Recognizing faculty excellence and scholarship, Gettysburg College has announced four appointments of faculty members to endowed professorships. These donor-supported positions allow faculty to pursue their academic passions through scholarly activities.

The Gettysburg College Board of Trustees approved the following four appointments of faculty to endowed professorships beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year.

• Chemistry and Biochemistry Prof. Timothy Funk ’00 as the G. Bowers and Louise Hook Mansdorfer Professorship in Chemistry
• Mathematics Chair Keir Lockridge as the Alumni Professorship in Mathematics
• Economics Prof. Linus Nyiwul as the Benjamin Franklin Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Africana Studies Prof. and Director of Peace and Justice Studies Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams as the Daria L. and Eric J. Wallach Professorship of Peace and Justice Studies

Read more below.

Chemistry and Biochemistry Prof. Timothy Funk ’00

G. Bowers and Louise Hook Mansdorfer Professorship in Chemistry

Throughout his nearly two decades working in higher education, Chemistry and Biochemistry Prof. Timothy Funk ’00 has striven to put the student experience at the heart of his teaching and research. In fact, he’s strategically designed courses to maximize student-faculty collaboration and to create laboratory experiments that allow students to immerse themselves in hands-on scientific methods.

During his teaching career at Gettysburg, 50 undergraduate students have worked with Funk in his research lab, while 23 have served as co-authors on peer-reviewed publications. Almost all of these students have presented with Funk at professional conferences over the years.

Funk believes the G. Bowers and Louise Hook Mansdorfer Professorship in Chemistry will enable him to continue developing classroom and laboratory experiences that further support student-faculty research.

“I’m following in the footsteps of great colleagues who held the professorship—including Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Prof. Emerita Shelley Frey, the most recent Mandsorfer Professor—and I’m honored to be selected,” he said.

“It’s special to receive this endowed professorship as a Gettysburg graduate. Supportive professors gave me a fantastic education at Gettysburg College, where I was able to work on a research project with two former Mansdorfer professors—Chemistry and Biochemistry Prof. Don Jameson and Prof. Emeritus Joe Grzybowski,” he added. “That critical experience set the stage for my future employment in the pharmaceutical industry and my Ph.D. studies.”

Mathematics Chair Keir Lockridge

Alumni Professorship in Mathematics

If you were to ask Mathematics Chair Keir Lockridge about his current research interests in mathematics, he’d tell you about a big problem—Fuchs’ Problem. This open question in mathematics has long prompted scholars to probe this mind-bending conundrum: Which groups can arise as the group of units in a ring?

The endowed professorship supports Lockridge’s broader research interests in the structure of units in rings, fields, and group algebras.

Upon his appointment to the Alumni Professorship in Mathematics, Lockridge said he’s looking forward to the opportunity to build his research program in algebra and number theory that considers Fuchs’ Problem. He added that the Alumni Professorship in Mathematics will also help him begin writing a book that summarizes known results and allows students to explore this subject through guided activities and projects.

“I am very grateful to my colleagues in the Mathematics Department for nominating me for this honor. It recognizes work that we all care a lot about: doing, writing, teaching, and learning mathematics,” he said. “It also reflects Gettysburg’s commitment to supporting faculty research in a liberal arts college environment—a commitment that attracted me to the College more than 10 years ago.”

Economics Prof. Linus Nyiwul

Benjamin Franklin Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Since joining Gettysburg College in 2009, Economics Prof. Linus Nyiwul has maximized every opportunity at the College to advance academic productivity and uphold high standards of scholarship.

Having now taught at Gettysburg for 16 years, Nyiwul appreciates mentoring students and watching them gain new perspectives on the world. Guiding students through their economics senior honors thesis, he said, is personally fulfilling for him, especially as he sees students build camaraderie as they lean on each other for support and encouragement.

In recognition of his mentorship, Nyiwul was honored with the Luther V. and Bernice L. Thompson Distinguished Teaching Award in 2017.

As he begins his appointment as Benjamin Franklin Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Nyiwul said he aims to continue to foster the highest levels of academic inquiry between himself and his students. “It will provide more opportunities to engage students through research experiences, helping prepare the next generation of scholars and professionals, and develop new courses on contemporary economic issues.”

Nyiwul acknowledges the support of his faculty colleagues as he begins this new appointment. “Being selected for this role is a deeply meaningful honor and an affirmation of my commitment to the mission of the College,” he said. “Personally, it is a recognition of the dedication, perseverance, and collaborative efforts that have shaped my academic career.”

Africana Studies Prof. and Director of Peace and Justice Studies Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams

Daria L. and Eric J. Wallach Professorship of Peace and Justice Studies

Established in 2020 by distinguished alumna Daria Lo Presti Wallach ’76, this professorship emphasizes the value of a liberal arts and sciences education as the foundation for shaping a life of consequence.

Africana Studies Prof. Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams sees his reappointment to this endowed professorship as an opportunity to extend the work he began more than five years ago.

During his first appointment to the professorship, Williams planned the 29^th International Peace Research Association conference in Trinidad & Tobago, his homeland, in May 2023. Several Gettysburg College alumni assisted him, including Monica Solis ’25 and Daniel Jones ’22, who served as administrative coordinators for the conference, and Christina Noto ’19, along with many others. He also co-edited a book with Hana Huskiç ’22 and Noto, “Disrupting Hierarchy in Education: Students and Teachers Collaborating for Social Change.”

In 2022, Williams received a Fulbright and Spencer grant for a study on decolonial peace and justice education in Ghana, Jamaica, Brazil, and the United States. He also planned several programs and conducted workshops on mediation, conflict resolution, and restorative circles, topics he covers in his courses Education for Social Change and Introduction to Peace & Justice Studies.

During his reappointment to this professorship in 2026, Williams intends to write a book on decolonial peace and justice education in Ghana, Jamaica, Brazil, and the United States. He’s also working on creating and staging a one-person play, “Don’t Perform, Live!” centered on healing and revolution. Additionally, he aims to revamp the Peace and Justice Transformative Leaders Fellowship Program.

“I grew up in a materially under-resourced but culturally and spiritually rich community called Laventille in Trinidad. Never could I have imagined that this kid from Laventille would end up in a place called Gettysburg, teaching within Africana Studies,” Williams said. “Place matters, and I think that Gettysburg, a hallowed site of war memorialization, is well poised to become a national hub for conflict transformation, if we have the vision and courage to capitalize on this.”

Learn how our first-class faculty ignite students’ learning inside and outside the classroom.

History Prof. Hannah Greenwald has received a 2026 ACLS Fellowship to support new research and strengthen connections among faculty scholarship, student learning, and mentorship at Gettysburg College.

Gettysburg College History Prof. Hannah Greenwald has been selected as a 2026 fellow by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), one of the nation’s leading supporters of scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences.

Greenwald is among 63 scholars selected from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants through a multi-stage peer review process. ACLS fellowships provide scholars with six to 12 months of dedicated research and writing time, allowing recipients to step away from teaching and administrative responsibilities and focus fully on their scholarship.

“Receiving an ACLS fellowship is not only a huge honor, but it will also give me valuable time to begin a new research project,” Greenwald said. “I’m really grateful to have this semester of uninterrupted research and writing time so that I can hit the ground running and get started on this next project.”

Greenwald will use the fellowship to take a semester of leave from Gettysburg and begin a new project examining connections between national belonging and property rights in 19th-century Argentina.

“I’ll be spending part of the fall traveling to archives in Argentina to track down documentation related to land titling,” Greenwald said. “I want to understand the ways that rural people—especially those without formalized property titles—spoke about themselves, their land, and their relationship to their country, and how these discourses about identity and national belonging related to struggles for land and property.”

The project builds upon the research behind Greenwald’s first book, which is currently in the final stages of editing. It also connects closely with courses she teaches at Gettysburg, including Modern Latin America and Borderlands of the Americas. Greenwald believes the work could eventually inform new comparative courses examining land, property, citizenship, and national identity throughout the Americas.

The connection between faculty scholarship and student learning is central to Greenwald’s work at Gettysburg. She credited the College’s librarians at Musselman Library with providing access to rare and difficult-to-obtain materials from around the world. Greenwald also praised her History Department colleagues for fostering a culture in which teaching and research reinforce one another.

“My department really embraces the teacher-scholar model, and my colleagues encourage me to design classes that align with my research interests,” Greenwald said. “This enables me to stay focused on my research while also sharing my expertise with students.”

Greenwald is putting that model into practice this summer through Gettysburg’s Kolbe Research Fellowship program, which supports collaborative research between faculty members and students. The experience provides students like Julia Lavine ’28 with opportunities to participate directly in the research process while working closely with a faculty mentor.

“The Kolbe Fellowship has provided me with research experience that will prepare me for future graduate studies,” said Lavine, a history and English double major from York, Pennsylvania. “Working on this project with Prof. Greenwald has taught me how to organize and manage long-term research projects. This experience has helped me define my career goals and made me more confident in my research abilities.”

Discover how Gettysburg students work alongside faculty mentors to pursue original research, develop new skills, and turn their curiosity into consequential learning.

From a pufferfish sculpture to Stoles of Gratitude from alumni, each reveals parts of the character of this beloved Gettysburg College professor and administrator.

Ryan arrived at Gettysburg from Cleveland, Ohio, in 1994 for a two-year visiting professor appointment. Little did he know at the time that he would stay and devote more than three decades of his career to working in our community.

During his time at Gettysburg, Ryan has served as vice provost and dean of arts and humanities. He’s managed The Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning (JCCTL) and directed the Writing Center and the first-year writing program.

Ryan has taught courses within the College’s First-Year Seminar program and has contributed courses to Civil War Era Studies, Cinema and Media Studies, and the Department of English. He’s shared his wisdom and insights as a leadership coach through the Garthwait Leadership Center and served on the national Consortium for Faculty Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges.

Amid his professional accomplishments, however, Ryan exemplifies the Gettysburg spirit of support. He’s helped countless students succeed, and he’s always willing to lend a hand to a colleague.

Ryan recalls former students like English major Eric Chalek ’97, whom he advised while overseeing The Gettysburgian, Kelly (Bennett) Freeburger ’08, and Matt Barrett ’11, now a professor in the English Department.

“What I particularly like about Gettysburg is that both students and faculty can engage in unique opportunities.”
– English Prof. Jack Ryan

He sees the success of Gettysburg College rooted within the people who make up our community.

“There’s a friendly, supportive student environment. The faculty wants to see the institution succeed,” he said. “What I particularly like about Gettysburg is that both students and faculty can engage in unique opportunities.”

Reflecting on his service to the College, Ryan said, “I really found a home here. It’s a ‘bloom where you’re planted’ story.”

#HumansofGettysburg

Gordie Beittenmiller’s lifelong connection to Gettysburg inspires his support for our College as a trustee, donor, entrepreneur, and filmmaker committed to strengthening the institution’s future.

Gordie Beittenmiller’s connection to Gettysburg College did not begin with an acceptance letter, a residence hall, or a diploma. It began with a story.

Growing up east of Gettysburg near York, Pennsylvania, Beittenmiller developed an early interest in the battlefield through a high school project suggested by his American history teacher. A few years later, while attending Penn State University Park, he returned to Gettysburg as a seasonal National Park Service ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park.

“I loved that job,” Beittenmiller said. “I would jump out of bed in the morning, ready to go. You’re telling an epic story in a beautiful setting with people from all over every day.”

Although his professional life eventually took him to Texas, where he built a career as an entrepreneur, investor, and CEO in the architecture, engineering, and construction sector, Gettysburg remained close to his heart. Beittenmiller, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Forthright Environmental, describes Gettysburg as his adopted hometown—a place that shaped his imagination, values, and sense of civic responsibility.

That affection eventually brought him closer to Gettysburg College. Growing up locally, he knew the College from a distance, but over time came to see it as one of the region’s defining institutions of higher education: a center of culture, learning, employment, and community life. His involvement deepened through Gettysburg College President Emerita Janet Morgan Riggs ’77, who encouraged him to consider what he could bring as a non-alumnus and business leader outside the traditional Gettysburg alumni network.

“As a believer in the power of a liberal arts and sciences education, I saw the College as a leading cultural institution and employer in my home region,” Beittenmiller said. “It was easy for me to say yes.”

“Gettysburg is not an institution frozen in time. It is engaging with the challenges of its sector of higher ed head-on.”
– Gordie Beittenmiller

Beittenmiller joined the Board of Trustees in 2019, bringing a deep appreciation for Gettysburg’s sense of place and decades of experience leading organizations. Today, as chair of the Board’s Finance Committee, he works closely with President Bob Iuliano, Chief Financial Officer Matt Price, and fellow trustees to help guide the College through significant change across higher education.

For Beittenmiller, that stewardship is both practical and aspirational.

“The Trustees are stewards and guides for engagement of the College with society, for the soul of the College community,” he said.

He is clear-eyed about the pressures facing residential liberal arts colleges. Yet he also sees possibility for Gettysburg because of its emphasis on interpersonal engagement, the Guided Pathways, experiential learning, and a broad education that prepares students for lives of purpose and consequence.

In a world reshaped by artificial intelligence, digital overload, and social fragmentation, Beittenmiller believes the skills developed through a liberal arts and sciences education are more important than ever. Critical thinking, clear communication, adaptability, and the ability to work meaningfully with others are precisely the capacities students will need to navigate uncertainty and contribute to society.

“Gettysburg is not an institution frozen in time,” Beittenmiller said. “It is engaging with the challenges of its sector of higher ed head-on.”

That belief is central to his recent support for Gettysburg’s entrepreneurship program, for which he has committed $1 million as part of a total commitment of $1.25 that Beittenmiller has made to the College. To Beittenmiller, entrepreneurship is not limited to starting companies. It is a way of thinking and acting in the world—a process of identifying problems, taking calculated risks, learning from failure, and creating something of value.

“Entrepreneurship is solving real-world problems usually with a degree of risk and often involves failure both small and large,” he noted. “Our systems of secondary and higher education generally emphasize knowledge, risk-aversion, and achievement that are different than the skills and risk-taking inherent in entrepreneurship, yet entrepreneurship is central to our progress as a society.”

His own career has reflected that mindset. Beittenmiller has helped build, grow, and lead companies across the architecture, engineering, construction, environmental remediation, and specialty contracting fields. By supporting entrepreneurship at Gettysburg, Beittenmiller hopes students will test ideas, engage real-world challenges, and develop the confidence to move forward when the path is uncertain.

That same spirit of creativity can be seen in another part of Beittenmiller’s life: filmmaking. Beittenmiller and Jake Boritt—son of late Gettysburg History Prof. Emeritus Gabor Boritt—have continued a decade-long partnership through a new documentary exploring Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel “The Killer Angels” and the Shaara family legacy, which recently premiered at The Majestic Theater and will make its way to PBS in November. For Beittenmiller, the project connects back to the same impulse that animated his years as a park ranger: telling meaningful stories rooted in place, history, and human experience.

Whether through philanthropy, trusteeship, entrepreneurship, or documentary storytelling, Beittenmiller’s commitment to Gettysburg is grounded in gratitude and belief. He may not be a Gettysburg College alumnus, but he sees the College as essential to a community he loves and to a future he believes can be stronger.

“I am substantially optimistic,” he said. “From the standpoint of the faculty, the Board, President Iuliano, and the leadership all pulling in the same direction and doing the right kinds of things, I think our prospects are as good, if not better, than most other institutions like us.”

For Beittenmiller, supporting Gettysburg College is about helping an institution rooted in history prepare students to meet the future—with courage, creativity, and the capacity to solve problems that matter.

Start your entrepreneurial journey at Gettysburg College today!

Gettysburg College celebrated the fourth graduating class of its Master of Arts in American History program. Graduates were challenged to bring deeper knowledge, courageous inquiry, and a commitment to truth into classrooms and inspire future generations of citizens.

In a place where the nation’s history continues to shape its future, Gettysburg College celebrated the fourth graduating class of the Gettysburg College-Gilder Lehrman Institute Master of Arts in American History program on July 16 at the Majestic Theater.

The ceremony recognized 239 educators who strengthened their knowledge of American history through the fully online graduate program. These graduates are now prepared to bring new perspectives, questions, and insights to schools and learning communities across the country.

Welcoming the graduates and their families, Gettysburg College President Bob Iuliano reflected on the significance of earning an advanced degree in a town and at a college so deeply connected to the American story.

“I hope you take great pride in what you’ve accomplished and its special significance,” Iuliano said. “I encourage you to take the spirit of Gettysburg with you.”

Launched in 2022, the accredited program serves K-12 educators, community college instructors, district supervisors, museum professionals, and National Park Service employees. Its courses pair the expertise of distinguished historians with opportunities for educators to deepen their content knowledge and enrich the ways they teach American history.

As the United States observes its 250th anniversary, Iuliano invited the graduates to consider the role of vision and courage throughout the nation’s history. The principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence, he noted, represented not simply an achievement but an audacious dream—one that required years of struggle, sacrifice, and perseverance to move closer to reality.

“Be a shining example for your students and your colleagues of what’s possible—and why teaching is so life-changing.”
– Gettysburg College President Bob Iuliano

That same spirit, he said, can be found in Gettysburg, where the events of 1863 altered the course of the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln later articulated the “unfinished work” still facing the nation in his Gettysburg Address.

“As educators, you are entrusted with so much more than teaching names and dates and battles,” Iuliano told the graduates. “You’re entrusted with helping tomorrow’s leaders understand that our history is the story of us—filled with dreamers whose courage reverberates to this very day.”

He urged the graduates to ask difficult questions, embrace complicated subjects, and demonstrate to their students and colleagues why teaching can be transformative.

“Our world needs dreamers of profound courage in our classrooms,” he said. “Be a shining example for your students and your colleagues of what’s possible—and why teaching is so life-changing.”

James G. Basker, president and CEO of The Gilder Lehrman Institute, introduced Commencement speaker Barbara Perry, the J. Wilson Newman Professor of Governance at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center and co-chair of its Presidential Oral History Program.

Perry began by honoring the teachers who had shaped her own life. She recounted the educators who first recognized and nurtured her abilities and the professors who encouraged her study of political science and opened doors throughout her academic career.

Drawing on former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s observation that everyone can name at least one teacher who inspired them, Perry asked the graduates and guests to pause and remember those educators aloud.

Her message highlighted how teachers can encourage inquiry, stimulate intellectual curiosity, and promote care through learning to their students. That influence, she suggested, now rests with the graduates as they return to their classrooms equipped with the knowledge and insight gained through the master’s program.

Perry then turned to the words of President John F. Kennedy, whose life and presidency have been central to her scholarship. She revisited Kennedy’s 1963 commencement address at American University, in which he called upon people and nations to look beyond their differences and recognize their shared humanity.

In a world divided by international conflict and political polarization, Perry said, Kennedy’s appeal to pursue common ground remains especially meaningful for teachers confronting difficult topics in their schools and communities.

“You have been and are now more so than ever equipped to teach the history of our democratic republic.”
– Barbara Perry, J. Wilson Newman Professor of Governance at the University of Virginia

She also cited Kennedy’s defense of the free exchange of information and Thomas Jefferson’s commitment to following truth wherever it may lead. Together, those ideas offered the graduates a charge: protect freedom of thought, welcome rigorous inquiry, and give students the tools to distinguish truth from falsehood.

“What you share with your students—in addition to the vast knowledge of history you impart to them, and now that is bolstered by all you have acquired with this new master’s degree from Gettysburg and through The Gilder Lehrman Institute—is a commitment to our freedom of thought, as Thomas Jefferson famously expressed it,” Perry said.

“You have been and are now more so than ever equipped to teach the history of our democratic republic,” Perry said, as she positioned the graduates’ responsibility to education amid the founding of the nation 250 years ago and its survival on the fields surrounding Gettysburg in 1863.

For Zachary Polley ’19, M’26, the ceremony represented both a new milestone and a return home. A history and international affairs double major as an undergraduate, Polley described earning a second Gettysburg degree as “almost surreal.”

Although the master’s program was completed virtually, he found the same academic support, faculty mentorship, and freedom to pursue the interests that defined his undergraduate experience at Gettysburg.

“Gettysburg has felt more like home than pretty much anywhere else I’ve been,” Polley said. “The support, the resources, and the professors—and the way that we had so much leeway in being able to pick and choose how we studied and what we studied—helped us really find what we were passionate about all over again.”

Polley said his two Gettysburg degrees will help him connect historical knowledge with contemporary issues and show future students that studying history has practical value.

“History has always been my passion, and I’ve always had a passion for education,” he said. “I think those all intertwine in a way that I’ll be able to pass on that knowledge to future generations.”

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Iuliano entrusted the graduates with carrying their learning into the lives of others.

“May you encourage your students to step forward with courage and conscience,” he said. “May you challenge them to question, to explore, and to seek truth in all that they do. And may you always inspire them to be the dreamers our world needs.”

Explore Gettysburg College’s online Master of Arts in American History. Discover how this program can deepen your knowledge and strengthen your impact as an educator.

At Gettysburg College, learning means doing. Physics major Christian Brutus ’27 has found Gettysburg instrumental in helping him develop the teamwork skills needed to unleash his academic potential and prepare for a career in engineering.

Inside Masters Hall, the lights dim, the glasses go on, and Christian Brutus ’27 gets to work.

The physics major from Cos Cob, Connecticut, ascends a stepladder and prepares to conduct another hands-on research session on stopping power energy with the help of a proton accelerator.

As a steady hum from the accelerator fills the lab, Brutus settles in to calculate and quantify the energy loss of accelerated protons passing through very thin films of various metals, such as copper and gold. He’s using his research to compare the stopping power of protons to existing data.

Earlier this summer, Brutus participated in Physics Prof. Bret Crawford’s Cross-Disciplinary Science Institute (X-SIG) research at Gettysburg College. The X-SIG program equips students like Brutus with the skills necessary for modern research, enabling them to explore the ethical and practical aspects of scientific study.

Aside from the cool part of his research—working with a first-class proton accelerator in Masters Hall—Brutus said that X-SIG has been one of the many high points of a Gettysburg education that’s preparing him for an engineering career after graduation.

“Having the opportunity to participate in X-SIG this summer helps me further develop teamwork and research and engineering skills,” he said. “It’s truly a wonderful experience getting to work with the accelerator we have in the lab and learning its ins and outs.”

Complementing his work through X-SIG, Gettysburg’s physics courses have been instrumental in “bringing real-world problems into the classroom and helping build a framework for solving them,” he said. It’s been an important foundation to his long-term professional goals.

“I’ve had opportunities to work on challenging projects, develop problem-solving skills, and apply classroom concepts through X-SIG,” he added. “Those experiences have confirmed that I enjoy tackling complex technical challenges and have prepared me well for a career in engineering.”

“What ultimately made Gettysburg my choice was the people and the many opportunities it would provide to realize my dreams.”
– Christian Brutus ’27

Brutus finds that courses he’s taken outside his major, such as in Caribbean studies with Africana Studies Prof. Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams, have deepened his thinking about the broader world. That deep thinking remains a hallmark of a Gettysburg College education.

Brutus could have gone to college anywhere, but he chose Gettysburg, recognizing the potential it would afford him to do something great with his education.

“I was looking for a place I could call my second home, but also one that would build my character and work ethic for my future career,” he said. “What ultimately made Gettysburg my choice was the people and the many opportunities it would provide to realize my dreams.”

At Gettysburg, Brutus has embraced opportunities to lead and collaborate with others. He stepped up to serve as treasurer for the Caribbean Association and is a member of the men’s volleyball club team. These experiences, he said, contribute to the team-building skills he’s developing in his academics and on the field as a linebacker for the College’s football team.

“In engineering and physics labs, success depends on everyone contributing, communicating clearly, and trusting one another, just like on the football field,” he explained. “Being part of a team has also helped me develop discipline and time management because I have to balance practices, games, and academics.”

Looking ahead to his senior year, Brutus is excited about the remaining opportunities at Gettysburg before he pursues graduate studies in engineering.

“I’m looking to finish my college career off with a bang in terms of having a great football season with our new head coach, Michael Green, and really maximizing every day at Gettysburg,” he said.

Want to find out how our students Do Great Work? Schedule a campus visit to Gettysburg College.

At Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in Beaufort, South Carolina, Julia Ciccone ’28 is applying her knowledge of public history to immerse visitors in the stories of Reconstruction-era America this summer. The opportunity is made possible through the Brian C. Pohanka Internship Program and the Gettysburg College Civil War Institute (CWI).

When Julia Ciccone ’28 greets visitors to Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in Beaufort, South Carolina, she always begins with a smile and a story. As a summer park intern, Ciccone is helping National Park Service (NPS) staff interpret the people, places, and events that shaped American history from 1861 to 1900.

Ciccone, a history major and public history minor from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, said the internship enables her to connect her history studies at Gettysburg College with a real-world, hands-on experience in public history.

At the park, Ciccone is developing a guided walking tour profiling women during Reconstruction and a script for a self-guided audio tour for the NPS app. “When I came to Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, I was able to collect a lot of different stories, and I thought, ‘I could make a whole program out of this,’” she said.

Her summer internship is made possible through the Brian C. Pohanka Internship Program through Gettysburg College’s Civil War Institute (CWI). Ciccone has spent each of the last two summers participating in internships through the Civil War Institute’s Funded Internship Program. During the summer of 2025, she interned at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park in Virginia, where she presented park programs on Reconstruction to visitors.

Ciccone’s experiences through the internship program have been at the heart of her journey to Gettysburg from day one. Upon learning about the internship program during a Get Acquainted Day visit to Gettysburg in spring 2024, Ciccone was eager to hear more. She followed up with the late Peter Carmichael, the CWI’s emeritus director.

“After that phone call with Dr. Carmichael, where he explained the public history program, the Civil War Institute, and the internship program, I put my deposit down,” she said.

Ciccone acknowledges Public History Co-chair and CWI Associate Director Jill Ogline Titus for supporting her academic interests in public history and helping her obtain her internships.

“After that phone call with Dr. Carmichael, where he explained the public history program, the Civil War Institute, and the internship program, I put my deposit down.”
– Julia Ciccone ’28

Through her coursework, Ciccone discovered how Gettysburg could open her mind to seeing things in new ways. Her Pohanka Internship experiences helped connect elements of her history coursework and allowed her to develop her communication skills.

Last spring, Ciccone took The Lives of Objects: Understanding Material Culture, taught by Art and Art History Prof. Rebecca Duffy Stasiunas, which broadened her horizons on history.

“It gave me a challenge—doing something I had never done before, helping me step outside my comfort zone—and made me rethink how I think about things, specifically objects and the ways we can study them,” she said. “Here, in Beaufort, we talk about Sea Island cotton, which was grown here during the Civil War and the Antebellum period. I use a sample of it when presenting programs to visitors to help them connect it back to our programs in unique ways.”

Ciccone is always seeking opportunities to advance her knowledge in public history. To assist her scholarly pursuits, Ciccone applied for and received a generous $25,000 scholarship from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Ciccone was one of 10 students nationwide studying American history chosen to receive the DAR scholarship, which celebrates America’s 250th anniversary this year.

In her scholarship application, Ciccone explained how Gettysburg College not only introduced her to public history but also enabled her to explore it through several avenues, including coursework and internships.

“I truly believe that the opportunities I have had so far at Gettysburg played a major role in my selection for the scholarship,” she said. “The money I received from the scholarship goes directly to funding my education at Gettysburg. This scholarship will let me advance my education to its fullest potential.”

Put your study of history into action through the Civil War Institute Funded Internship Program.

Each year, Gettysburg College students continue represent the United States as Fulbright recipients, sharing the knowledge and skills they gained through our liberal arts and sciences education with new students all around the world.

Every year, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers competitive fellowships to support students across the nation who wish to pursue advanced studies, research, or teaching opportunities abroad. This year, three Gettysburg students were named Fulbright semifinalists and two received prestigious grants to go abroad: Josh Judson ’25 (Poland) and Trevor Weakly ’26 (Germany).

In the past three years, eight Gettysburg College students have been awarded grants, which is nearly 20% of the College’s historic total. Since 2024, five students have received awards to German-speaking countries, Germany or Austria. This year also saw the first STEM Fulbright recipient from Gettysburg since 2019.

Through their global experiences, these students will have the opportunity to employ the knowledge and enduring skills they gained at Gettysburg to grow personally and professionally and represent the United States in foreign countries.

“In a highly competitive environment, Gettysburg students once again showed off their credentials on the biggest stage,” said German Studies Prof. Tres Lambert, who oversees the Fulbright program on campus. “All of our finalists and semifinalists this year had extensive and intensive experience abroad, which is a concrete demonstration of the payoff that global engagement can provide. At a time when cross-cultural understanding is more important than ever, it’s an honor to see these students go on to pursue life- and potentially world-changing opportunities.”

Partnering with 160 countries around the world, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the flagship international academic exchange program sponsored by the United States government. It offers experiences in all academic disciplines to graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals through study and research grants as well as English Teaching Assistantships. Fulbright recipients live, work, and learn from natives of their host country, growing their intercultural fluency skills in the classroom and field of work, and go on to serve consequential roles in their careers as global citizens and leaders.

This year’s honorees are:

Josh Judson ’25

• Hometown: Arvada, Colorado
• Major: Biology
• Minor: History
• Fulbright Honor: Recipient of Fulbright research grant in Poland

“During my time at Gettysburg, I had the privilege of pursuing a wide range of experiences, including performing research through X-SIG with Dr. Angel Solis, running on the cross country and track teams, living in STEM house, and much more. I also studied abroad in Stockholm, Sweden, and the experience motivated me to apply for a Fulbright research grant in Poland.

“There, I'll be working in a lab that investigates potential treatments for eczema in the beautiful city of Gdańsk. I’m excited to learn more about the Polish people, what makes Poland unique, and how the country is continuing to grow and evolve. I enjoy spending time outdoors, being with friends and my church community, and going on adventures that push me outside of my comfort zone.”
– Josh Judson ’25

Trevor Weakly ’26

• Hometown: Frederick, Maryland
• Majors: German studies and history
• Minors: Anthropology and public history
• Fulbright Honor: Recipientof Fulbright Teaching Assistant (ETA) award in Germany

“After my Fulbright grant, I plan to pursue a master’s degree and continue on in the field of public history. I will further develop my pedagogical skills while teaching English in Germany, which will play a role in my career.

“I already have a strong connection to Germany. I studied abroad in Freiburg for two semesters. I loved living there for a year and I am excited for this opportunity to give back to the community. I would like to thank Prof. Lambert for his unfailing support throughout the application process.”
– Trevor Weakly ’26

Aidan Martin ’26

• Hometown: Middleburgh, New York
• Majors: Globalization studies (IGS) and Spanish
• Minors: History and political science
• Fulbright Honor: Semifinalistfor Fulbright Teaching Assistant (ETA) award in Spain

For the 2026-2027 award cycle, semifinalists were notified in January and finalist notifications were released beginning in April 2026. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is currently accepting applications for the 2027-2028 award cycle until the national deadline of Oct. 6, 2026. Students or alumni interested in applying for a Fulbright grant through Gettysburg College should contact Prof. Tres Lambert at rlambert@gettysburg.edu.

“With the incredible experiences in area studies, and our wealth of study abroad options, I look forward to recruiting another cohort of excellent and well-prepared candidates for the 2027-28 application cycle,” added Lambert.

Build a foundation for lifelong learning with creative opportunities abroad, like fellowships through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

About the Fulbright U.S. Student Program

The Fulbright Program was introduced by Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas and passed into law by President Harry Truman in 1946. Each year, about 8,000 students, teachers, and professors from the United States and 160 countries receive grant awards, which are grounded in the notion of promoting “mutual and cross-cultural understanding” after the conclusion of World War II. In all, since the program was established, more than 400,000 Fulbright recipients have pursued global studies, research, and teaching in 165 countries. Fulbright alumni have included 62 Nobel Prize recipients, 78 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 41 current or former heads of state or government. 

“Every time I come back, I feel renewed and refreshed. I’m reminded that this is the place that made me the freethinker, the person who is focused on community and making everyone feel included and part of something,” she said.

Cross credits Gettysburg’s culture of connection and curiosity with helping students discover who they are and who they want to become.

“We are inquisitive; we are people-people. We see each other as whole versions of ourselves,” she added. “That was the core of my Gettysburg experience: Create what you want. Think freely.”

As a student, Cross was an Africana studies and English double major, while participating in dozens of activities, clubs, and organizations. She was a member of the Black Student Union (BSU), NAACP, Sigma Gamma Rho, Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society, Gospel Choir, and B.O.M.B. Squad, Gettysburg’s hip-hop dance team. Cross also worked as a tour guide for the Admissions Office, supported Alumni Relations, and assisted with the Senior Class Gift Campaign.

Today, Cross, a senior project manager for strategic impact at the U.S. Green Building Council, remains actively involved with her alma mater. As president of the Gettysburg Alumni of Color Council (GACC) since 2024, she works with members of the College community to foster communication, engagement, and philanthropy among current students and future alumni.

“Gettysburg gave me more than an education. It gave me the confidence to lead.”
– Jaclynn Cross ’10

A dedicated connector and fundraiser through Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, Cross supported her fifth and 10th reunion committees and served as co-chair for the 15th reunion of her graduating class. She was also a featured presenter during the College’s annual Alumni J-Term series in 2024 and 2025.

In 2025, Gettysburg presented her with the Young Alumni Achievement Award for Service.

“Gettysburg gave me more than an education. It gave me the confidence to lead,” she said. “It taught me the value of community, leadership, and service, and those lessons continue to shape how I show up in the world.”

#HumansofGettysburg

Gettysburg College’s liberal arts and sciences education creates a multidisciplinary foundation for students pursuing legal careers. For Judge Brett Engler ’08, Associate Judge of the District Court of Maryland, 11th District, Gettysburg’s focus on academic rigor, skill-building, and faculty mentorships helped her pursue her career ambitions in the legal field.

The Honorable Brett Engler ’08 takes the bench in the courtroom as she prepares for opening arguments in the next case. As she hears testimony, considers evidence, and prepares to issue a verdict, Engler remains focused on upholding justice while exercising the critical thinking and compassion she developed as an undergraduate at Gettysburg College.

Engler, originally from Annapolis, Maryland, said Gettysburg fulfilled her desire for a college experience that fostered a personalized education within a liberal arts setting. “Gettysburg was somewhat close to home but still far enough,” she said. “The historical nature of the town and the things to do made Gettysburg very attractive.”

Gettysburg’s track and cross-country programs also stood out to Engler, contributing to her decision to commit to Gettysburg. She recalls retired Gettysburg track and field coach Aubrey Shenk as not only a coach but also a mentor who supported her throughout her college journey.

“He helped me develop the discipline, self-focus, and team focus that I would need to be a successful lawyer,” she said.

Mentors who mattered

A history and political science double major, Engler forged relationships with faculty mentors such as Tim Shannon, the Edwin T. Johnson & Cynthia Shearer Johnson Distinguished Teaching Chair in the Humanities Professor; History Prof. Emeritus Michael Birkner ’72, P’10; the late Political Science Prof. Emeritus Ken Mott; and Africana Studies Prof. Scott Hancock.

“Prof. Mott taught constitutional law,” she said. “I had an interest in law, but learning about civil rights, the Supreme Court cases, and the history really led me toward thinking about law school. He loved the law and taught us the power of the law.”

Mott was also involved in establishing the Eisenhower Institute, which Engler joined as an Eisenhower Fellow.

“His faith in me pushed me to consider additional ways to engage in significant topics. The Eisenhower Institute became a great resume builder for me,” she said.

Engler also acknowledges the impact of English Prof. Chris Fee and his First-Year Seminar on homelessness in America. She recalls a service-learning trip to the D.C. Central Kitchen and local shelters that introduced her and her classmates to individuals and families who had experienced homelessness. The course, she said, challenged students to confront societal assumptions about poverty, homelessness, and social inequities.

As a judge, Engler presides over a varied caseload of criminal, traffic, domestic violence, and general civil matters. Every day she sees litigants in the Frederick community coming to the courthouse from all walks of life. Developing perspective and a broad view of society was something Engler learned at Gettysburg, with encouragement from her mentors.

“Prof. Hancock encouraged us to get out into the community,” Engler said. “For my senior capstone, I completed an oral history project in which I interviewed African Americans who grew up in Gettysburg during the Civil Rights Movement in order to learn about and record how they connected to the broader Civil Rights Movement from the small town famous for the battle over slavery.

“Prof. Birkner also tasked us to complete oral histories with some of the last remaining World War II veterans of Gettysburg. The man I interviewed had never shared his story with anyone, but spoke to me for hours in his home. After I presented him with the transcribed interview, he sent me a note thanking me for giving his family such a gift. I heard that he passed away several years later. The experience really stuck with me and showed me the powerful human connections that can be forged by listening to the experiences of others,” Engler said.

“Gettysburg is a place where you can have discussions and open your mind to different perspectives.”
– Judge Brett Engler ’08

‘Think globally, but also locally’

The lifelong impact of a Gettysburg education is evident in Engler’s career development in the law.

Last fall, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore appointed Engler to serve as an Associate Judge of the District Court of Maryland, 11th District, which includes Frederick and Washington counties. Engler’s 10-year appointment makes her the youngest of Frederick County’s three District Court judges and the only woman to serve on the court currently.

After earning her law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2011 Engler clerked for the Honorable Clayton Greene of the Supreme Court of Maryland before serving Frederick County as a career prosecutor. She was the Chief of the Domestic Violence Unit prior to her appointment, handling cases ranging from misdemeanor violence to domestic homicide.

“Prof. Hancock and Prof. Birkner encouraged the open sharing of ideas, in addition to teaching us the value of empathy and inclusion.”
– Judge Brett Engler ’08

As chair of the Frederick County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (DVCC) and the Frederick County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team (DVFRT), Engler brought together criminal justice and community advocates to improve Frederick County’s response to domestic violence. She also served on the Legal Committee for the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention and the Criminal Justice Subcommittee of Maryland’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Statewide Implementation Team (MD-DVRSIT).

As she reflects on her career pathway, Engler credits Gettysburg’s ability to empower students to “think globally, but also locally.”

“Gettysburg is a place where you can have discussions and open your mind to different perspectives,” she said. “I remember having those discussions in Constitutional Law and Law in Society classes. It was always an open environment. Prof. Hancock and Prof. Birkner encouraged the open sharing of ideas, in addition to teaching us the value of empathy and inclusion.”

Engler believes that inclusivity remains a distinctive hallmark of the Gettysburg community.

“Everyone knew who you were, and when you got on campus, you could recognize almost everyone in your class,” she said. “I always felt safe there, not only physically but also intellectually, and was safe to express my ideas. I learned to develop my thought processes and think critically through situations. Gettysburg is truly a wonderful community.”

Learn to lead with integrity with a political science degree at Gettysburg College.

For Craig Disher ’66, Gettysburg College taught him to think critically, build community, and find purpose. Decades later, he and his wife, Susan, have transformed that lifelong connection into generous scholarship support and estate commitments that will expand opportunities for future Gettysburg students.

When Craig Disher ’66 reflects on his undergraduate years at Gettysburg College, he does not point to one defining moment. Instead, he remembers a way of life: crossing campus and seeing familiar faces, learning in small classes where professors became mentors, and gradually discovering how to think deeply and independently.

For Craig, Gettysburg was where he learned how to learn.

Craig arrived on campus during a transformative period in American life. As the Vietnam War intensified and the draft loomed over the men in his class, students wrestled with questions that reached far beyond the classroom. At Gettysburg, faculty helped him make sense of those issues and encouraged him to think deeply about history, politics, and the wider world.

Craig focused much of his academic work on East Asian history, including an independent study on early 20th-century Japanese economic development with the late History Prof. Roger Stemen. Stemen became one of Craig’s most influential mentors, helping him better understand Vietnam and encouraging him to read widely and critically.

Craig believes Gettysburg’s greatest strength was the close connection between students and faculty. He fondly remembers a constitutional history class with the late History Prof. Robert Bloom that had only four students—a setting that encouraged conversation, debate, and mentorship in a way that felt impossible to replicate elsewhere.

“The close contact with the professors was something that was just a dream,” Craig said. “Four people for a semester, just sitting there, hearing him talk, chatting back and forth. How could you possibly do better than that?”

After graduating, Craig was drafted and served in Vietnam with the 82nd Airborne Division, an experience he described as brief but intense. After leaving the Army, he began a 35-year career in the intelligence community. He was first assigned to research certain topics involving national strategic issues, but within a few years, a chance opportunity led him into the technical management of projects involving mathematics, computer engineering, politics, and coordination across the intelligence community. His liberal arts education at Gettysburg provided an ideal foundation for such a varied and challenging career.

Susan’s connection to Gettysburg began later but became just as meaningful. Craig and Susan met in 1981 through mutual friends at work. As they dated, they returned to Gettysburg each October for Homecoming. Although Susan did not attend the College, she quickly came to appreciate what Craig valued so deeply.

“I grew to really love Gettysburg,” Susan said. “It’s a beautiful campus. The students are really nice and enthusiastic. The professors are bright and fun to be around.”

That connection deepened over time. The Dishers describe Gettysburg as a place where they feel welcomed by longtime friends and more recent acquaintances. Faculty and staff stop to say hello. The campus feels familiar, but never static. When students are present, they say, Gettysburg has a different energy.

That sense of belonging and community eventually became a desire to give back.

Their philanthropy has focused especially on scholarships, an expression of their belief that a Gettysburg education can change a student’s life, just as it changed Craig’s. They have established two endowed scholarships: one for a student majoring in the sciences and another for a student studying East Asian studies, reflecting Craig’s academic focus at Gettysburg and Susan’s degree in Japanese.

During Gettysburg Great: The Campaign for Our College, Craig and Susan also made a substantial estate commitment to fully fund the two endowed scholarships.

Their most recent commitment, made in summer 2024, extends their support even further by initiating a full scholarship for a student preparing to attend medical school. The scholarship honors Susan’s father, a pediatrician, and recognizes the financial pressures facing students who plan to continue their education beyond Gettysburg. Full funding for the scholarship is guaranteed through their estate plan.

For the Dishers, these scholarships are personal. They reflect their academic interests, careers, family, and desire to help students who might otherwise face financial barriers to a Gettysburg education. To Craig and Susan, the scholarships reinforce what Gettysburg does best: helping students find direction, surrounding them with people who care, and teaching them not only what to know, but how to think.

Craig experienced this support from the College as a student. Susan came to love Gettysburg as a partner, visitor, and advocate. Together, they have chosen to make similar experiences possible for others.

As they look ahead, the Dishers remain grateful to be part of the Gettysburg community. Their support is rooted in memory, strengthened by belonging, and directed toward the students who will shape the College’s future.

“We are really glad to be part of the family. It’s a nice feeling as we get older,” Susan said.

And through their generosity, future Gettysburg students will be part of that family, too.

Help our students discover their potential by supporting student success at Gettysburg today.

Through expert interviews, student-led learning, and a research-focused trip to Japan, the Eisenhower Institute Undergraduate Fellows connected classroom knowledge with global policy and career readiness.

At a time when science, innovation, federal funding, and global competition are increasingly intertwined, Gettysburg College students in the Eisenhower Institute’s (EI) Undergraduate Fellows program examined a question with implications far beyond any single discipline: How do nations decide what science to fund, what innovation to prioritize, and what responsibilities come with discovery?

Led by Harold G. Evans Professor of Eisenhower Leadership Studies and Biology Prof. Ryan Kerney, the yearlong fellowship, titled “The Policies of Science and Innovation” and supported by Roy ’68, P’02 and Nancy P’02 Fairman, brought together students from STEM, economics, public policy, and related fields to study the policies that shape scientific research and technological progress.

“When I applied for the Evans Professorship, I pitched the idea of doing something along the lines of how science and innovation are supported through policy and the different ways governments can invest in the research and development pipeline,” Kerney said.

The fellowship combined weekly conversations with faculty and field experts, student-led speaker sessions, writing projects, and a January trip to Japan, where students visited research institutes, scientific funding agencies, and educational institutions. For Tracie Potts, executive director of the Eisenhower Institute, the program also advanced a key institutional goal.

“The thing that excites me so much about this program is we can see movement toward achieving what was one of our strategic goals when I came to EI, which was broadening the academic diversity of our students,” Potts said. “We’re drawing students across academic programs, including computer science, biology, chemistry, mathematical economics, and more.”

Potts noted that the Institute has been intentional about developing programs that remain focused on policy while attracting students beyond traditional policy-centered majors.

“We had a very intentional goal of how we can develop different programming that will still focus on policy, but help students around campus see that they don’t have to just be public policy or political science majors,” she said.

Throughout the year, Fellows explored topics including the research and development pipeline, federal budgets, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) funding, biomedical research policy, science inequalities and trust, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, AI security, public health policy, technology startups, and science communication.

In the fall, Kerney helped shape the speaker lineup by bringing in faculty colleagues and off-campus experts to talk with the Fellows. In the spring, students identified and invited professionals aligned with their academic and career interests, giving them experience building professional networks.

That practical approach was central to the fellowship. Kerney said students in scientific fields often focus narrowly on experiments or technical problems, but policy awareness gives them a broader understanding of how discovery becomes possible.

“You should put the policy stuff more front and center,” Kerney said, recalling advice he gave one student preparing for industry opportunities. “It shows a bit of breadth and broader thinking about how the overall product gets made from the scientific endeavor.”

The program’s international component gave Fellows a comparative lens. In January, students traveled to Japan, visiting sites including the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research in Kobe, Kansai Gaidai University, the University of Tokyo, Utsunomiya Higashi Super Science High School, Nikko Academy/Japan Amphibian Laboratory, AMED (the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development) Tokyo, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

The group’s visit to Hiroshima added a deeper ethical dimension to the study of science policy, allowing students to consider the Manhattan Project, the dawn of the nuclear era, and the human consequences of one of the largest federally supported science projects in history.

Potts said the experience helped students translate academic knowledge into real-world understanding.

“They were able to go to Japan, talk with people who are doing projects that are government funded, visit the labs, and then draw comparisons to how the U.S. approaches policy,” she said.

At the end of the year, Fellows presented their work and reflections on the program, synthesizing what they learned from expert conversations, site visits, research, and comparative study of science policy in the United States and Japan. Students also wrote op-eds intended for publication, giving them experience translating complex policy questions for public audiences and contributing their own voices to broader conversations about science, innovation, and society.

Under Kerney’s guidance, the fellowship program will continue with the theme “Federal Investments in Science” during the 2026-27 academic year. According to the Eisenhower Institute, next year’s Fellows will examine how science advances through government investments in scientific research and training, the long-term impact of those investments on national priorities, and how the U.S. approach compares with other countries.

For Potts, that continuation reflects the value of a program that gives students practical, interdisciplinary experiences they can carry into their careers.

“I think it makes our students much more competitive when they leave here and start looking for jobs,” she said. “It puts them worlds ahead of people who enter the market with a degree, but no applied experience. Our students have both.”

Learn how the Eisenhower Institute empowers students to create change now and in the future.

Supported by a Gettysburg College education, our students lean into their knowledge, skills, and talents to make a change in their home countries through leadership and service opportunities.

Since 2016, Gettysburg College has partnered with the SHE-CAN scholarship program to enable young women to serve as conduits for change in their home nations of Cambodia, Guatemala, Liberia, and Rwanda. Through scholarships, mentorship, and leadership training, scholars gain the skills and confidence to drive meaningful change. 

At Gettysburg College, this partnership fosters a supportive environment where the following SHE-CAN scholars have thrived academically, personally, and as emerging leaders. Together, these individuals strengthen Gettysburg through leadership, service, and global perspective. Their achievements showcase the power of the SHE-CAN partnership, cultivating changemakers who drive impact on campus and around the world. 

Mishael Ohanwadi ’25, who majored in environmental studies at Gettysburg, personifies the SHE-CAN impact. At Gettysburg, Ohanwadi studied abroad in Seville, Spain, served as a Resident Assistant, and contributed to the College’s sports medicine team.

Through the Garthwait Leadership Certificate and her work as a financial well-being ambassador, Ohanwadi developed leadership and service skills that she continues to apply as an environmental and food policy intern at the Corn Refiners Association, advancing sustainability and improving the lives of Liberian citizens. 

Drawn to community health advocacy, Tawah Tamba ’26, a health sciences major from Liberia, dedicated herself to public health and service. As the founder and CEO of Ayuda Humanitarian Initiatives, she supports vulnerable communities through food distribution and empowerment programs. In 2025, she led a summer initiative in Liberia, Make a Change, focused on menstrual hygiene education and entrepreneurship, helping women produce sustainable menstrual products.

Reflecting on her experience, Tamba said, “Being selected as a SHE-CAN scholar was a dream come true.” She credits Gettysburg’s supportive environment—including the DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship (DCF), the Center for Public Service, the Gettysburg African Student Association (GASA), Campus Kitchen, and WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital—for helping her transform her personal story into acts of purposeful service to others.

Antoinette Weah ’27 of Liberia lives a life of leadership, entrepreneurship, and service. A health sciences major with a business minor, she serves as vice president of the Class of 2027 and is an active member of the Student Senate. In 2025, she took part in the Public Service Immersion Project in Puerto Rico, where she explored issues related to statehood, debt, and entrepreneurship. 

Weah is the founder and CEO of OC CREAM, a business that empowers youth and women in Liberia. She has also led first-aid training initiatives, global immersion experiences, and clinical shadowing. Driven by her vision to strengthen Liberia’s health care and economic systems, Weah continues to build a future rooted in innovation, leadership, and social impact. 

Aspiring to become an international lawyer, Sema Williams ’27 of Liberia focuses on combating marginalization, gender-based violence, and rape in Liberia. At Gettysburg, as an international and global studies and sociology double major, she applies her knowledge to advocacy, research, and community projects like her nonprofit organization, Girls Breaking Barriers, through which she teaches girls about leadership and entrepreneurship and supports access to education for underprivileged high school students. 

“Being selected as a SHE-CAN scholar feels both empowering and humbling,” Williams said. “It means someone saw potential in me and believed in my ability to lead and create change.”

Through the Eisenhower Institute, Center for Public Service, and leadership in GASA (Gettysburg African Student Association), Williams strengthens her voice and skills to champion women’s education and empowerment. 

Nimol Seng ’28, an international and global studies major from Cambodia, brings academic excellence and a global perspective to Gettysburg. She serves as campus ambassador for The Women’s Network, secretary of the Chinese Culture Club, and participates in Model United Nations and the International Affairs Association.

Seng also volunteers on projects addressing food insecurity and sustainability. She strives to strengthen Cambodia’s international development and empower women in her home country. 

Sengly “Lyz” An ’29, a double major in international and global studies and political science from Cambodia, has worked to expand access to education through her role as a communications specialist at Snoopedu, where she helps integrate hands-on STEAM education into Cambodian school curricula. She has also gained experience in digital marketing with Jaikon Team2, supporting the distribution of international films in Cambodia, worked as a private Khmer tutor for expatriates, and contributed to a BBC interview translation project on efforts to address domestic violence in Cambodia.

“Coming from very humble roots, SHE-CAN has eased financial pressures and allowed me to fully immerse myself in my college experience,” An said. She added that she is ready to turn her Gettysburg education into opportunities to create meaningful impact at home and abroad. 

Be empowered to create change in the Gettysburg College community with the Center for Public Service.

Van-Anh Tran ’27, a student Leadership Educator with the Garthwait Leadership Center (GLC), co-authored a book chapter on international students’ experiences in leadership positions. Tran drew on research for an anthropology fieldwork methods class at Gettysburg College and an experiential learning opportunity through the GLC.

When Van-Anh Tran ’27 began an ethnographic project for her anthropology fieldwork methods class at Gettysburg College, she couldn’t have anticipated that the assignment would lead to a published work. Through an opportunity with the Garthwait Leadership Center (GLC) — where she worked as a student Leadership Educator — Tran turned experiential learning of leadership into scholarly insights. Her research appears in the book “International Student Experiences in the United States and Canada: A Multidisciplinary Examination of Challenges, Prospects, and Opportunities” (Star Scholars Press, 2026).

Tran, an anthropology major from Vietnam, designed her anthropology fieldwork methods project around a question that had long interested her. She examined how leadership programs help international students acculturate to U.S. campuses despite the difficulties they face. As an international student herself, she had noticed that conventional ideas of “leadership” often reflect Western cultural norms, favoring assertive, directive communication styles that did not necessarily align with her own background.

“Leadership was honestly a vague idea that’s kind of culturally and socioeconomically biased,” she explained.

Her work at the GLC changed that understanding. Through hands-on experience as a Leadership Educator, Tran learned to embrace “her authentic self and cultural insights,” while also learning how to “serve others’ needs,” she explained.

The opportunity to publish some of her research from her Gettysburg coursework came after Tran attended the 2024 Leadership Educators Institute (LEI) in Philadelphia, made possible by funding from the GLC. There, she met Laura Vaughn, a Ph.D. candidate at Florida State University who was presenting her own research on international students in leadership positions. The two discovered overlapping interests and decided to collaborate on chapter eight of Vaughn’s book.

Despite the logistical challenges of coordinating across time zones, the collaboration proved successful. “Laura was very patient with me, and everything worked out perfectly,” Tran said. 

Tran also observed how program participants and colleagues from diverse backgrounds formed meaningful relationships over time. Those observations served as the foundation for her chapter, which focuses on the GLC’s strategies for fostering authentic leadership and well-being in its programs. Her key finding is that growth and belonging come from trust and autonomy, which must be intentionally built into relationships between facilitators and students.

“Good programming also takes time—lots of it,” she said, noting that educators must listen to student concerns and make appropriate changes over time.

Tran hopes her experience will encourage other international students to pursue majors in the social sciences and humanities. These fields sometimes carry stigma or financial concern among students from developing countries. “I just want to clear that hesitation,” she said. “Anthropology does have a lot of practical applications and career paths that can be lucrative, such as in tech fields.”

Trans credits Gettysburg College’s Anthropology Department—and specifically Chair Donna Lynn Perry—for supporting her academic goals. 

“Gettysburg has an amazing Anthropology Department with professors who are always willing to go the extra mile to help dedicated students achieve their academic and career goals,” Tran said.

Explore your potential to lead and mentor at Gettysburg with the Garthwait Leadership Center.

Gettysburg College’s 191st Commencement celebrated the Class of 2026’s transformation through community, challenge, and A Consequential Education. Their four years here have empowered them to embrace uncertainty, lead with purpose, and be all in for a world that needs them.

With sunshine glistening off the white columns on the Beachem Portico of Pennsylvania Hall, Gettysburg College celebrated the Class of 2026 during its 191st Commencement ceremony, honoring 553 graduates whose journeys to Gettysburg began in communities across the country and around the world. Together, the graduates represented 30 countries, reflecting the breadth, talent, and promise of a class shaped by curiosity, perseverance, and connection.

Before the speeches began, graduates took part in one of the College’s most meaningful Commencement traditions: processing through Pennsylvania Hall toward an expectant crowd of family and friends. The passage marked both an ending and a beginning, as members of the Class of 2026 entered the ceremony as students and prepared to depart as Gettysburg alumni.

In his opening remarks, President Bob Iuliano reflected on the transformation that had taken place over the graduates’ four years at Gettysburg.

“Class of 2026, you passed through Pennsylvania Hall this morning a very different person than you arrived just four years ago,” Iuliano said. “You have been changed, forever. You have been changed because of your own hard work and determination, which we celebrate today.

“You have also been changed by virtue of the people who walked alongside you on your journey,” Iuliano continued, gesturing toward thousands of friends, classmates, family, faculty, and staff assembled across the north lawn between Penn Hall and Musselman Library.

Iuliano reminded graduates that the most lasting lessons often emerge not from certainty, but from challenge. From the moment they arrived on campus, Gettysburg challenged graduates to solve problems and answer questions they may not have known the answers to previously. But through determination and hard work, they discovered solutions and, in doing so, learned more about themselves and what they are capable of achieving.

“Your education at Gettysburg has you ready for those moments.”
– President Bob Iuliano

That ability to navigate complexity, Iuliano said, is central to the Gettysburg experience and increasingly important in a world being reshaped by rapid change. That readiness reflects the promise of A Consequential Education: a unique Gettysburg Approach that helps students connect knowledge, experience, and purpose as they prepare for lives of meaning and impact.

“Your education at Gettysburg has you ready for those moments,” he said. “It has taught you to ‘live the question,’ to embrace the uncomfortable, to be open to the unexpected, to learn, to unlearn, and to relearn. In a world likely to be turned on its head by AI, that may be the most valuable gift with which you will be leaving here today.”

Student speaker Bishruti Rijal ’26, a biology major and neuroscience minor from Kathmandu, Nepal, reflected on the community the Class of 2026 built together and the sense of belonging that will endure beyond Commencement. At Gettysburg, Rijal shaped her community through the many opportunities she pursued, including serving as a residence coordinator, working with the Center for Global Education, conducting research in psychology and through the Cross-Disciplinary Science Institute at Gettysburg (X-SIG), giving campus tours through Admissions, and engaging with the Center for Public Service, Garthwait Leadership Center, and Eisenhower Institute. She was also a member of Alpha Omicron Pi.

“We built community here. The kind that shows up,” Rijal said. “The people around you here are not just your college friends. They are not just a chapter in your life that ends today. They are proof that you already know how to do hard things. They are how you’ll do the next hard thing, too. They are your lifeboat as you embark on life’s next great journey.”

Rijal, who crossed an ocean while travelling 8,000 miles to find a home at Gettysburg, encouraged her classmates to trust the resilience they had already demonstrated.

“We leave here with knowledge, perspective, and resilience, but most importantly, we leave here knowing how to find our footing in unfamiliar places, because we already proved that we could,” she said.

Commencement speaker Kate Anderson ’09 returned to her alma mater with a message rooted in creativity, courage, and persistence. An acclaimed songwriter and librettist, Anderson has built a career across stage, film, and television, including work with Apple TV’s “Central Park,” Disney Animation’s “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure,” and internationally produced musicals such as “Between the Lines” and “The Book Thief.”

“Take a leap of faith and do something—and when it gets uncomfortable, don’t give up.”
– Kate Anderson ’09

Anderson noted it wasn’t that long ago when she was sitting in the same position as the graduates outside Penn Hall, wondering what was next. It was a scary moment she recalled, filled with trepidation about the unknown journey ahead.

“The fear of failure or shame keeps us from doing so much,” Anderson told the graduates. “And that is dumb. Because you know what people don’t remember when you succeed? The part where you were vulnerable or ‘cringey.’ If we never take risks, we never see rewards.”

Anderson spoke candidly about setbacks, rejection, and the value of perseverance. Just a few years after leaving Gettysburg, she applied to the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, a decision that changed her life. She met her writing partner, Elyssa Samsel, and together they worked tirelessly toward their goal of making it in the music industry. They eventually got their big break with “Between the Lines,” a musical based on the book written by best-selling author Jodi Picoult.

“Many, many, many times it would have been easy to drop the bit, to give up and give in,” said Anderson, who majored in music with a creative writing minor. “Instead, we stayed in character. In retrospect, the humbling moments in a career are often the most important.”

Anderson also reminded graduates that confidence and humility are not opposites, but partners. Confidence, Anderson said, helps people speak up when they have something meaningful to contribute, while humility allows them to recognize when it is time to listen. That balance, she emphasized, is essential to collaboration—bringing one’s own gifts to the table while trusting others to help build something stronger than anyone could create alone.

Then, echoing Iuliano’s call to embrace discomfort and uncertainty, Anderson challenged the Class of 2026 to persist through the moments when the path ahead feels unclear.

“So, I challenge you, Class of 2026. Commit to the bit,” she said. “Take a leap of faith and do something, and when it gets uncomfortable, don’t give up. Because something magical might happen. You might inspire someone else to do the same.”

The ceremony also included the conferral of honorary degrees to Anderson; James G. Basker, historian, literary scholar, educator, and president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History; Susan Eisenhower, policy strategist, author, and longtime leader with the Eisenhower Institute; and Chad Smith, president and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

After graduates crossed the stage to receive their degrees, waving to family members as they walked in front of Penn Hall and embracing faculty mentors off stage, the ceremony culminated with the recognition of the final two members of the Class of 2026: salutatorian Alice Mai-Anh Ngoc Nguyen ’26, a mathematical economics major from An Giang, Vietnam, and valedictorian Rebecca Ruggles ’26, a history major from Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland.

In his charge to the Class of 2026, Iuliano connected the themes of the day—community, uncertainty, authenticity, and courage—into a final call to action.

“My charge to you is simply this: be all in,” he said. “Be all in for your family and your friends. Be all in for your colleagues and communities. Be all in for a world that needs you.”

With that charge, the bell atop Glatfelter Hall began to ring and the Class of 2026 stepped into the world as Gettysburg College alumni—prepared to lead lives of consequence, to meet uncertainty with resilience, and to remain all in for the communities and causes that need them most.

Read President Iuliano’s full Commencement remarks.