Rodden and Merone stand with President George
RADNOR, Pa. (Nov. 21, 2012) – Jessica Merone and Amy Rodden, seniors at Cabrini College, received the Charles A. Mastronardi Service and Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to community service and civic engagement.
The students received the award during the College’s Cabrini Day celebration on Nov. 13.
A triple major in social work, psychology and Spanish, Merone is co-president of the Habitat for Humanity club, mentors Hispanic youth in Norristown, is a Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Ambassador, and advocates for immigration rights. She has earned Dean’s List honors, and is a member of the psychology honors society, Psy Chi.
A resident of Wayne, Pa., Merone plans to earn a master’s degree in social work and a juris doctor. Professionally, she aims to work with children who have been abused or come from violent households.
A sociology and American studies major, Rodden is a Pierce Scholar, working with faculty to design and facilitate service or advocacy projects connected to an academic discipline or course. As a Pierce Scholar, Rodden collaborated with Assistant Professor of Social Justice Nancy Watterson, Ph.D., to design and develop a course, Community Based Arts and Education. The course included Creative After School Alternatives, a program in Norristown where Cabrini students offer middle school students assistance with homework and lead creative, interactive projects that emphasize arts and crafts.
Rodden has earned Dean’s List honors each semester at Cabrini, is a resident assistant, and tutors Cabrini students as a classroom coach. Rodden, who also minors in psychology and social justice, plans to pursue a career in sociology. The Havertown, Pa., native has a special interest in working for the British Board of Film Classification in London.
The Mastronardi Award is an endowed scholarship established by Margaret Mastronardi ’61, a member of the College’s first graduating class, and her sister, Ruth Mastronardi Baldovin ’67. Since 1982, the Mastronardi Foundation has underwritten scholarships for more than 100 students at Cabrini.
Cabrini Day is part of Cabrini Spirit Week, which honors the Nov. 13 feast day of the College’s namesake, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. This year’s Cabrini Day celebration happened to fall on the feast day, which occurs once every seven years.
This year’s theme for Cabrini Spirit Week was “We the People: Democracy and Diversity.” Cabrini Day also included a keynote presentation by Mark Schnellbaecher, Middle East regional director for CRS, on plurarism in the “new” Middle East, and student and faculty presentations on research and work related to this year’s theme.
About Cabrini College
Students do extraordinary things at Cabrini College, a residential Catholic college welcoming learners of all faiths, cultures and backgrounds. Founded in 1957 by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the College provides a transformational “education of the heart,” focusing on academic excellence, leadership development and a commitment to social justice.
Cabrini offers 1,400 full-time undergraduate students more than 30 majors, pre-professional programs, concentrations and minors. Nearly 1,400 students are in graduate studies programs at the main campus in Radnor, Pa., and at 12 off-site locations. The College’s serene 112-acre campus is located 30 minutes from Philadelphia.