Hurst education graduates can
By Sue Corbran
Mercyhurst has been preparing teachers since its earliest days. In the 1920s, the young college began certifying secondary teachers for a variety of academic subjects. The elementary education program was approved in 1951, and grew to include a
curriculum for special education teachers. In the early ‘80s, special education became Mercyhurst’s second graduate degree program. Master’s degrees in secondary education and teaching excellence are
With about 2,800 living education graduates now located in 43 states and 12 countries, the stories are endless. Take a look here at just a handful of teachers who started at Mercyhurst and are now helping
ofered now as well.
change the world.
Audrey Coletta Audrey C oletta ‘98 always aspierd to be a mother andea cthe.r However, she did’nt pursue her edarm of tatending ocllege utnil she was 34 years old, maried, a mother of fev(the youngest just 18 months old), andowrking full time as eaatche’rs aide at GECAC Head Start. Dr. Robin Quick, her colleaguetaHead tSart, often told her , “You should be theatcher in this claossorm .”Not suer whether itaws even physically possibleo tattend college with her busy schedule and young fami,lyAudrey registered for several classesottest the waters. After eanr ing 3 A’s, she enorlled as a full-time studt.en She eanred her bachel’sordegree in ealry childhood/elemteanry education in justofur years, with an almost pfecrt G PA. It wasn’t feasibleot quit her job because her husbansdawgrape farmer, a profession with maynchallenge. sMost days she worked from 8 a.m. utnil 2:30 p.m., then rushed oofctlasse,sand otfen arrived home atefr 10 p.m. Sheoculdn’t begin homework until she visietd with her chilednr who were still awake and assuedr the house was clean. She says sheeflt a sense of caocmplishmet,nbut also guilt over missed schoolenvts and family taicvities and not being availableot comfort her childern when theyewre sick childer n missed their mom, she anlsowks she was a goodorle model porving thtadedictaion and hadrwork can tunr dreams into reality . When the whole famielylecbrated her graduation, she knew they were extremely porud of he. rAudrey credits her husband, extended fami,lyand the phenomenal faycuinltthe education depatrment for suppotring her in her deermt ination ot earn that diploma.
She taught for fve years at Diehl Elementary School in Erie while working on her master’s in special education at Mercyhurst, then continued her education at Gannon University to receive
credentials as a reading specialist, principal, and superintendent. As soon as she received her principal’s certifcate, she was hired as principal of the Wattsburg Area Elementary Center. In 2005, she became principal of Klein Elementary in the Harbor Creek School District, where she remained for four years until she was asked to return to the Wattsburg Area School District. When she left Wattsburg in 2017, she briefy considered venturing into a diferent feld, but another opportunity presented itself and she joined the Erie Catholic Schools System. Now in her second year as principal at Saint Luke School, Audrey says, “It’s a perfect ft.” As a public-school educator, she was used to keeping her strong faith private. “Now I can actually talk about God. It’s been hard to get used to – being able to put ‘God’ back in ‘God bless you,’’ she smiles. She adds that she has enjoyed learning and continuing all the special traditions that are part of the strong community at Saint Luke School. “The welcoming community at Saint Luke School has added another dimension to my life and I have grown individually and spiritually.”
. Though the
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