Felician University Doctoral Students Receive Executive Women of New Jersey Awards

RUTHERFORD, NJ – Felician University is proud to announce that Alexis Libert and Vanvian Hoo, doctoral students in the School of Arts and Sciences, have been selected as recipients of 2022 Executive Women of New Jersey (EWNJ) Awards.

Ms. Libert is the winner of the EWNJ Prudential Award and Ms. Hoo earned the EWNJ Graduate Merit Award. Both awards include a scholarship to assist them in the achievement of their academic and professional goals. Qualifications for selection of an EWNJ award include being a permanent New Jersey resident woman who is a non-traditional student attending graduate school and who has completed at least 12 credits toward their degree. Ms. Libert and Ms. Hoo will receive their awards at the EWNJ Annual Holiday Party on November 30th in Roseland.

Ms. Libert is a second-year graduate student in the Felician University Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program. She stated, “Receiving the Prudential Award is an honor, and I look forward to pursuing multiple opportunities thanks to this scholarship. I will be using the funding to attend academic and professional conferences directly related to my clinical and research interests. The award is also a source of pride, as it is very gratifying to know that others acknowledge the value in my aspirations. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to advance in my goal of improving eating disorder treatment through the delivery of more equitable care. I am also exceptionally grateful to both Dr. Jonathan Sepulveda and Dr. Daniel Mahoney, who graciously provided the letters of recommendation that allowed me to be awarded this scholarship.”

Ms. Hoo is a candidate for Doctor of Psychology with an expected graduation date of May 2023. Her doctoral pursuit is focused on providing an integrative approach that includes psychoanalytic psychotherapy, CBT, DBT, and trauma-informed models. She remarked, “Receiving this award means a great deal to me as it will help finance the last year of my training program and allow me to pursue my mission and goal to provide high quality mental health services to marginalized groups, decrease the mental health stigma, and advocate for social justice. As a mother, it’s so important to model to my son how hard work, commitment, and resiliency will result in achieving your goals while staying true to your core values. For these reasons, I am truly grateful to EWNJ for this scholarship that allows me to continue to grow as a professional and as a mother.” Ms. Hoo would also like to continue to train and supervise students as she finds teaching rewarding.

Dr. Daniel Mahoney, the Director of the Graduate Psychology Program, said, “Both Vanvian and Alexis are excellent students who have demonstrated leadership and scholarship throughout their academic work in the PsyD Program at Felician University. Both students have a commitment to social justice and equity, which is a focus of our program and reflect foundational values of the University. So, it is a great honor that they have received these awards acknowledging them, recognizing their leadership, and demonstrated success in helping others.”

About Felician University

Felician University inspires and engages more than 2,100 undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students through programs in the Schools of Arts & Sciences, Business & Information Sciences, Nursing, and Education. Over the past five years, Felician University has ranked 3rd among private institutions in New Jersey for best value according to payscale.com and #1 Safest College Campus in New Jersey according to niche.com. The Master of Science in Nursing program is ranked one of the best online graduate nursing programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Felician University was designated as a Military Friendly School (Gold Status) for the ninth year recognizing its strong support for Veteran students. The university is recognized for its diversity as an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) and MSI (Minority Serving Institution), having underrepresented students comprise more than half of the student population. With campuses in Rutherford and Lodi, New Jersey, the Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, please visit https://felician.edu.