Issuu

The 20th Gene R. Urey

SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION •••

Sunday, April 25, 2021 2 p.m.

GENE R. UREY 1939–1999

Susquehanna University educates students for productive, creative and reflective lives of achievement, leadership and service in a diverse, dynamic and interdependent world.

Gene Raymond Urey, professor of political science at Susquehanna University from 1965-1999, touched the lives of a great many people. Students and colleagues at Susquehanna grew to become close friends of Dr. Urey and his family. In 2001, friends and family members established the Gene R. Urey Memorial Scholarship Fund to celebrate his passion for teaching, for working with young people and for the study of the Constitution of the United States of America. There are countless stories – from ridiculous to sublime – in which Gene’s unique wit and humor made indelible impressions. He often went the extra mile for his students, usually unbeknown to them (just as he preferred). Perhaps two quotes from his former students best tell his story: “I knew … what Gene did for me would change my life, and it did.” “He cared for me in class. He cared for me after graduation. He cared …” Gene’s untimely death in 1999 was heartbreaking for all those who knew and loved him. Susquehanna University is privileged to continue his legacy through the scholarship program that bears his name, and recognizes and rewards those students who, through the study of constitutional law and American government, have become critical thinkers, insightful analysts and articulate speakers.

2021

THE PARTICIPANTS ALAINA KING ’21 For the Petitioner, Mahanoy Area School District

Alaina King is a senior psychology major with minors in legal studies, professional and civic writing, and leadership, from Coal Township. She has been inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Gamma Mu honor societies, and was the 2020 recipient of the Michael and Christina Apfelbaum Prize for her academic success and dedication to community service. She is a founding member of ATLAS (Aspire to Lead and Serve) and is a Covid-19 care coordinator. Alaina has applied to law schools in Pennsylvania and will be focusing on family, constitutional or criminal law. When she isn’t studying for classes, Alaina enjoys volunteering with the American Red Cross providing disaster recovery services, and spending time with her two sisters, Evelyn and Ava. LARRY CZEPONIS ’22 For the Respondent, B.L. Larry Czeponis is a junior international studies and political science double major with a minor in philosophy, from Mount Carmel, Pa. He is also a member of the Honors Program. Larry is a graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes Regional High School in Coal Township. Larry is the junior representative on the Board of Trustees, a resident assistant in the Sassafras Complex, a member of the Student Government Association, and is involved in various other activities around campus. He is also a Democracy Fellow with the Campus Vote Project, which advocates for equitable access to voting and promotes voter engagement and education. Larry is currently studying to take the LSAT and he plans to attend law school after graduation.

THE 2021 JUDGES The Honorable Samuel D. Clapper ’68 The Honorable Michael T. Hudock The Honorable Abigail C. LeGrow ’01 The Honorable Michael Piecuch The Honorable David B. Wonderlick ’01

THE CASE

2021

MAHANOY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT v. B.L. On September 25, 2017, the ACLU-PA filed suit on behalf of B.L., a high school sophomore who had been cheerleading since she was in fifth grade and was expelled from the team as punishment for out-of-school speech. The case involved a First Amendment challenge to the Mahanoy Area High School’s “Cheerleading Rules,” which prohibit cheerleaders from posting any “negative information” about cheerleading online. B.L. was expelled from the junior varsity cheerleading squad for adding a post to Snapchat that school officials believed was “negative,” “disrespectful” and “demeaning.” Snapchat is a popular social media smartphone app that allows users to post images that are accessible on the platform only for short periods of time — ranging from one second to 24 hours — and are self-deleting. The post for which B.L. was punished was a photo of her and a friend at a convenience store holding up their middle fingers with the text “f—- school f—- softball f—- cheer f—everything” superimposed on the photo. B.L. posted the Snap on a Saturday, and made it available only to her Snapchat friends. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit previously held that schools cannot punish students for out-of-school speech that does not pose a risk of substantially, materially disrupting school activities. B.L.’s lawsuit challenges the Cheerleading Rules on their face and as applied to B.L. to punish her for the content of her out-of-school speech. In a landmark decision, on June 30, 2020, a federal appeals court ruled that public schools cannot censor students’ off-campus speech based on a fear of disruption of school activities. The United States Supreme Court will now confront the issue of whether Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, which holds that public school officials may regulate speech that would materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school, applies to student speech that occurs off campus.

PAST UREY SCHOLARSHIP PARTICIPANTS

2020

2018

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, no scholarship competition was held this year.

» SHANNON COSTA ’18 was a self-designed major of psychology and law,

2019 » DONOVAN GAYLES ’20 was a political science and public policy double

major with a minor in economics He is from Mount Olive, NJ. He served as president of the Student Government Association and as a Senior Community Assistant through the Office of Residence Life. On campus, Donovan worked in the office of the Provost and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. Off campus, he was a student mentor through a program called Student Success Agency where he connected with students all over the nation. He is an advocate for public service and has spent his time volunteering internationally as a student coach in Hong Kong and a language instructor in Barcelona. He has also worked domestically in his community through his church and in Philadelphia organizing to register new voters. Donovan is currently a semi-finalist for a Fulbright Scholarship and a finalist for the Coro Fellowship Program. He plans to spend a year in public service before attending law school in pursuit of a JD and Masters in Public Policy.

» ANTHONY WOJCIECHOWSKY ’20 was an English literature and

environmental studies double major from Pottsville, Pa., and graduated in December 2019. Anthony is currently enrolled in his first year of law school at the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder and hopes to pursue a career in environmental law.

from Halifax, Pa. She is currently in her third year at Widener University Commonwealth Law School and will graduate summa cum laude in May.

Shannon is a member of the Widener Commonwealth Law Review, Trial Advocacy Team and international law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta. She’s a research assistant and an Administrative Law Academic Success Fellow, which involves assisting 1L students with Administrative Law. Shannon is currently a law clerk at Abom and Kutalakis in Carlisle, Pa, and has accepted a job there to practice criminal and family law upon passing the Bar Exam.

» MARTIN HOOPER ’18 was a political science and economics double

major from Howell, NJ. At Susquehanna, Martin served as the vice president of Tau Kappa Epsilon, he worked as an office assistant for SU’s political science department and also interned with the Arlin Adams Center, in the offices of Judge Michael Hudock in Snyder County, and Public Defender Brian Ulmer in Union County. Martin served as editor for the student-led journal, SU Political Review, and was a member of Susquehanna’s Honors Program. The fall of 2016 Martin spent the semester abroad at Regent’s University in London. Martin joined the U.S. Army in 2019 and is currently serving as a second lieutenant. He is attending the Infantry Basic Officer Leader’s Course (IBOLC) at Fort Benning, GA. Upon graduation from IBOLC, he will attend the U.S. Army’s Ranger School and serve as an infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division.

PAST UREY SCHOLARSHIP PARTICIPANTS

2017

2016

» ASHLEY MACHAMER ’17 was a psychology major with a minor in French

» MARIBETH GUARINO ’17 is the Health Care Advocate with the Oregon

language studies from Lykens, Pa. During her time at Susquehanna, Ashley was involved in many campus activities including the Mock Trial team, Student Activities Committee, Pre-Law Society and Alpha Phi Omega, in addition to working as a Senior Community Assistant for SU Residence Life. Ashley graduated from Villanova University School of Law in May 2020 where she received the Dorothy Day Award for pro bono service for her work in the Villanova Health Law Clinic. Ashley practices criminal defense, estate planning and administration, civil litigation, and aids in guardianship matters at Martson Law Offices in Thompsontown, Pa.

» GABRIELLE POLLARD ’17 is currently working as an Examiner in the Capital Markets department of FINRA, in the New York City Offices. She graduated from St. John’s University School of Law in May ’20. While at Susquehanna, Gabi was involved in many campus activities including the Pre-Law Society, Phi Alpha Theta (history honors), Pi Gamma Mu (international honors) and Phi Sigma Tau (philosophy honors).

State Public Interest Research Group in Portland, OR, working towards policy change on the state and local level. She graduated from Catholic University Columbus School of Law in 2020 with her JD and certification in Law and Public Policy. At Susquehanna, Maribeth was a self-designed “Law, Language, Politics” and Spanish double major, President of Women’s Club Volleyball, and an editor of the SU Political Review.

» JACQUELINE KEENAN ’16 was a political science major with minors in

history and legal studies from Bayport, NY. During her time at Susquehanna, Jacqueline was involved in many campus activities including the Mock Trial team, Pre-Law Society and Alpha Phi Omega, in addition to working as a tour guide. Jacqueline attended Washington and Lee University School of Law as a member of the Class of 2019 and received the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section Award for excellence in the area of family law upon graduation. Jacqueline practices family law, estate planning and civil litigation at Adkins Law, PLLC in Charlotte, NC.

PAST UREY SCHOLARSHIP PARTICIPANTS

2015

2014

» EMERSON WAITE ’15 received a B.A. in sociology and minors in women’s

No scholarship competition was held this year.

studies and art history. After graduation, Emerson worked as a Deputy Clerk of Courts at the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, in West Chester, Pa. In September of 2016, he accepted a job in the nation’s capital as a docket assistant at Steptoe & Johnson, LLP. Emerson went on to become a paralegal and worked on complex commercial disputes, trade secrets matters, white collar criminal cases, and intellectual property (IP) litigation. Emerson is currently a Ph.D. student in the criminology program at Penn State and works as a research assistant at the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. His research focuses on sentencing, corrections and public policy, and his long-term goal is to develop policies that promote and provide rehabilitative outcomes as opposed to punitive punishments.

» CHRISTOPHER WARDEN ’16 from New Hope, Pa. graduated with a B.A.

in sociology and minors in legal studies and Spanish. While at Susquehanna, Chris interned with the Bucks County Detectives, the New Hope Borough Police Department, Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), and with the office of Adult Probation in Lycoming County. Chris’ interest in law, the role of the courts and legal language, and his interest in law enforcement was strengthened through his undergraduate criminology/ law classes and his various internship experiences. After graduation, Chris was hired as a Deputy Sheriff with the Lycoming County Sheriff’s Office. He has since been fortunate enough to be deputized, full-time, to the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

2013 » BRYON CHOWKA ’13 is a trial attorney at Clark Hill PLC’s Pittsburgh

office. He represents companies, governmental and municipal agencies, and individuals in complex commercial litigation, real estate disputes, securities matters and white-collar criminal cases. He is a 2016 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

» MORGAN KLINGER ’14 graduated summa cum laude with a degree in

Accounting and a minor in Legal Studies. She is now a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and is employed by Penn National Gaming at their corporate headquarters in Wyomissing, PA. Penn National Gaming, a publicly traded company, is one of the nation’s largest regional gaming operators with 41 racing and gaming properties in 19 states. At Penn National, Morgan is a member of the tax and accounting team, where she deals primarily with federal, state and local tax compliance matters, corporate tax planning strategies, mergers and acquisitions, and various other tax and accounting matters.

PAST UREY SCHOLARSHIP PARTICIPANTS

2012

2010

» HANNAH MOLITORIS ’12 graduated cum laude with a political science

» ANITA (LAKE ’10) BERRY graduated with a degree in communications,

degree, minoring in public relations. She graduated from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University in 2016. Hannah is currently a trial attorney at Morgan and Morgan in Philadelphia and an adjunct professor at Kline Law. Previously, Hannah worked as an assistant defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. She also served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Michael Erdos in the Court of Common Pleas Civil Trial Division. She is an active member of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, American Association for Justice, and the Pennsylvania Association for Justice. Hannah sits on the board of the Professional Women’s Roundtable and serves as the Vice President of Kline Law Alumni Council.

with an emphasis in public relations, and a minor in political science. She also graduated with a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University. Anita is currently an associate with Johnston and Stewart Government Strategies based in Tampa, FL. Her work is primarily focused on state and local level lobbying and consulting.

» MORGAN B. (SPECHT ’11) WAGNER currently serves as the Policy

» MATTHEW WYMAN ’13 is a political science graduate from Enola, Pa.

In May of 2016, he earned a Juris Doctor degree from Widener University Commonwealth Law School and in October 2016, he earned his license to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Matthew currently serves as Judicial Law Clerk in the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas.

Advisor to the Pennsylvania House Majority Leader, Rep. Kerry Benninghoff. During her time at Susquehanna, Morgan majored in political science and minored in legal studies and public relations. Her campus involvement included Student Government, Alpha Phi Omega, the Public Relations Student Society of America and the SU College Republicans. In her community, Morgan serves on the Board of Directors for the Maroon and Gold Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to benefiting the students of the Millersburg Area School District. Morgan and her husband, Tyler, are the proud parents of their four year old daughter, Meredith.

2011

2009

» JASON M. WILSON ’12 graduated with a degree in political science,

In recognition of the special 10th annual event, we turned the tables a bit. Instead of student participants, two seasoned Urey Scholarship Competition Judges, Bruce W. Ficken Esq. ’70 and Samuel D. Clapper Esq. ’68, presented the case to a judges panel of past participants: Joshua D. Funk ’05, Ryan D. Gleason ’04, Neal R. Lesher ’08 and David B. Wonderlick ’01.

minoring in legal studies. He is a senior associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in Washington D.C. Jason received his JD from American University Washington College of Law. While pursuing his law degree, Jason served as an intern at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Fraud Section of the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division. He previously held internships with Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

» ALLISON B. GORDON ’12 graduated from Susquehanna University with

degrees in both political science and psychology. Allison earned her law degree from the Duquesne University School of Law in 2015. Allison is currently employed by Consilio, LLC as a Senior Review Associate. She is currently barred in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California.

PAST UREY SCHOLARSHIP PARTICIPANTS

2008

2006

» DANIELLE N. JUBIC ’10 graduated with degrees in creative writing and

» STEVEN HEVERLEY ’06 graduated with a degree in biology and a minor

French. She is very much enjoying her life as a Susquehanna alumnae.

» TYLER VAN KIRK ’08 graduated with degrees in political science and music performance. He is the Technology Solutions Manager at Food and Water Watch, an international political advocacy organization that works to ensure access to healthy food and safe drinking water for all.

2007 » TRACY (JANUZZI ’07) PENFIELD earned a business administration

degree with an emphasis in finance and a minor in legal studies. Tracy graduated from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C., in 2010. Following graduation, Tracy served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Christine Odell Cook Miller at the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, DC, and to the Honorable Marcus D. Williams at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va. Following her clerkships, she joined the Washington, D.C. office of the international law firm Hogan Lovells US LLP where she practiced antitrust and competition law until November 2020. Thereafter, Tracy joined Amazon Web Services as a Corporate Counsel on the infrastructure team where she advises the business in growing its cloud computing network. In August 2014, Tracy married Jeremy Penfield ’07, whom she met when they both participated in Susquehanna’s London Program in 2005. Their son Oliver was born in 2016, followed by their daughter Elodie in 2018.

» NEAL LESHER ’08 graduated with a political science degree and a minor in economics. Since graduating, Neal has worked in both the legislative and the executive branches of government in Harrisburg. He currently serves as Policy and Communications Director for the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee.

in health care studies. Steve completed his medical degree at the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine in 2010 and pediatric residency at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital in 2013. He is a pediatrician with Tan and Garcia Pediatrics in Harrisburg and Enola. Steve married Kristin Aurand ’06 Heverley in 2007 and they have two children, Abigail and Benjamin.

» PATRICK HENRY ’08 is the Associate Editor for Fiction and Poetry at

Modern Language Studies. Currently, he is a Teaching Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Creative Writing in the English Department at the University of North Dakota. He holds an MA in English from Bucknell University, an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from Rutgers University-Newark, and a Ph.D. in English from the George Washington University. His work has appeared in The Massachusetts Review, Clarion, Longleaf Review, Passenges North, and Landlocked, amongst others, and he was selected for inclusion in Best Microfiction 2020.

2005 » JOSHUA FUNK ’05 serves as Chief of Staff and Counsel for Pennsylvania

State Senate Majority Whip, Senator John R. Gordner. He previously served as Deputy General Counsel for the Senate Republican Caucus and Counsel for the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, Ethics Committee and the Special Committee on Senate Address, which was the committee that was tasked with determining whether Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane should be removed from office. He graduated from the Dickinson School of Law and was admitted to the bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2008.

» BRIAN HABERMEHL ’06 is Coordinator of Self Advocates of the

Susquehanna Valley, a program of The ARC, Susquehanna Valley. He’s been working in the advocacy field for people with disabilities for 15 years.

PAST UREY SCHOLARSHIP PARTICIPANTS

2004

2002

» ELIZABETH AMATO ’06 graduated from Temple Law School in May 2009.

» GREG WALLINGER ’02 serves as an IT Project Manager at U.S. Ecology,

» THOMAS SUTCLIFFE ’06 graduated from Boston University School of Law

» TARA (YUTZY ’04) COLLIER graduated from Penn State University’s

She is currently working as an attorney for the Defense Logistics Agency in Philadelphia, where she has served in the position of Assistant Counsel for the past eleven years.

in 2009. He is currently an Assistant United States Attorney in Syracuse, NY where he works in the Appeals and Criminal Divisions.

2003 » RYAN D. GLEASON ’04 is a judicial law clerk for the Superior Court of

a leading provider of environmental services to commercial and government entities, in Boise, ID. In 2012, Greg earned his Masters of Public Administration from Portland State University.

Dickinson School of Law in May 2007 and thereafter became licensed to practice in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She has her own law practice in Cumberland, MD. Her private practice focuses primarily on real estate transactions and elder law/long-term care planning. She is also a licensed title insurance agent in all three states.

Pennsylvania. Ryan is also a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, serving as a Judge Advocate with the 153rd Legal Operations Detachment. He earned his law degree from the Villanova University School of Law in 2007, and a L.L.M. in advocacy from the Stetson University College of Law in 2019. He lives just outside of Pittsburgh.

2001

» MARY (LENT ’04) TAYLOR is an Academic Appointments Manager in

» AMY PURCELL ’02 graduated from Cornell Law School. Amy is Chief

the office of Faculty Affairs at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Cambridge, Mass. She manages researcher and faculty hires, appointments and promotions. She holds an MS in Applied Educational Psychology from Northeastern University. Mary and her husband, Chris, welcomed a baby boy, Jack, in May 2020.

» GARRETT BISSELL ’01 graduated from the University at Buffalo Law

School in 2004 and is licensed to practice law in New York. Garrett is a Senior Attorney with the New York Independent System Operator, Inc.

Privacy Officer at Vanguard. Amy leads Vanguard’s enterprise-wide Global Privacy Program, which is responsible for interpreting and ensuring compliance with domestic and international data privacy laws and regulations. Prior to Vanguard, Amy was a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP in Philadelphia. Amy lives in Wayne, Pa. with her husband Matt Fatz ’02 and their three sons, Brady, Cooper and Mason.

PAST UREY SCHOLARSHIP PARTICIPANTS

2000 » ABIGAIL (MYERS ’01) LEGROW graduated from Penn State University’s

Dickinson School of Law in May 2004 and is admitted to practice law in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Abby previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jack B. Jacobs on the Delaware Supreme Court and was an attorney at the law firm of Potter, Anderson & Corroon LLP in Wilmington, DE, where she specialized in corporate and commercial litigation. From 2011 to February 2016, Abby served as Master in Chancery on the Delaware Court of Chancery. In December 2015, she was nominated by Governor Jack Markell to become a judge on the Superior Court of Delaware. Abby was sworn in as Judge of the Superior Court of the State of Delaware in February 2016. In July 2017, Abby was named to the Superior Court’s Complex Commercial Litigation Division.

» DAVE WONDERLICK ’01 graduated from William and Mary Law School in Williamsburg, VA, in 2004. Dave is a partner at Varela, Lee, Metz & Guarino, LLP in Tysons Corner, VA, where he specializes in construction law and government contracts. Dave has litigated cases involving disputes on major construction projects across the country and around the world and is a frequent author and speaker on construction law topics. He is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

514 University Ave., Selinsgrove, PA 17870 | susqu.edu @susquehannau