Steve Ricci, 2011
Major: Administration of justice
Occupation: Officer, Philadelphia Police Department.
Ricci has been invested in community-police relations as a Philadelphia police officer. For three years, he was the community projects coordinator for the First Police District. As the site leader for the department’s Community Health Enrichment Empowerment Resource Service (C.H.E.E.R.S.) program, he collaborated with the community to instill and impress upon youth values conducive to self-improvement and the betterment of their communities.
Alia Tahvildaran, 2008
Major: Integrative arts and English
Occupation: Art teacher, Germantown Academy
Tahvildaran has been teaching art at Germantown Academy for the past ten years and completed her master’s in education. Her final thesis focus was in developing curriculum for first- and second-grade art that addresses social justice citizenship. Her students’ art is engaged and created. Tahvildaran has maintained her own art practice, and her recent exhibition at Germantown Academy was a continuation of her Schreyer Honor's thesis in which she made work about family history.
Penn State Abington Alumni Service Award
This award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated excellence in giving back the Penn State community, for their volunteer service to the campus and engagement with current students, faculty, and staff.
Mack Brooks, 1969
Major: Political science
Occupation: Lieutenant colonel, U.S. Army, retired
After earning his Penn State degree, Brooks was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army, and volunteered for the infantry and two tours in Vietnam, earning many honors along the way. He has volunteered continuously to help young people reach their goals both during his Army service and after his retirement in 1995. Thirty years after leaving Abington, Brooks returned as a volunteer with the ROTC. He has since become very active in a variety of roles including serving on the Abington College Alumni Society, Abington College Advisory board, and the Athletics Advisory Board. He was a leader in establishing an endowed scholarship for Abington ROTC students. Brooks has served as a member of the Abington Advisory Board since 2012. In 2017, he accepted a leadership role as chair of the Governance and Development Committee and is a current member of the Executive Committee. In the past two years, he spent countless hours managing a complex and time-consuming project for the Abington Advisory Board.
Melissa Quintana, 2006
Major: Business (management and marketing)
Occupation: Marketing manager, Healthcare Services Group, and managing partner of her marketing consulting company, Acceleration Strategies.
Since her graduation, Quintana has given her time and talent through the Philadelphia Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association, serving on the Abington Alumni Society Board first as secretary leading to her term as president, and through various on campus events. During her tenure on the Alumni Society Board, Melissa helped to strengthen its focus and ensure that the board was in alignment with the strategic focus of the chancellor and the campus. She has participated in numerous student panels as well as in the minority mentoring program previously sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Penn State Abington Donor Appreciation Award
This award recognizes alumni and friends who have made a significant financial contribution to Penn State Abington.
Lorraine Basara, 1975
Major: Health and physical education
Occupation: Retired senior human resources manager, Internal Revenue Service
Prior to her retirement, she was responsible for developing aspiring and current leaders at the Internal Revenue Service. She taught succession planning, mentoring, and coaching. Basara has been a dedicated and consistent member of the Penn State Abington community since her graduation. She has served as the secretary of the Abington Alumni Board and as a member of the Abington Athletics Advisory Board. Currently, she is a member of the Abington Campaign Committee, helping to support the fundraising needs of the campus. Basara has committed to supporting students through her philanthropic efforts as well as her volunteerism. In the last few years, she made a personally transformative gift to support Abington students. She has also directly supported the fundraising efforts of the Student Philanthropy Council during their Giving Tuesday fundraiser. Along with this gift, she joined the group for a panel discussion about why she felt it important to give back to her alma mater. This year during the COVID-19 crisis, Basara made a gift to purchase gift cards to a local restaurant for students who were unable to leave campus.
About Penn State Abington
Penn State Abington provides an affordable, accessible and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. With nearly 4,000 students, Penn State Abington is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 22 majors, undergraduate research, the Schreyer Honors College, NCAA Division III athletics, and more.