College of Education Graduation Held Dec. 19, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, MD (December 20, 2004) — It was a festive occasion on Sunday, Dec. 19, when nearly 240 College of Education students graduated during ceremonies held at the Cole Student Activities Building. Scores of family members and friends greeted the graduates with cheers and applause as degrees were awarded.

College of Education Dean, Edna Mora Szymanski, Ph.D., presided over the fall semester ceremony, accompanied by members of the College of Education faculty, representing six academic departments: Curriculum and Instruction, Counseling and Personnel Services, Special Education, Education Policy and Leadership, Human Development, and Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation. The Outstanding Undergraduate Speaker was Kathy A. Gargiulo. Graduate speakers were Irene M. Zoppi, Ph.D. and Donna Redmond Jones, Ph.D. (Biographical sketches of the guest speakers follow.)

The breakdown of the graduates by degrees awarded for the December ceremony was as follows: 42 doctoral degrees, 118 master’s degrees, 78 undergraduate degrees, and five AGS Certification programs. Another 20 students received degrees in separate ceremonies held overseas. The new graduates join the ranks of the college’s 36,000 distinguished alumni comprised of teachers, educators, entrepreneurs, administrators, policymakers, counselors, and professionals working throughout Maryland, the nation and the world.

Donna Redmond Jones earned her bachelor of arts and master of teaching degrees from the University of Virginia. She earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Upon admission to the College of Education she was awarded a Graduate School Fellowship. While at the college, she served as a teaching and research assistant for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Department of Education Policy and Leadership. She also coordinated the Chillum Internship Program, a partnership between the College of Education and the College of Arts and Humanities. She is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, the American Educational Research Association, and the National Association for Secondary School Principals. She graduates with a 4.0 G.P.A. and is currently working as an assistant principal at Winston Churchill High School in Montgomery County. 

Irene M. Zoppi earned a B.A. with honors in Modern Languages (Spanish, Italian, French, and German) from the University of Puerto Rico. She received both the Distinguished Military Student and the Distinguished Military Graduate Awards from the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, where she was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, Military Intelligence Corps, Regular Army. She earned a M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University with a 3.79 G.P.A. She earned a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Leadership. She is a Gulf War veteran, and is a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve, with continuous service since 1985. She is a professor of military science at Bowie State University ROTC; and is a faculty research assistant at the Maryland Institute for Minority Achievement and Urban Education’s Latino Success Research Project. She won the President’s Women of Color Award in 2003 and is a member of two prestigious international honor societies: Phi Kappa Phi and Kappa Delta Pi.

Kelly A. Gargiulo earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with emphases in Mathematics, Science and Spanish from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She has also earned a College Park Scholars, Advocates for Children Citation. While at the University of Maryland, she participated as a mentor and tutor through the Lakeland Stars program, lobbied in Annapolis for support of bills that protect children’s rights, and volunteered time at various elementary schools in the area. She is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity, Order of Omega Greek Honors Fraternity, Primannum Honor Society, Golden Key International Honor Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She graduates with a 3.8 G.P.A. and will begin a master’s degree program at New York University in the spring.

CONTACT: Deborah Hudson, Assistant Dean for External Relations, at 301.405.8145,

or via email: dmhudson@umd.edu