Achieving Goals, One at a Time

Following in the footsteps of his mother, Lynne Conlan, who graduated from Immaculata as an adult student in 2003, Mike Conlan decided to give college another try as an adult. Enrolling at Immaculata as part of a cohort of Wawa employees, he initially earned an A.S. in Business Administration in 2015. Conlan describes the cohort experience as “amazing,” emphasizing the community aspect of a cohort-based education. He enjoyed the experience so much that he continued his education and received a B.S. in Business Management this year – graduating magna cum laude.

Michael Conlan ’18 celebrates his graduation with his mom Lynne Conlan ’03. Both Mike and Lynne enrolled in Immaculata’s College of Adult Professional Studies through a Wawa cohort.

In similar fashion, Kathleen Santana completed an A.S. in Business Administration in 2016 and then earned a B.S. in Business Management and Human Resource Management too. At first convinced that she lacked the time and financial resources necessary, Santana was hesitant about pursuing a college career. She heard about Immaculata from an acquaintance, but did not enroll as a student until she found herself working at Camilla Hall, the nursing home for the IHM Sisters. Believing it to be kismet, Santana felt that fate was pointing her to Immaculata. She registered for classes and began working toward her degree.

Both Santana and Conlan received recognition for all of their hard work, including induction into several honors societies. Conlan looks back fondly at his time with Immaculata, saying, “I am really grateful… I can’t imagine what my life would be like today if I hadn’t gone to college and attended Immaculata.”

Kathleen Santana ’18 gets a hug from her son Michael, after the College of Adult Professional Studies Commencement ceremony.

Santana says that her education allowed her to accomplish goals she never thought she would achieve. She credits this to Immaculata’s CAPS program: “Immaculata University’s faculty work with their CAPS students to make sure that they’re successful.”

Building from that success, Santana is actively working in her field as the director of Human Resources for the St. Martha Center in Downingtown, PA and is currently pursuing her master’s degree.

Conlan plans to stay with Wawa and is optimistic about his options within the company. When asked if his children might consider carrying on the Immaculata family tradition, his answer was an emphatic yes: “My mother and I would love it if a third generation of our family attended Immaculata.”