Education Briefs | April 3
Freire named to the fall 2025 Dean’s List at Aurora University
AURORA, Ill. – Aurora University has named Kyle Freire of Cape Coral to the Dean’s List for the fall 2025 semester. Freire is majoring in graphic design. The Dean’s List recognizes full-time undergraduate students who have earned a 3.6 grade-point average or higher.
Founded in 1893, Aurora University is a four-year, private, nonprofit, accredited higher education institution located on a 43-acre campus in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The university serves approximately 4,200 undergraduate students across more than 60 academic programs. More than 1,800 graduate students are enrolled at the institution as well.
Learn more at aurora.edu.
Vazquez celebrates successful ‘Match Day’ at Geisinger College of Health Sciences’ School of Medicine
SCRANTON, Pa. — Frank Vazquez of Cape Coral was among the 111 soon-to-be graduates of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine who learned their residency placements during the National Resident Matching Program’s “Match Day,” an event at which all fourth-year M.D. students around the country simultaneously open their envelopes to learn where they will spend the next three to seven years training in their chosen specialty.
Vazquez matched into Family Medicine at Adventist Health White Memorial.
In addition to the School of Medicine’s celebration in Scranton, Geisinger hospitals learned who will be arriving this summer to begin residencies across the system. Julie Byerley, M.D., M.P.H., president of Geisinger College of Health Sciences, dean of the School of Medicine and executive vice president and chief academic officer, noted that Geisinger hospitals successfully matched 158 learners into 31 residency programs in the Match. In the pharmacy residency match, Geisinger hospitals successfully matched 20 new pharmacy residents. In addition, four current pharmacy residents will be promoted to second year positions.
To learn more, visit geisinger.edu/gchs.
Pollard elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
BATON ROUGE, La. — Sophia Pollard of Cape Coral was recently elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at Florida State University.
Pollard is among approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10% of seniors and 7.5% of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10% of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and its territories. Its mission is to “cultivate a community that celebrates and advances the love of learning.”
For more information, please visit PhiKappaPhi.org.