Meet our Students
Perhaps the best way to get a sense of Saint Joseph’s University is through our current students. You’ll quickly discover that although many of their backgrounds are similar to yours, their experiences at the University have given them unique opportunities – some to study on the other side of the globe, some to excel and be recognized in their field and some to dedicate themselves to service work. These students have entered into the education offered by the College of Arts & Sciences with intellect, spirit, and purpose, to propel them toward exciting careers and rich life experiences.
   

 

Laura Robinson '12, of West Chester, Pa., majors in elementary and special education with a minor in theology. Robinson, is currently student teaching.

 

Kieran McCourt '12 is a senior Ancient Studies major with a concentration in classical languages. McCourt, who was born and raised in Philadelphia also has double minors in Faith Justice Studies and Studio Arts.
  Lisa DeMarco ’10 ’11 is a returning SJU 5-year graduate, pursuing an MS in Special Education. As an undergraduate, Lisa held a leadership position in the distinguished education honor society, Kappa Delta Pi, and also in the Special Education professional organization, the Council for Exceptional Children. Due to her excellent academic performance and leadership skills, Lisa was accepted into the highly competitive Special Education Department's Teacher-Scholar Program. This is a collaborative program between Saint Joseph’s University and the Academy in Manayunk (AIM) modeled on the renowned Lab School – American University partnership in Washington, D.C.
  Brian Klatt '11 is a senior math major who came to Saint Joseph's University from Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, PA. He has pursued a real passion for mathematics through numerous elective courses in math as well as activities outside of the classroom, including summer work with Breakthrough of Philadelphia involving hands-on mathematics education outreach. His research with Dr. Fillebrown as a summer scholar in 2010 involved the representation and manifestations of fractals. All this time, Brian has been exploring a variety of career options. As a junior he passed a national exam required to become an Actuary, he has been accepted into the SJU 5-year program leading to a masters degree in secondary mathematics education as a Noyce Scholar, and he is also exploring graduate school opportunities to pursue a doctorate in advanced mathematics.

  Rachel McGowan ’11 is a senior English major with minors in Faith-Justice and Africana Studies, is also a service scholar who goes into classrooms to talk with students about their service experiences and facilitates discussions on social justice issues. She has also volunteered at Gompers Elementary School, the Wynnefield Library, the Providence Center ESL program, Special Olympics, and Our Mother of Sorrows School. In addition, she has taken service trips to Appalachia and Tohatchi, New Mexico, where she will return this summer as trip leader to the Navajo reservation. During the fall of her sophomore year she studied in Ghana. Rachel wants to pursue a career that aids, inspires, and enables at-risk youth to achieve their hopes and aspirations for their lives.
  Katherine Oaks ’12 is a graduate of Harriton Senior High School in Lower Merion, Pa., has always had a passion for social justice and ethnographic understanding between different cultural groups. She will be studying sociology at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland this coming academic year. She is the recipient of one of five annual scholarships given to college students by the Saint Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia. The Society was established in 1747 to give aid to distressed Scottish immigrants and promote cultural exchange between the United States and Scotland. Katherine has participated in the Appalachian Experience and weekly service, as well as acting as Service Site Coordinator for the Agape Center, a center in West Philadelphia that serves Liberian immigrants and elders.

  Julian Phillips’11 came to Saint Joseph’s University as a declared Psychology major from Union Catholic Regional High School in Plainfield, NJ. By the end of his first year, he declared a second major, Fine and Performing Arts, and a minor in Faith-Justice, to also grow culturally and spiritually. He joined SJU Students for Workers’ Rights and he helped bring the first Labor Rights Month to Saint Joseph’s, advocating for the rights of workers and farm workers worldwide. In his second year, he started Freewheelers United to advocate for a “bicycle-friendly” SJU campus. During all four years at SJU, he participated in the Philadelphia Service Immersion Program, as participant, intern, or student leader. As he looks back on his time at Saint Joseph’s University, Julian says, “I recognize how the rich Jesuit tradition has enhanced my learning experience and enriched my life.”
  Molly Southwell '13 is a Biology major and a member of the inaugural class of McNulty Scholars for Excellence in Science and Mathematics. Before coming to SJU, Molly spent two consecutive summers studying marine biology in the Chesapeake Bay through the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. Since coming to SJU, Molly was a member of the first Phage Safari class, a research-based course in which students isolated and characterized a virus that infects the bacterium Mycobacterium smegmatis, culminating in the analysis and annotation of the viral genome. Molly serves as the treasurer for the SJU Biology club, is a member of the women's rugby team, and is on track to become a peer-tutor in the SJU Writing Center. This summer, Molly was one of several Summer Scholars working in the lab of Dr. Scott McRobert on a project funded by a grant from the Bauer Foundation, to see if zebra fish can be used to study mutations that have been implicated in autism-spectrum disorders in humans.
U.S. News & World Report The Princeton Review   Beta Gamma Sigma
Saint Joseph’s University consistently ranks among the top liberal arts universities in the nation. Honored with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, and sponsor of sixteen discipline-specific honor societies chapters.