From left to right: Katherine Corbo, C’26, Gabrielle Stine, C’27, and Ella Campisano, C’27. Photos by Salina Lazarus.
Mount St. Mary’s University was awarded a $275,000 grant from the Clare Boothe Luce Program for Women in STEM, from the Henry Luce Foundation, which is dedicated to significantly increasing the number of women in math, science and engineering at every level of higher education.
The three-year grant was submitted by Professor and Chair of Mathematics and Computer Science Jonelle Hook, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Ruth Lemprecht, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor of Science Rachel Hartnett, Ph.D., all from the School of Science, Mathematics, and Technology. Three students were awarded the 2025-2026 scholarship for undergraduates in STEM majors: Ella Campisano, C’27, and Katherine Corbo, C’26, and Gabrielle Stine, C’27.
Majors: Biochemistry and Chemistry
High School: Palmyra Area Senior High School in Palmyra, Pennsylvania
Why the Mount?: The sense of community was one of the first things that drew me to the Mount. From the beginning, I felt like I was seen as an individual rather than just another student. As someone with a disability, having professors and staff who genuinely care about my success has made a significant difference in my college experience. I was also impressed by the strength of the science programs and the many opportunities available for research, internships, and professional growth. The Mount has provided an environment where I can challenge myself academically while feeling supported every step of the way.
Mentor: One professor who has had a significant impact on my experience at the Mount is Dr. Mike Turner. I was a student in his genetics course last year, which was one of the most intensive reading classes I have taken. Since reading is one of the areas I struggle with most because of my disability, the class could have been overwhelming. Instead, Dr. Turner helped me learn how to approach the material in a way that allowed me to be successful while managing the workload. Beyond academics, he genuinely cares about his students. One thing I always appreciated was how he ended each class with a Bible verse that connected to the lesson. He also opened his home to students who did not have somewhere to go for Thanksgiving, inviting them to celebrate with his family. That level of kindness says a lot about who he is. Dr. Turner helped me build confidence in my abilities and showed me what it means to support students both inside and outside the classroom.
Experience: I have always taken my academics very seriously and strive to put forth my best effort in everything that I do. At the same time, I believe it is important to be involved beyond the classroom and remain open to new experiences. Music has been a major part of my life, which is why I continue to play cello in the String Ensemble. Although I did not attend a Catholic high school, I grew up attending Sunday School and staying involved in my church. Learning how to balance academics, leadership roles, service, and personal interests has helped me become a more well-rounded student and has taught me valuable skills that extend beyond the classroom.
Engagement: I enjoy being very involved on campus and staying connected with different parts of the Mount community. I serve as President of TriBeta Biological Honor Society and am involved in Tennis Club, Women in STEM, ASBMB, Gamma Sigma Epsilon National Chemistry Honors Society, Mount Maniac, and the String Ensemble. I am also an Orientation Leader and Mount Guide, and I am in the Honors Program. Academically, I have worked as a Student Instructor for both General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, helping students during review sessions and supporting them throughout the course. Being involved in so many areas of campus has helped me build leadership skills and confidence.
Vocation: I am still exploring where my future will take me, but I know I want a career that combines science, problem-solving, and helping people. While I am still learning about the different paths available to me, my experience at the Mount has strengthened my passion for helping others and encouraged me to continue exploring where I can make the greatest impact.
Liberal Arts: My experiences as an Orientation Leader and Mount Guide have allowed me to witness the growth and transformation of students as they become part of the Mount community. Through these roles, I have seen firsthand the compassion and sense of belonging that make the Mount unique. The philosophy and theology courses have challenged me in ways that my STEM courses do not. They have encouraged me to think critically about ethics, human dignity, and the impact of my decisions on others. These classes have broadened my perspective and reminded me that understanding the world requires more than scientific knowledge alone. They have helped shape the person I am becoming and have strengthened my commitment to living out the Mount’s mission.
Majors: Computer Science and Cybersecurity
Minor: Data Science
High School: Padua Academy in Wilmington, Delaware
Why the Mount?: When I first came to the Mount to visit, I really loved the campus. Everyone I met was extremely kind and asked me questions about myself. I could see that students on this campus were connected, not just “acquaintances” but really cared about each other and their success. I also really liked the computer science department. I met with one of the computer science professors, Dr. Ruth Lamprecht, and she took time out of her busy schedule to meet with me and tell me about all the opportunities the Mount’s technology department has to offer. It showed me that the professors here really care about their connections with the students. That is when I decided that I wanted to join the Mount’s community and become a student at the university.
Mentor: Professor Scott Weiss. He was one of the first professors that I had a class with during my time here at the Mount. He thinks in such a clever way and is very passionate about computer science. One thing that I love is his bonus challenges that come with assignments. Not only are the challenges themselves unique and interesting, but I also love seeing his perspective on how things can be done. He shows you how there are many solutions to a problem and encourages students to think outside the box and learn from trial and error, while guiding you to success along the way.
Experience: Before coming to the Mount, I graduated from Padua Academy in Wilmington, Delaware. Padua is an all-girls Catholic high school. At its very core, Padua provides a supportive and inclusive environment for its students, which allowed me to pursue my passion for technology surrounded by women in STEM. I never considered how different classes at university would be because of this, and I was a little nervous joining the Mount, especially in a male-dominated field such as computer science. However, even though my experiences at the Mount differ greatly from Padua, as my classes are mainly dominated by men, all my experiences have been positive. If anything, my time at the Mount thus far has made me even more excited for all the countless opportunities possible for my future career.
Engagement: I enjoy being very involved in the Mount’s community. I have been a member of our University Honors Program since my first year here. I also began my time at the Mount as a student ambassador, providing tours of the campus to prospective students. I have also been an orientation leader, welcoming new students to our community, while also showing them all the opportunities present to them at the Mount. Currently, I am a Resident Assistant (RA) for Sheridan Hall, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for first-year students. On a departmental level, I am a student leader for our chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery along with being a leader for Women in Computing. I enjoy participating in our Cyber Defense Club as well. Basically, I always have something to do here on campus and am very grateful for the opportunities given to me.
Vocation: There are so many opportunities present in the cybersecurity and computer science realm; I really wanted to take a chance and experience as much as I could. I had an internship in the corporate world with Veritiv Corporation and had a taste of the government realm with an internship with the National Bioforensic Analysis Center. Both were valuable experiences, while also being very different experiences. The internship with the National Bioforensic Analysis Center was thanks to Dr. Ruth Lamprecht and Professor Scott Weiss, which shows how supportive the Mount’s professors are and how they always want to help you succeed in your career. I am very excited for my upcoming internship with Cencora, getting back into the cybersecurity field. Overall, while I do not know how my future will play out step-by-step, I am excited to see where this field takes me!
Inspiration: I was first exposed to all the possibilities of computer science in the sixth grade. It was during the new technology class my middle school implemented to prepare students for high school. In this class, students learned the basics of utilizing email services and how to use the Internet. One day, we did something different. We dragged blocks of code to create our own mini program to move a robot. I was amazed by how something on the computer could impact something in the physical world. It was my first experience with all the possible implementations that computer science has. After that, I decided to learn everything I could about the field and continued to grow my passion for it in high school, leading me to pursue it as a future career.
Liberal Arts: Being an RA at the Mount has shaped a new perspective on how I view the Mount’s community. Everyone is connected in some way and always willing to help each other. The liberal arts classes also bring a different view in how I look at my majors. Computer science and cybersecurity are great fields and extremely interesting, limitless in possibilities. However, they come with ethical considerations as well, especially with growing concerns about current technological advancements and their impact on the community, environment, and job market. The Mount’s theology and philosophy classes give a great perspective to these debates, providing insight on the well-being of the common good and consideration to ethics and morality that can be applied to any field.
Major: Math
Minors: Data Science, Spanish and Accounting
High School: Francis Scott Key High School in Carroll County, Maryland
Why the Mount?: Lots of factors: the ideologies, the beautiful campus. The programs in both accounting and mathematics were outstanding. After coming here, I can attest that the professors are good. I also wanted that close-knit community that’s near home.
Mentor: Dr. Jonelle Hook has had the biggest influence on me so far. She was the first math professor I had. She encouraged me to major in mathematics.
Experience: My high school was on the smaller side. There were only a few AP math classes offered, but I was one of the few students who chose to take these higher-level math courses. Coming to the Mount, the level of teaching in the math courses has just been a lot better, and now I can see myself doing math.
Community: It’s been a great experience so far. I commute, so it’s nice to be close enough that I can go home, but I’m also on campus a lot—so I’ve been able to be involved with the local community.
Vocation: I’ve always loved the Mount’s mission statement “to graduate ethical leaders to lead lives of significance in service to God and others.” I take that to heart. I’ve always been good at math and never really wanted to accept it, wanting to do something else. But obviously it caught up with me. I’d like to maybe try the field of forensic accounting or close to that so I can have more of an impact right in the community, solving crimes but also helping to promote financial security in a way that touches everybody’s lives. Math can be applied to that. While it might seem abstract, there are plenty of real-world applications.
Engagement: One of the things that drew me to the Mount was the club soccer team so that I could still play soccer but not quite at the level of DI. I am currently the vice president of that which has helped me build some leadership skills and learn to manage a team. Dr. Hook also encouraged me to lead the Association of Women in Math. We also partner with the Mathematical Association of America at the Mount. I’ve been the president of that for two years. It’s been fun getting to organize those events and have guest speakers come and encourage math students to get involved with STEM more. We went to Mother Seton School in Emmitsburg and helped the students there with math activities. It’s wonderful to encourage kids when they’re young and show them that math is fun and can be approachable. I’m currently a student instructor for the math department so I also help with a couple of classes.
Liberal Arts: With data science, I always see that as a helpful tool to understand the coding or programming side or to take large data sets because that’s a lot of forensic accounting to analyze all those statements. I’m working on a project with Dr. Nadun Kulasekera Mudiyanselage. We’re trying to build a machine learning model using data science where we can detect fraud in financial statements. It’s been helpful learning how to clean the data sets and just analyze the variables. With Spanish, I think it’s helpful to be bi-lingual. I’ve been interested in pursuing forensic accounting possibly with a job in the federal government. Spanish is a useful tool. It doesn’t apply directly to math but helps you reach out to more people and understand and speak another language.
Thanks: It’s an honor to be considered for this award. I wasn’t planning to go the math route, but I really have taken to STEM. It’s a prestigious award and I’m thankful for it.