As they prepare to graduate, we asked our GSE Student Ambassadors to reflect upon their experiences at Fordham and the Graduate School of Education. Ali Goldstein will receive her M.S.E. in Counseling and Personnel Services this May.
"When I was accepted into Fordham's Graduate School of Education Counseling and Personnel Services program, I didn't know what to expect. As with any big life change, I had mixed feelings. Was I making the right decision leaving my high-paying job in Human Resources? How did I know I wanted to be a school counselor, when I had never worked in a school? What if I went through the program and discovered that in fact, I didn’t want to be a school counselor? However, what I did know was that if the program had as much of an emphasis on personal attention as there was during the admissions process, it was bound to be beneficial to me.
Once I arrived at Fordham, one of the ways I knew that I’d made the right choice was that from the very first course I took, I was surrounded by an extremely diverse group of students, of all ethnicities, race, ages, and career backgrounds. The wide array of experiences reflected in the student body made me more multi-culturally competent, which has in its turn fostered my self-awareness, knowledge and skills. Additionally, GSE's counseling programs consist of more than just classroom lecture courses; students are taught by renowned professors in the field who instruct, and then require the class to practice what they’ve learned. This experiential model of learning, coupled with small class sizes, truly prepared me for "real world" experiences in the field.
Overall, the most unique aspect of my Fordham experience was the remarkable insight that I gained- not just as a student, or a counseling intern, or a student ambassador, or a classmate- but as a whole person. My upcoming graduation in May is a big accomplishment, but I will miss being a student here. I have a great deal of uncertainty regarding what my next steps may be (not unusual in today’s job market!), but regardless of what I wind up doing after graduation, I have no doubt that the skill sets, experience and mentors that I gained at Fordham will help me in all future endeavors.
I am looking forward to remaining connected to Fordham’s Graduate School of Education through the Alumni Association, as well as online through the GSE Blog,
Facebook and
LinkedIn, and most importantly, through my ongoing relationships with fellow classmates and faculty."
The April 14th edition of Inside Fordham contains an "In Focus: Faculty and Research" article about Kathleen Cashin, Ed.D, who was elected this past March to a four-year term on the New York State Board of Regents. As a regent, she works on policies that affect issues of instruction, including credit accumulation, diplomas and seat time for high school.
"When I was accepted into Fordham's Graduate School of Education Counseling and Personnel Services program, I didn't know what to expect. As with any big life change, I had mixed feelings. Was I making the right decision leaving my high-paying job in Human Resources? How did I know I wanted to be a school counselor, when I had never worked in a school? What if I went through the program and discovered that in fact, I didn’t want to be a school counselor? However, what I did know was that if the program had as much of an emphasis on personal attention as there was during the admissions process, it was bound to be beneficial to me.
Westchester Campus
Lincoln Center Campus
Race To Nowhere: The Dark Side of America's Achievement Culture 
Don't miss a hilarious evening of improv comedy with a performance from the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company. Making small audiences laugh since 1996, UCB boasts Amy Poehler as a founding member. Next, get the inside scoop as the performers share their improv strategies and how you can break into this type of cutting edge, spontaneous comedy with classes at the UCB Training Center. Esteemed alumni have gone on to perform and write for Saturday Night Live, The Office, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Blades of Glory, and a number of other television shows, films and commercials. Many of these performers bring their talent back to the theater and training center. 
Dr. Lauren Allan (M.S., '95, Ed.D. '07) was unanimously selected by Ardsley’s Board of Education as its next superintendent, out of a field of 25 candidates. As Ardsley’s current assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the past eight years, she knows the district as an educator. As a former resident and student, Allan has a unique perspective to bring to her new leadership role, which she will assume July 1. The board will appoint her officially at its April 13 meeting. 
Margo A. Jackson, Ph.D. (GSE, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology), published "Multicultural Career Case Conceptualization Role Plays: Exploring Hidden Biases Through Reflections, Video-recording, and Small Group Processing," in Experiential Activities for Teaching Multicultural Counseling Classes and Infusing Cultural Diversity into Core Classes (American Counseling Association, 2011).
Sister Margaret McCabe (GSE ' 84, P.D. in Counseling & Personnel Services) was profiled on March 31st in "Astoria Characters: The Nun of God," by Nancy Ruhling. Sister Margaret has lived in the convent of Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria, Queens, for a quarter century, moving in shortly after she became the chaplain of the Robert N. Davoren Center on Rikers Island. She works closely with adolescent and adult men at Rikers, offering counseling and religious solace, and was given a medal by Mayor Mike Bloomberg last year for her service to the city. 
This week's Los Ninos Young Child Expo and Conference (sponsored by the Graduate School of Education) at the Hotel Pennsylvania was attended by over 1,000 educators, parents, and other professionals. On Thursday, April 7th, Dean James Hennessy presented Dr. Ami Klin (Director of the Marcus Autism Center at Emory University) with the 2nd Excellence in Early Childhood Award, before Dr. Klin's keynote presentation. 
Dr. John Petillo (PD and PhD in Counseling Psychology, GSE '76), dean of the John F. Welch College of Business, and past chancellor and CEO of Seton Hall University, has been named president of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Dr. Petillo, who has served as interim president of the University for five months, was selected by the Board of Trustees after an extensive national search. He is the 6th President in the University's 48-year history to be selected unanimously by the 15-member search committee. 
GSE alum, Sarah Noel [FCRH '02 (Psychology), GSE '05 (Mental Health Counseling)] is a licensed Mental Health counselor working with teens and adults, as well as a Person-Centered Topic Expert, publishing monthly online articles for GoodTherapy.org. 
