania College of Technology students who have passed the Pennsylvania Pesticide Applicator Certification exam, administered in November by the state Department of Agriculture. Pellechia passed the core exam and category 6 (ornamental and shade trees).

“After passing this exam, the students have set themselves apart from their competition in the workplace,” said Carl J. Bower, a horticulture instructor in the college’s School of Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies. “Many employers want to see that you have already completed this training and are ready for the field. These students prove that.”

East Stroudsburg University

A total of 458 students received degrees from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania at the winter commencement ceremony Dec. 17 in Koehler Fieldhouse. There were 395 bachelor’s degrees, 58 master’s degrees and five doctoral degrees awarded.

Bath: Eric Molchan, Bachelor of Science in middle level education

Catasauqua: Carly Deangelo, Bachelor of Science in hotel, restaurant and tourism management

Northampton: John Kuhns, Bachelor of Science in biology; Jesenia Rosario, Bachelor of Science in psychology

Whitehall: Stacy Schrettner, Master of Education in special education

Lafayette College

Joseph Fehr, of Bath, a member of Lafayette College’s Class of 2020, spent the days leading up to a new student orientation this fall by helping with local service projects as part of Lafayette’s Pre-Orientation Service Program (POSP), coordinated through Landis Center.

Fehr was among 60 students selected to serve at five major Easton community sites: West Ward Neighborhood Partnership Camp, Kids in the Community Day Camp, Firth Youth Center, Teens in the Community Day Camp and Easton Area Lifestyle Campus for Seniors.

Volunteers participated in various activities and took on a number of roles at their designated service sites, such as painting, gardening, renovating and serving as classroom aids and camp counselors. Most importantly, volunteers had the opportunity to foster remarkable friendships with young children, teens and seniors in the community through their experience with POSP.

For first-year students, POSP is an excellent transition to Lafayette College and the Easton community. The Landis Center-run program serves as a catalyst that encourages students to make connections through their involvement in meaningful service experiences and results in increased appreciation of the Easton community.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY

Will Leiner III, of Coplay, has been selected to attend the 2017 World Government Summit this February. The summit will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Leiner will be attending with the Oxford University, United Kingdom, delegation.

The Whitehall High School graduate works as a global consultant with the Albright-Stonebridge Group (ASG) in Washington, D.C. Leiner is an MBA graduate from Oxford in its Green Templeton College, Said School of Business. He completed his undergraduate work at Penn State, University Park campus, where he studied finance. While at Penn State, he was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten as a member of the basketball team that won an NIT championship.

Prior to his ASG role, Leiner worked as a financial auditor at Johnson and Johnson Inc., New Brunswick, N.J. In addition to his work at ASG, Leiner is a research assistant for Oxford University. Currently he is researching with an Oxford team the relationship between government and business efforts to improve infrastructure. He involved himself in numerous volunteer activities, including Junior Achievement, Coplay Town Watch, Operation Smile and Coplay Scholarship Fund and was a founding member in developing a leadership council at Christ the King Prep School in Newark, N.J.

The World Government Summit is the primary global forum dedicated to shaping the future of government worldwide. The event is held annually serving as a gateway to the future of government. Its function is to serve as the platform to discuss future trends, issues and opportunities facing governments. Attendees include numerous officials, policy makers, private and public sector leaders, and academics to discuss the latest developments and future trends. It is an apolitical event.

Speakers, among many in 2016, included President Barack Obama, former Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Dr. Neil Tyson of the Hayden Planetarium. Numerous evidence-based reports presented at the 2016 summit included “Shaping the Future of Work: Technology’s Role in Employment,” “Artificial Intelligence: Disrupting the Future of Work” and “Personalized Technology Will Shift the Doctor-Patient Relationship.”