From left are Jeremy Garriga, Julian Rice, Kaliyah Inswood, Angie Tolentino, Forrest Pritchett, Maria Mangru, Leo Ricketts, Christian Veliz and Hiyabu Habtemichael.
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Seton Hall University welcomed its baccalaureate class as the newest group of alumni on May 21, including eight scholars from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program.
“We create an environment where students can deliver quality programming on campus, as well as design programs for elementary and middle school populations that motivate, give vision and agency to the children’s futures,” program Director Rev. Forrest Pritchett said. “We are pleased that we are producing MLK Scholar graduates that conform to this and other statements of Dr. King’s on education. We build hope by developing critical analysis of current rhetoric and we build new paradigms for progress. As Rev. Dr. King stated, ‘To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education.’”
The MLK Leadership Program was established in 1970, and is the oldest and most prestigious servant leadership program at Seton Hall University, as well as one of the earliest programs of its kind in the United States. It provides participants with tuition scholarships, leadership and management skills, and opportunities for community service and research involving values and social justice. They also participate in the Martin Luther King Scholarship Association, an award-winning honor society on campus.
Students selected for this program currently maintain a grade-point average of 3.5, and work to embody Seton Hall’s mission of service and leadership in their everyday lives.
This year’s MLKSA graduates include:
- Jeremy Garriga, from Jersey City, who graduated with a B.A. from the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in social and behavioral sciences and minoring in psychology;
- Hiyabu Habtemichael, from Saint Louis, Mo., who graduated from the Stillman School of Business with a B.S. in business administration with a concentration in economics, double majoring with sociology, magna cum laude;
- Khaliya Inswood, from East Orange, who graduated with a B.S. from the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in biology;
- Maria Mangru, from Parsippany, who graduated with a B.S. from the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in biology, cum laude, and planning to continue in the dual degree 3+3 program to receive a D.P.T. in physical therapy through the School of Health and Medical Sciences;
- Julian Rice, from Bedminster, who graduated from the School of Diplomacy and International Relations with a B.S. in diplomacy and international relations;
- Leo Ricketts, from Newark, who graduated with a B.A. from the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in history;
- Angelie Tolentino, from Galloway, who graduated with a B.S. from the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in biology, magna cum laude, and planning to continue in the dual degree 3+3 program to receive an M.S. in physician assistant studies through the School of Health and Medical Sciences; and
- Christian Veliz, from Fredon, who graduated with a B.A. from the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in social and behavioral sciences and minoring in psychology.
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