Success Stories
The Alvernia Impact
Discover how 51³Ô¹Ï students, alumni, and faculty turn education into action. Explore success stories of leadership, service, and innovation that reflect our Franciscan mission. Ready to see where your story begins? Explore how you can join a community that leads with purpose.
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O'Pake Institute work helps MBA student stockpile experience for future career
PHOTO: Bill Sheeler, from left, John Trimble, and Brody DeGroodt at the Reading Area Firefighters Museum. In his years at 51³Ô¹Ï, Brody DeGroodt ’25 has had many rich experiences — four years as a baseball player, academic excell...
Transfer student follows mother's footsteps to find community and a full-time job
The journey of transfer student Lilibet Perez '26 to Alvernia wasn’t exactly traditional. She originally thought she wanted to be an elementary school teacher, only to realize a year-and-a-half into her college journey that her heart wasn’t in it....
Biology major turns early college struggles into research success
PHOTO: Isaac Peterson - back row, second from left - conducted field research in the Amazon Rainforest during the summer of 2025 with faculty from 51³Ô¹Ï and Georgetown University. For Isaac Peterson '27, 51³Ô¹Ï beca...
Criminal Justice grad and retired adjunct continues to serve with bereavement-focused books, support group
It’s hard to put Dominic Murgido ’79 in one descriptive box.What lead him to Alvernia, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a double concentration in sociology and psychology? It may have been the talks he had with his fa...