Commencement - Spring 2022

Speakers Dr. GEORGEOS SIRRAKOS is a professor in the Department of Secondary Education at Kutztown University. Prior to his arrival to Kutztown in 2013, he worked as an educational consultant with the Institute for Student Achievement and taught science in both New York City and Dresden, Germany. In 2018, Sirrakos was awarded KU's John P. Schellenberg Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. He teaches courses in education psychology, methods of science instruction, school leadership, hip-hop and multicultural education, and he supervises student teachers. Sirrakos’ research interests include fostering equity in education, creating opportunities for students to inform the teaching and learning process, cross-national studies of learning environments, and the intersections of hip-hop and education. Currently, he serves as the principal investigator for a three-year National Science Foundation grant to better understand the barriers and challenges for success faced by underrepresented high school students in computer science, namely females, underrepresented racial minorities and/or students of low socioeconomic status. Sirrakos has presented his work on issues of culture, equity, and education at several regional and national conferences. He has written for and contributed to numerous academic journals and edited volumes in the United States and internationally, including his co-edited book “Between the World and the Urban Classroom.” Sirrakos holds a Ph.D. in education from the Curtin University of Technology, a master’s degree in science education from Lehman College, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Stony Brook University. MADISON BRZOZOWSKI of Mickleton, N.J., will graduate today with a B.S.Ed. in the dual certificate secondary education English and special education program, and a minor in women and gender studies. Brzozowski served as vice president of membership for Delta Zeta sorority and is the current president of KU Above and Beyond the Language of the Ear, a sign language club. For more than three years, she has served as secretary for the Golden Bear Village South Hall Council. She also has worked as a private one-on-one tutor to help children throughout multiple grade levels improve their virtual learning skills. During her time at KU, Brzozowski has made the dean’s list multiple times and received honors from the National Society of Leadership and Success and the Delta Zeta National Sorority. Brzozowski received the Outstanding Clinical Experience Award for her latest student teaching placement at Kutztown Middle School. She plans to teach special education in New Jersey and advocate for people with disabilities.

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