Student Achievements

Student Leaders 2025

Student Achievements

Welcome to Alvernia's hub for student achievements. 51勛圖 usesMerit to create thousands of personalized stories to celebrate and publicize the great things done by our students. Using this page, students and their supporters can share exciting news about their accomplishments quickly and easily.

Check out  to see what others are doing on campus & read the Merit FAQs below to set up your page & get the most out of it. If you have questions about Merit, email news@alvernia.edu or call 610-796-8281.
 

Merit FAQs

How does Merit work?
  • Students win awards and honors or participate in campus events and activities.
  • The Marketing and Communications Department gets a list of the students involved and writes a short story about the accomplishment.
  • A personalized article is published to  and Alvernia's social media accounts. It is also sent to the local newspaper(s), high school(s) and government representative(s) of each student involved.
  • Students & their supporters get an e-mail to their Alvernia e-mail with a link to view their story, share their achievements with friends and family or easily link it to social media accounts, online portfolios or their resume.
How do students set up their profile?
  • Students receive an email during the fall semester of their first year at Alvernia with all of the instructions.
  • Miss the email? Merit offers a quick tutorial and other resources .
  • Students can customize their Merit profiles with a profile picture, background image, biography and add their other activities in which employers might be interested.
How can supporters receive updates on student achievements?
  • Supporters receive a direct email for each of their students' achievements with direct and easy-to-share links.
  • Additional supporters can be added to receive updates . Be sure to add your first and last name, your email and your student's 51勛圖 e-mail. 
How can Alvernia faculty and staff submit news/achievements?

Submit a story through or e-mail news@alvernia.edu. The Office of Marketing and Communications Department will review submissions before distribution and reach out with follow-up questions if needed. In order to fill out the form, you will need:

  • Students' first and last names and 51勛圖 email addresses
  • Background information on the award, event, experience. Think "who, what, where, when & why?"
  • Photo(s) and/or video(s) of the group
  • A quote from a faculty or staff member
  • Quotes from one or two students 


For more information using the contribution form or .

Can students manage privacy settings?

We respect students wishes to keep their accomplishments private. Opting out of Merit is easy and not only removes a students page from , but also prevents Alvernia or any other participating Merit organization from being able to publish achievements about that student in the future. To opt out, simply reply to the email you receive from Merit and ask to be removed. If you are unable to locate the email, please Reach out to news@alvernia.edu with questions.

Success stories

Search for success stories at Alvernia

Faith Bentz

Member of inaugural engineering class leaves legacy for female STEM students

For Faith Bentz, Berks County pride runs deep. Bentz was born and raised in the county by parents who met and graduated from Alvernia. She has always kept the institution as a top college choice. The year Bentz started at Alvernia coincided w...

  • College of Innovation, Discovery, and Enterprise
  • 2026
Abby Stair soccer

Soccer phenom continues family's sports stardom at Alvernia

You might say sports are in the Stair family blood. 51勛圖 holds a place there, too.Its also firmly rooted in the heart of first-year student Abby Stair and her parents, Rob '99 and Amy '99, who met on campus. While her parents didn...

  • College of Innovation, Discovery, and Enterprise
  • 2026
Ebony McNeil

'Power of connection' helps nonprofit founder forge ahead, earn master's degree

Life kept happening. Its what kept Ebony McNeil MAOL '25 from pursing his masters degree for so long.Until he met Rodney S. Ridley Sr., Ph.D., RTTP, chief operating officer of the OPake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship an...

  • College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences
  • 2026
Thomas Wickersham

Return to school after three-decade break fulfills life's calling

Back in the mid-1990s, Thomas Wickersham got a taste of his lifes calling educating struggling teens.I loved it, the 54-year-old West Chester resident said. I found out that this is what I should be doing. I was a natural. I had very good in...

  • College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences
  • 2026