Commencement-Spring-2019

Speakers Dr. PAULA HOLOVIAK is a professor of political science and public administration and is the program coordinator for KU’s Master of Public Administration. She has served as an educator for more than 33 years teaching courses in public administration, state and local government, policy evaluation and human resource management at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Holoviak is a member of the Graduate Council, campus coordinator for The Harrisburg Internship Semester, and an advi- sor to the university's Slavic Club. In addition to her work at KU, Holoviak is involved at the state level serving as the chairperson of the Pennsylvania Policy Forum, and secre- tary and webmaster of the Pennsylvania Political Science Association. She is also a member and past president of the Northeastern Political Science Association and an associate editor of Commonwealth: A Journal of Penn- sylvania Politics and Policy. Holoviak is active in the Ukrainian American community serving as a board member of the Organization for the Rebirth of Ukraine and the Ukrainian American Heritage Foundation. She is fluent in Ukrainian and French. Holoviak has authored seven publications and presented at a variety of conferences and professional panels at the state and national levels. Her book titled, "Pennsylvania Government and Politics: Unlocking the Keystone State," will be published by the Pennsylvania University Press this fall. She earned bache- lor’s degrees in government and politics, and French from King’s College; a Master of Public Administra- tion from The Pennsylvania State University; and a doctorate in political science from the State Univer- sity of New York at Binghamton. LETECIA GARCIA, of Schuylkill Haven, Pa., graduates today with a Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling. She is a certified train- er and program facilitator for the Safe Space Training Program, as well as a group facilitator for the Trans* and Non-Binary Support Group at the GLBTQ Resource Center. She is also a member of Psi Chi, International Honor Society of Psychology; Alpha Phi Sigma, National Criminal Justice Honor Society; Chi Sigma Iota, International Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society; and Alpha Epsilon Lambda, National Honor Society of Graduate and Professional School Students. During her time at Kutztown, Garcia served as a graduate assistant to the GLBTQ Resource Center and created the Gender and Sexual Minori- ties Conference, serving as the conference curator for the first two years. Garcia was also a psychotherapy intern at Sanctuary Counseling, LLC, where she worked with the LGBTQ+ population and currently works as a psychotherapist and program coordinator. “Kutztown has seen, cultivated and supported the most important academic and interpersonal moments in my life. Every ounce of belief I had in myself, KU reflected ten-fold. This university is more than a chapter of my life; it is truly a cornerstone,” Garcia said. In the future, Garcia plans to pursue certification in Sex and Gender Therapy to serve underrepre- sented and marginalized identities and lifestyles. Her long-term goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in East-West Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies and open a retreat-style private practice and botanical garden with her partner.