Devon has been a true Warrior since coming to ESU in 2013 from Hanover, Pa. A four-year starter on ESU’s football team and a three-time Academic All-America first team selection – the first and only student-athlete in school history to achieve that feat – he has consistently proven his dedication to both his academic pursuits and his Warriors teammates.

He has taken that commitment to the next level in medical school, aiming to earn his doctorate in 2023. His ESU experience has clearly benefited him, crediting William Loffredo, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Joshua Loomis, Ph.D., associate professor of biology; and Jeffrey Hotz, Ph.D., associate professor of English; among many faculty members for pushing him towards excellence as he graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while completing coursework such as genetics, microbiology, pathogenic microbiology, virology and biochemical methods.

Devon came to ESU undecided about his career interest, but it was the relationships he made with science faculty during his first two years that turned him towards medicine and made the path towards medical school a reality. Along the way, he was a member of ESU’s Honors Program and Chemistry Club, a teaching assistant, and earned the prestigious Sigma Xi Biochemistry Award. He also presented advanced research during his undergraduate career.

On the football field, Devon built both his physical and mental strength under legendary Warriors head coach Denny Douds. As an offensive lineman, he learned all five positions, and helped his teammates master them also. He started all 44 games in his career, was voted team captain, and was ESU’s Senior Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Even before arriving on campus, Devon was infused with Warrior spirit, playing high school football at South Western High School for record-setting former ESU quarterback Damian Poalucci. Along with that relationship, he chose ESU for its small class sizes – with the ability to make connections with faculty critical to his academic success – and the perfect distance from his hometown. With ESU faculty and coaches, and his personal drive, leading the way, Devon is certain to carry his ESU pride through a successful medical career as well!

“Sleep was not my forte,” Mary Anne says, chuckling. “My family has this ongoing joke that I’m addicted to stress, but I like to be challenged. It makes it easier when you love your classes. I genuinely loved my classes.”

This fall, Mary Anne started at Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law and has embraced learning the intricacies of the law through intense classes and long hours of study. She hopes to one day use her law degree to work in advocacy for social justice causes.

At ESU she helped organize events such as “Night Without a Home,” in which students spent a night on the campus quad sleeping outside in cardboard boxes to bring awareness to the plight of homeless people.

Mary Anne is grateful to several professors at ESU who encouraged her when things got tough with her workload.

“The Criminal Justice and Sociology staff are amazing at ESU,” she says. She counts among her favorites Dr. Marianne Cutler, associate professor of sociology, Dr. Darla Darno, associate professor of criminal justice, Dr. Carrie Maloney, associate professor of criminal justice, and Dr. Michael Pittaro, instructor of criminal justice.

When Mary Anne was deciding where to go to college, the affordability of ESU was important but she was also drawn to the picturesque campus nestled in the Pocono Mountains, just 75 miles from New York City. “It was so beautiful,” she says. “Everyone was so welcoming and so warm.”

One of her favorite courses was “Women in Politics” taught by political science professor Dr. Kimberly Adams. It gave Mary Anne confidence and cemented her desire to work on social justice issues.

“It was in that class that I realized the strength of my voice,” she says. 

Those lessons helped her when she interned her senior year for Pennsylvania State Rep. Jordan A. Harris in Harrisburg.

“ESU is an amazing school,” she says. “It’s a school that will truly help you get where you want to go. As long as you show effort in something, ESU will match your effort tenfold.”  

Makenley’s path to a successful career began at ESU in 2016.  He made the choice to complete his undergraduate degree at ESU because it was close to home and soon became very involved in campus life – as a resident advisor, finance chair for the Student Government Association and as a board member for the Student Activity Association.  All the while, he was keeping a keen eye on his grades and conscious of time management.

Makenley’s family immigrated from Haiti to Philadelphia in 2012, and he knew early on that he wanted to work with a team of finance professionals to expand his knowledge and sharpen his skills through exposure to their global business network.  His dream continues to be that he will someday be able to give back to communities, make investments and develop initiatives in low-income areas here in the U.S. as well as internationally in order to help individuals to provide for themselves.

Makenley’s drive and enthusiasm was noticed by his ESU family and encouraged him to apply for the JPMorgan Chase Global Finance and Business Management program in 2019.  He became one of a select group of undergraduates nationwide to be chosen for this prestigious program that gave him the opportunity to gain a global financial perspective as well as a clear understanding of the career paths available to him.  After he completed his internship, Makenley received a full-time offer to return and continue a two-year rotational program upon graduating from ESU. 

Today, Makenley is proud to be part of the JPMorgan Chase team with hopes of one day earning his MBA in finance and continuing to build a strong career in the financial field.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education, with a minor in health, in 2004.  While at ESU, Matt was also a member of the University’s football program under head coach Denny Douds.  Matt made it very clear that all of his leadership traits came from the likes of Denny Douds, Mike Terwilliger, and the rest of the coaching staff at ESU.

Soon after he graduated from ESU, Matt segued into a position as a long-term substitute teacher at Pleasant Valley Middle School and soon afterward was hired as a full-time health and physical education teacher at the district’s Intermediate School.

Matt continued to climb the professional education ladder coaching football and girls’ basketball while teaching.  He also completed a master’s degree in educational leadership.  In 2009, he transferred to Pleasant Valley High School to teach Health and Physical Education and in 2012 became the high school’s dean of students.  Three years later, Matt had the opportunity to become an assistant principal at Stroudsburg Area High School then returned to his beloved Pleasant Valley in 2017, first as assistant principal and later to assume the role of principal, a role he enjoys today.

Matt attributes his success as an educator and administrator to the experiences he gained as a player on the Warriors Football team.  He was fortunate enough to continue his relationship with these men having coached with current ESU Head Coach Jim Terwilliger at Pleasant Valley.  Being around these men after college and into his professional career allowed Matt to continue to grow as a leader, and shape him into the person he is today.

Maya works with patients in the cardiac rehab unit, creating individualized treatment plans and specialized exercises for them, administering stress tests, assessing their progress and generally helping them get back to their daily lives.

“I love it,” Maya says. “I feel as though I found my footing and am able to help patients and the community I’ve been involved with for so long.”

Maya received her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from ESU in May 2019 and started the grad program that July. There, she was mentored by Dr. Shala Davis, chair of the Exercise Science Department. “She’s an amazing woman,” Maya says. “I’m just grateful for her support.”

A first-generation college student and the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and Guyana, Maya grew up in East Stroudsburg. She chose ESU in part because she wanted to stay close to family. Maya lived on campus all five years of her undergraduate and graduate studies, working as a resident advisor at Hawthorn Suites and later as residential learning coordinator at Lenape Hall.  She found great mentors in and Kelly Weaber, former resident director of Hawthron Suites and Patrick Monaghan, a resident director. Those responsibilities taught her how to help students from different backgrounds cope with the challenges of college and enhanced her ability to communicate and solve problems. The work got her out of her comfort zone and helped her gain confidence so she could find her voice and advocate for herself and others. Her senior year, Maya interned at Mountain Valley Orthopedics in East Stroudsburg.

As a member of the sorority Zeta Phi Beta Inc., Maya gained professional development skills and lifelong sisters. Now living in Bethlehem, PA, she still considers herself an ESU Warrior.

“I definitely made the right choice,” Maya says. “At ESU, they say you are a warrior, there’s a warrior in everyone. I’m grateful for the open doors that led me there.”

One of the many projects he developed, the biotechnology club’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner for students and community members, remains a tradition on campus.  Michael also attributes his involvement in the SPIRIT Committee to the networking opportunities that led him to his job today as the regional coordinator of the Northern Tier for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.  While attending ESU, Michael also worked several jobs off campus.  He was employed as a communications and operations manager for one of the large outdoor recreation companies in the area and also as a registered Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

When asked, Michael says he selected ESU for his college education because he has lived here in the Pocono region for the majority of his life, loves the area and felt that ESU was the “right fit.” He didn’t have any interest in going to a university in a big city that would take him away from his family and his beloved dog, Jericho.  According to Michael, “ESU strives to be accessible and has something to offer students from all backgrounds and interests and it’s situated in a beautiful setting with abundant outdoor activities, great food and entertainment, and established healthcare and manufacturing centers as well as ESU – the only four-year University in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania.”

Michael attributes his success in the classroom (and in life) to: Dr. Abdalla Aldras, associate professor of biological sciences; Stephanie French, professor of theatre; and most especially former ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., who retired in July 2020.  Michael also spent some significant time with staff members associated with ESU’s business accelerator and entrepreneurship program, the Warrior Launchpad. 

Today, in his post with the chamber, Michael is a source of business engagement within the Monroe County area, which keeps him close to his alma mater.  Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that Michael remains laser-focused on his mission to increase and constantly improve the quality of life for all within the Pocono community he serves!  That includes leading multiple Chamber initiatives such as the LGBTQ+ Business Council, Public Policy Council, Education Committee and West End Committee.  He’s also a member of the community’s Global Entrepreneur Week Committee, the Workforce Board and the United Way Community Touch Point Campaign. Michael is a proud ESU Warrior and  leads the Pocono Chamber Member Business with pride as he helps companies, big and small, reach economic prosperity and engage in community involvement. 

Erik selected ESU for his higher education experience for a few reasons:  first, because everyone in his family who attended college also went to ESU and secondly, he’s a huge fan of the Pocono community and loved the idea of staying at home with family while completing his degree.  Erik isn’t shy about naming his mentors at ESU.  He enjoyed his classes with Dr. Doug Nay, associate professor of business management, who “captivated students by relating course material to his long list of interesting real life experiences from his career as an international businessperson,” and also credits Jamie Kizer, manager of ESU’s entrepreneurial leadership center, who was “an amazing and valuable advisor for me as I developed and launched my ideas to pursue a venture in beekeeping.”  According to Erik, Jamie helped him to solidify ideas for the culture and vision of his beekeeping business.  He adds that Jamie’s experience as a serial entrepreneur helped him traverse the complex but ambiguous details necessary to form a new company using the “lean startup” method.   

While holding a steady place on the dean’s list during his days at ESU, Erik continued to: maintain two apiaries that produce local honey and honeybees; found a beekeeping consultation service, Mite Fight, intended to fight back against the bees’ biggest stressor, the Varroa mite; and provide community education about bees.  Not only did Erik graduate cum laude, he also won first place in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s Startup Challenge as well as the tecBridge Business Plan Competition within weeks of one another, claiming more than $100,000 in cash and in-kind business support. 

Erik’s introduction into the business world was homegrown.  He comes from a long line of local entrepreneurs (his mother owns a renowned bakery and his sister owns a soap making business), and Erik credits some of his success to ESU to the connections he made at ESU and its Innovation Center, which helped him to open his business to a world of opportunities and startup capital.

Now a respected member of the region’s business community, Erik has become an advocate for progress and diversity in the Pocono region. In 2019  he coordinated an effort to hang LGBT+ Pride flags within a number of  local municipalities including Stroudsburg’s business district.  He also helped to found the Pocono LGBT+ Business Council of which he is currently co-chair, which partnered with the Pocono Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau in 2020 to fly hundreds of pride flags across the Poconos, as well as holding one of the area's first LGBT+ Pride events. Erik has also been the coordinator and master of ceremonies for the annual Downtown Stroudsburg Tree Lighting ceremony since 2015.