The PACE Team (from l to r): Vanessa Ruggiero ’15, Jessica Mullelly ’16, Michael Romano ’17, Paige Nebistinsky ’15, Lucie Loftus ’16. Not pictured: Kathleen Griffin ’15.
The DeSales University Peers Advising Counseling Educating (PACE) team and one of its advisors recently earned two awards—Outstanding Peer Educator Group and Advisor of the Year—at the 2014 BACCHUS Initiative of NASPA National General Assembly, “Peer Education Unfiltered.”
The students who received the Outstanding Peer Educator award included Lucie Loftus ’16, Paige Nebistinsky ’15, Jessica Mullelly ’16, Michael Romano ’17, Vanessa Ruggiero ’15, and Kathleen Griffin ’15.
Mullelly gave a presentation at the conference titled, “You are Worth More than a ‘Like’,” which asks the question: why do we allow ourselves to be defined by the amount of likes and comments we receive on social media?
“We need to be reminded that social media does not always depict our true selves and holds no value to our worth,” said Mullelly. “You are more than an edited Instagram picture; more than an anonymous Yik Yak post; more than a retweeted tweet.”
The Advisor of the Year Award was given to Wendy Krisak ’98, director of counseling at DeSales and an advisor to the PACE team. Krisak, who has worked at the school since 2003, earned two bachelor’s degrees from DeSales and her master’s degree in counseling from Kutztown University.
DeSales University’s PACE team, established in 2004, consists of six certified students who assist in peer counseling on campus and talk with other students on issues such as alcohol, sexual assault, relationships, time management, and health/social education. They also work with high school, middle school, and elementary school students to address a variety of topics.
PACE is advised by Krisak and Andrea Grube, assistant director of the health center and health educator.
The BACCHUS General Assembly is the premier educational and networking opportunity for peer health educators and their advisors. Over three days, the General Assembly features three keynote events, six featured topical speakers on health and safety, more than 70 educational breakout sessions, networking opportunities, school and agency exhibits, and formal and informal spaces for discussion on leading topics related to the methodology of peer education. More than 600 undergraduate students, graduate students, and professional staff and faculty attend each year.