Many grads headed into health-related fields

Pitt-Bradford nursing majors will head to hospitals from Cleveland to Philadelphia after commencement exercises Sunday.

The nursing students are among 286 students who will earn their associate or bachelor's degrees from Pitt-Bradford. Many of those students will be employed or further studying health fields.

Nursing majors Rilan Galicic of Hughesville and Zachary Hadfield of Kane will both be emergency room nurses at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh.

Working nearby will be Jamie Vanalstine of Bynedale, who will be a nurse in the cardiac telemetry unit at Allegheny General Hospital. Ashley Bowes of Horseheads, N.Y., will be a nurse at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC.

Across the state in Philadelphia, Kellie Nugent of Glen Mills will be a nurse in the cardiac intensive care unit of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital.

In Cleveland, Katelyn Nedz of Butler will work as a nurse in the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center.

Nicole Sicher of Kane will also be a nurse with UPMC.

Close to campus at Bradford Regional Medical Center, look for Nahdirah Barber of Landsowne, who will be a medical surgical nurse at the hospital. Richard Brand of Bethlehem will be a nurse there as well.

Billijo Kriner of Bradford will work as a nurse at Penn Highland Hospital in St. Marys while pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Pitt-Bradford.

Kelly Helton of Bradford will take on new duties as a registered nurse at Bradford Manor, where she had worked as a licensed practical nurse. Similarly, BSN graduate David Demers of Warren will take on new responsibilities as an emergency room nurse at Corry Memorial Hospital.

Outside of nursing, a handful of exercise science graduates will be working and studying health.

Cassandra Slagle of New Bethlehem will pursue a Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology at East Stroudsburg University.

Amanda Sandroni of Seneca Falls, N.Y., and Miranda Ruffner of Smethport will both attend Marywood University in Scranton, where Sandroni has a graduate assistantship and will pursue a master's degree in nutrition, and Ruffner will study for a Master of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Science.

Justine Fox of Clarendon and Abarhan Frech-Reyes of Linden, N.J., will both work toward a master's degree in exercise science -- Fox at Bloomsburg University and Frech-Reyes at Liberty University.

Jillian Fleming, an exercise science major from Hamburg, N.Y., will study for a master's degree in community and school health at Canisius College.

Hunter Kline of Portersville has been accepted to medical school at the Lake Erie College of Medicine.

Carly Kriner of Titusville will work as an athletic trainer for Charles Cole Memorial Hospital.

Two students will be pursuing a Master of Science in athletic administration at California University of Pennsylvania: Charles Norman, a sport and recreation management major from Philadelphia, and Katelynn Saulter, an athletic training major from Shinglehouse.

Michelle Harvey, a biology major from Philadelphia, will be a medical scribe at Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia.

Bhavya Jagadeesh, an economics major from Morrisville, will be an insurance representative with Mass Mutual.

In other areas, Levi Wasielewski, a criminal justice major from Waterford, will be a Pennsylvania State Trooper.

Criminal justice major Travis Young of Titusville will be an agent with the U.S. Border Patrol in Laredo, Texas.

Criminal justice major Josh Sourbeer of Pittsburgh will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He will be stationed this summer at Fort Knox, Ky., where he will assist with cadet summer training programs, then attend the infantry basic officer leadership course at Fort Benning, Ga., before going to U.S. Army Ranger School.

Justin Conley, a computer information systems and technology major from North East, accepted a position as an associate systems analyst with Bechtel Plant Machinery in Monroeville. Bechtel is the largest construction and civil engineering company in the United States.

Another CIS&T major, Laura McKibbin of Warren, will be a human resources analyst with Northwest Savings Bank.

Some other students headed for graduate school include second-team basketball NCAA Division III All-American and double major Evan Greening, who will be a graduate assistant coach for the men's basketball program at Marymount University in Arlington, Va., which will cover the cost of his Master of Education degree. At Pitt-Bradford, he majored in history-political science and social studies education 7-12 while becoming the most-decorated basketball player in Pitt-Bradford history.

Alyssa Gregg, a business management and economics major from Kane, also received a graduate assistantship to help her earn her master's degree. She will attend the University of Akron for a master's degree in applied economics.

Amanda Stady, an accounting major from Allegany, N.Y., has been accepted to law school at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.

Evelynn Maze, an environmental studies major from James City, is pursuing a Master of Science degree in environmental law and policy at Vermont Law School.

A handful of graduates will travel to St. Bonaventure University to earn a Master of Business Administration degree: Brock Blovsky, a business management major from Olean, N.Y.; Luke Muye, an accounting and business management major from Waterford; Kayti Toplovich, an accounting and business management major from Centerville; and Alyssa Warner, an accounting and business management major from Warren.

Finally, other students headed straight into the workforce include Chelsea Dechow, a hospitality management major from Cattaraugus, N.Y., a manager for Hutchinson Foods; Amber Wagner, an accounting and business management major from Tionesta, office manager for Shamrock Solutions Inc. in Clarion; Katelynn Langhans, a public relations major from Springville, N.Y., public relations representative and media consultant for Pioneer Camp and Retreat in Angola, N.Y.; Rubie Nelson, an early level education major from Shrewsbury, a teacher in Seattle; and Patricia Blakesslee, an early level education major from Salamanca, N.Y., teacher with the Salamanca School District.