Kent State University at Trumbull proudly announces Jennifer Roller, President of The Raymond John Wean Foundation, as its 2016 Spring Commencement speaker. Close to 100 of the more than 225 students graduating this spring will participate in the ceremony, which will be held Friday, May 13 at 6:00 p.m. in Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave. in Warren.
Roller is the first woman to serve as president of The Raymond John Wean Foundation, a 70 million dollar foundation that seeks to empower residents to create a healthy, vibrant, equitable and economically stable Mahoning Valley. She is also the first member of her family to graduate from college. A life-long resident of Youngstown, Roller graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Education, both from Youngstown State University.
She was instrumental in establishing the Foundation’s Neighborhood SUCCESS Grants program which played a pivotal role in bringing residents to the decision-making process in matters affecting their neighborhoods.
Nicole Sandrella has been chosen as the student speaker. That night, she will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree, double-majoring in English and Psychology.
A 2011 graduate of Champion High School, Sandrella met adversity head-on in the fall of 2013. While attending classes at Kent State University at Trumbull, she was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. This new reality with possible limitations has never discouraged her dreams.
Sandrella has completed internships with Ohio Buckeye Chapter of National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. Along with taking classes, she is a server at a local restaurant and writer for Cortland News. She also teaches American Sign Language to a local elementary and middle school students. This summer, she plans to pursue her teaching license.
Click here, for more information about Kent State University at Trumbull’s 2016 Spring Commencement.