
PennWest University to celebrate spring graduates
Undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Health Sciences and Human Services will participate in the 10 a.m. ceremony. The 2:30 p.m. ceremony will include undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Education, Arts and Humanities, and the College of Science Technology and Business.
The ceremonies will be livestreamed at pennwest.edu/about/events/commencement/ceremony-livestream.php.
'Commencement is a celebration of hard work, resilience, and dreams realized,' said Jonathan Anderson, president of PennWest.
'We look forward to honoring the achievements of our graduates and look forward with great anticipation to the contributions they will make to their professions, their communities and the world.'
More than 1,800 students from the California, Clarion, Edinboro and online campuses will graduate this spring, although not all of them have chosen to participate in the ceremonies. Additional information for graduates and guests is available at pennwest.edu/about/events/commencement.
Ceremonies on the Edinboro Campus will take place at McComb Fieldhouse.
Anderson will deliver greetings and confer degrees at Edinboro's ceremony, which will showcase three student speakers:
• 10 a.m.: Garrett Hannah, an economics major with minors in political science and business, is president of the Student Government Association and a member of Lambda Chi Alpha.
• 2:30 p.m.: Chloe McMullen and Sonia Yost will address graduates. McMullen, majoring in middle level education, has held leadership roles in the Highland Ambassadors and Student Pennsylvania State Education Association. Yost, graduating with a degree in English, served as the student trustee on the PennWest Council of Trustees. She plans to further her education in student affairs and higher education.
Mark Bellini and Danny Jones, members of the PennWest Council of Trustees, and James Alexander will give remarks to the Class of 2025.
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Chicago Tribune
9 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Excitement amid cuts: CPS families on the first day
Across the city Monday morning, children stepped into crisp uniforms and laced up brand-new shoes for the first day of school. Yellow buses wove through neighborhoods on soon-to-be familiar routes. Parents hugged their little ones and wished them well with their new teachers and friends. But despite the first day buzz, Chicago Public Schools opened its school doors amid a time of serious financial uncertainty, felt most by the parents and community interacting with the district every day. Delia Cruz, 37, a CPS mom from the East Side, doesn't begrudge the district for being underresourced, but as schools face tight budgets, she has learned how to be a fierce advocate for her kids. 'I'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for them,' she said, as she braided her 8-year-old daughter Jadelinn's hair into tight coils Monday morning in her living room before their morning commute. In the months leading up to Monday, Aug. 18, CPS officials were focused on closing a $734 million budget deficit — all while navigating a power struggle fueled by a months-long conflict between City Hall, the Chicago Teachers Union and district leadership. Over the summer, CPS released school-level budgets, the financial roadmaps that guide spending at individual schools. Principals spent hours adjusting operational planning based on the allocations they received. According to a CPS news release, the district allocates resources based on specific student needs and school programs — including services for English language learners, students with disabilities and those requiring social and emotional support. Cruz doesn't follow the politics of the district or its budget, but finds purpose in her involvement with half a dozen parent associations. Like other families, she leans on the district for resources and support for her five kids, three of whom have autism. 'We have to make this work,' she said. Inside a two-flat in McKinley Park, Victoria Naranjo, 34, put together her daughter's lunch: cookies, fruit, an empanada. Her 6-year-old, Yohanna Seaños, bounced around the kitchen, too excited to sit still for breakfast. Her hair was freshly washed, with two curls hanging down her forehead. Framed on the wall in the kitchen is a certificate of recognition, acknowledging Yohanna's growth the previous school year. Above the table is a series of professionally done school photos. 'Last year, in just six months, she learned to speak full sentences in English,' boasted her father, Jose Ramos, 37. The family arrived in Chicago from Caracas, Venezuela, about a year ago, fleeing violence and seeking better healthcare and education for their children. Yohanna's younger sister, 4-year-old Mya, had been diagnosed with tuberculosis and later suffered a stroke that left her with permanent cognitive delays. Naranjo said that as a young mother, it was difficult to know how to care for 4-year-old Mya, who now eats through a feeding tube in her stomach. She has taken Mya to weeks of speech therapy, and the little girl, who sits in a stroller, can sound out basic words like 'Mama' and 'Papa.' She has met with district specialists to fill out her youngest's individualized education program, which provides tailored support to students with disabilities. But the school where Mya was assigned is a far commute from their home, she said. Naranjo worries because Mya's teachers there don't speak English. She said the nurse only works two days a week. 'I need a school that has a nurse working daily,' Naranjo said. 'I have to figure out how to switch her.' All four members of the family left their house on Monday morning and trooped the several blocks to Edward Everett Elementary School in McKinley Park, slightly behind schedule. Teachers stood at the entrance to the building, greeting their first-day newcomers. Naranjo left her husband and 4-year-old to meet Yohanna's new teacher, and came out of the school after a few minutes smiling. 'She speaks Spanish!' she told Ramos, with relief. The first day of school opened with the lowest number of teacher and support staff vacancies in recent CPS history — a 2.46 percent teacher vacancy rate compared to last year's 4.4 percent vacancy rate, according to district officials. There were some security concerns, CPS said, including a gun identified during routine security screenings at Whitney High School in the West Loop, which was immediately confiscated. The school year also began against the backdrop of a $1.5 billion teachers contract ratified this spring that adds protections for bilingual students and those with specialized needs, commitments that may prove difficult to uphold under the district's 2026 fiscal budget constraints, according to a June letter from the CTU President Stacy Davis Gates. Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former teachers union organizer, has put pressure on interim CPS CEO Macquline King to borrow to cover this year's gaping budget shortfall. But the temporary schools chief is in a difficult spot. The district, one of the largest municipal junk bond issuers — or high-risk borrowers — in the nation, according to analysts, has received warnings from credit agencies that taking a loan to meet basic operational needs is not advisable. In community information sessions that King arranged with community members, most parents expressed hesitancy to engage in borrowing now for fear it would hurt future CPS generations. Taking that feedback into consideration, King's team proposed a $10.2 billion budget last week, which, instead of borrowing, included plans to cut corners wherever possible. Although the cuts are targeted for outside the classroom, the district's plan will affect the day-to-day experience for thousands of Chicago families. CPS has already had to lay off over 2,000 employees, including 700 special education assistants, 300 paraprofessionals and 100 crossing guards, according to a recent district presentation. Indeed, there was no crossing guard ushering kids into school outside Everett on Monday morning. Instead, a security guard, Victor Juarez, greeted families as they walked in. 'Good morning, Ryan!' he shook his head at one little boy, who ran in several minutes late, snot dripping from his nose. He admitted that the school has never had a crossing guard at the particular intersection where he stood, but pointed across the street where there used to be someone in a neon vest guiding those on their morning commutes. 'We need them,' he said. In their East Side dining room, four of Delia Cruz's kids posed against a wall, clutching laminated first-day-of-school posters. Jadelinn Cruz, 8, stood straight-faced in her navy uniform, with hair tightly braided by her mom. 'Why don't you do a silly one?' asked Cruz, the mother of five. She held up her phone camera from across the table. Her daughter finally gave a toothy grin before bounding towards the couch. The home brimmed with chaos and promise. Markers littered the kitchen table. Backpacks leaned up against the front door. The neon light of the TV flickered in the background. Cruz and her husband, Ivan, had to get their three daughters and eldest son out the door before 8:15 a.m. When their younger son, Lionel, starts classes in early September, the mornings will get even more hectic. 'It's crazy, but we manage,' Cruz said. Her hands rested over her swollen belly: She's eight months pregnant. The couple, both Mexican immigrants who came to Chicago decades ago, met at a nearby church when they were teenagers. The family's experience with CPS has been mixed. Eleven-year-old Lionel is autistic, and before he transferred to a school outside the district two years ago, there was only one special education classroom assistant to manage his classroom. He was almost expelled after he pulled the fire alarm, Cruz said. 'It wasn't working before,' she said. 'They didn't know how to take care of him.' Lionel now attends a therapeutic day school in Clearing. While her experience with Lionel was rocky, other investments in CPS give Cruz hope. George Washington High School in the East Side neighborhood — where her oldest daughter attends and Cruz serves on the Local School Council — was selected as one of the district's new sustainable community schools. The school will receive an additional $500,000 to partner with nonprofits and provide wraparound social services to students. 'That makes a difference,' she said. At 8:17 a.m., the family piled out the front door. Jadelinn and her 5-year-old sister, Jayne, each held paper towels and tissue boxes to give to their teachers. They wore matching pink backpacks. 'I'm gonna see all my friends,' Jadelinn said, jumping up and down in front of her parents. After their parents dropped them off, the sisters didn't look back.

Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Epoch Times
‘A Case of Mice and Murder': An Exquisite Treasure
In the middle of London, there are four small enclaves, or cities-within-a-city, called the Inns of the Court. They are the places where some of the top members of the English bar and judiciary learn English law and reside; these are small pockets of high society heavily steeped in traditions, rituals, and history. Sir Gabriel Ward is an Edwardian (1901) barrister who has lived the majority of his life within the confines of one of these Inns of the Court, called the 'Inner Temple.' It's a collection of stately and grand buildings that have become Ward's home and his sanctuary.


Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
15 Stories By People Who Slept With Someone They Shouldn't Have
Recently, I came across a Reddit thread where user u/tellmeanon1 asked "Who is someone you have slept with that no one can ever know?" The stories had my jaw on the floor. Here's what people said: "I slept with my father's fiancée. It was a long time ago, and she's no longer alive, but I'm still not telling." "I slept with my college professor. Not once, but twice. Two different professors. They were both married. I should also mention—I'm a lesbian. They were females married to men at the time. One was an excellent hook-up; the other was okay. I've never told anyone due to my being actively in both of their classes at the time. What a time to be alive." "I slept with my stepsister. Let's call her Jennifer. Jennifer was the daughter of my dad's second wife, from her first marriage. We were adults, there was alcohol involved, but it was still good." "I slept with my mother-in-law. I was separated from my wife at the time, and she, my MIL, asked if I could paint her apartment. She would pay me, and I agreed. It was a three-day job, and I lived on the other side of town, so it was agreed that I would stay over. It was summer and really hot, and I worked in just shorts while she was hanging around in next to nothing. She was a widow, she wasn't a bad sort, and we had drinks at the end of the day. Anyhow, we slept together. She was better than her daughter." "Well, I slept with my 'first cousin' at my grandmother's funeral. But it's okay because my mom and her sister were both adopted from an orphanage, so we aren't actually blood-related. She was cute, and I was sleeping around a lot in those days. We hadn't seen or even spoken to each other since we were young. We just laughed when we saw each other at my grandfather's funeral. Of course, we hooked up that time too. A couple of years ago, my brother died, and she was there—ready—but I didn't have it in me." "I slept with my Year 10 English teacher 10 years later, after a school reunion. She was married. In an awkward and interesting plot twist, her youngest child and my eldest were in the same grade 1 class years later. I met her husband at a Father's Day thing at the school. I can't imagine the look on her face when he told her he'd met one of her former students." "I slept with my best friend's sister. I used to spend the night often at my best friend's house since he had a pool, hot tub, trampoline, and super cool parents who didn't really care what we did. One weekend, I got up in the middle of the night to get some water, and I received a text from her asking if it was me in the kitchen. I said yes, and she responded, 'Come to my room, I need to tell you something.' I went into her room, and we started talking. That evolved into making out, then to her going down on me. It went on for a long time and eventually evolved into having sex every time I went over. We did it for years, and my buddy never knew." "I slept with my best friend's twin sister. Twenty-two years ago, I rented a room in their house, and she worked the afternoon shift, so she'd get home around 10 p.m. She would come into my room, and we would do literally everything other than intercourse because I was a 'gentleman' and didn't want to take her virginity. To this day, it was still the best head I've ever had." "I slept with my wife's twin sister, 15 years before she became my wife. Yes, they are identical. I slept with her sister in high school and married my wife in our 30s. I did not cheat on my wife. My wife and her twin hate each other and barely speak these days for completely unrelated reasons. Their relationship was shattered long before I even started dating my wife. My wife does not know and hopefully never will. Their personalities are night-and-day different. My wife—let's call her A—is quiet and reserved, smart and classy. Her twin—let's call her B—is wild, loud, and outgoing. I knew them both in high school as friends. I wanted to date my wife in high school for personality reasons, but she was dating my friend. I was at a party with drinks and recreational drugs when I hooked up with her sister. It was a one-time thing, and we were both messed up." "A coworker once bragged to me that he was sleeping with his wife's sister. His reason? 'She does everything my wife won't do.'" "I slept with my ex-girlfriend's younger sister. My ex and I broke up near the end of 2012 and we have always remained friends and stayed in touch. Whenever we are both single, we casually hook up a few times every couple of years, and it has never affected our friendship. In 2019, I was hanging out with both her and her sister at a karaoke bar, and my ex left. The younger sister and I drank a little too much, and she ended up taking me home. It was amazing. We started seeing each other for five months, a few times a week. We both knew it was forbidden fruit, though, and eventually stopped. I then casually went back to sleeping with my ex here and there." "I slept with my best friend's wife. I mean, we all know. It happened before they met. As a matter of fact, my friend and I were roommates at the time—he met her when she was leaving one morning. But we've all just decided to forget it ever happened." "I slept with my mom's best friend. They'd been friends for, like, 10 years. For reference, I'm 24. We were drinking one night, and out of nowhere, she told me she was a squirter. That was, in fact, my first squirter." "My junior year in college (1991), two of my friends had been dating since freshman year. One day, they got into a big fight and broke up. A couple of days later (Friday night), she showed up at my apartment with a bottle of rum, saying she needed someone to talk to. My roommate was out of town for the weekend, and a few rum and cokes later, we were naked and shagging. She didn't leave until Sunday afternoon, and we spent the entire weekend fooling around. They got back together a few days later. We never told anyone, and we're all still friends to this day. They're married now with two adult children." And finally, "I slept with a customer AND his dad, after I sold them the son's first car. I was 22 at the time. Son was 18 and in his freshman year of college. Dad came in, picked out the car. I took the son on a test drive without the dad. Son immediately started flirting with me. He texted me later that night and asked me to go to his dorm. I went and we hooked up on and off for about three months. I called his dad a few days later to thank him for the business. He came by a week later and told me he would like to take me out. I went out with dad several times. To this day, I still can't decide which one of them was better." Who is someone you slept with that no one can ever know about? Tell us us the comments or use the anonymous form below: