When Dawn Penson ’22 and Kathryn LaPaglia ’23 arrived at Le Moyne as transfer students, they knew that they wanted to become part of the campus community, to excel academically, and to lay the path for their professional success. It is safe to say that they realized all of these goals. Both took on leadership roles in the College’s chapter of Tau Sigma (the National Honor Society for Transfer Students) and flourished in their classes. Today Penson, a sociology major, looks forward to building a career in the field of disability advocacy, while LaPaglia, an accounting major, is eager to earn her licensure as a certified public accountant. There is something else that they share. Each received Tau Sigma’s highest scholarship – Penson for the 2022-23 academic year and LaPaglia for the 2021-22 academic year. It is a tremendous honor, particularly considering that, with a student population of approximately 3,600, Le Moyne competes for these resources against much larger colleges and universities. They competed against more than 200 other chapters and won the top award based on their involvement in the chapter, the campus and Syracuse community. It is also noteworthy that, during the 2020-21 academic year, Le Moyne alumna Grace Bang ’21 received Tau Sigma’s third-largest scholarship. Scholarships are awarded based on their involvement in the chapter, involvement on campus, involvement in the Syracuse community and their academic achievements.
Meet Dawn Penson ’22
Dawn Penson ’22 believes strongly that great strides have been made in the field of disability advocacy. However, she is equally certain that a lot of work remains to be done, and she is eager to be part of those efforts. Penson, who earned a degree in sociology from Le Moyne, is blind and lost 65 percent of her hearing. She knows firsthand how critical it is to provide people with disabilities with the tools and support necessary to live lives on their choosing. To that end, she is a staunch advocate for active listening, promoting accessibility, and celebrating and supporting self-advocacy.
A nontraditional student, Penson began her education at Le Moyne at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Much of her first semester was entirely online. That meant working closely with offices across campus, including the Registrar, Disability Support Services and IT, to make sure that she had the tools necessary to complete her coursework. What’s more, she had to balance her classes with her responsibilities as a mother, as her youngest son was completing his own schoolwork remotely from home. Being remote also meant that she did not yet have the opportunity to meet many of her classmates in person. Penson was grateful when the time came to return to campus and immerse herself in in-person learning. That meant, among others things, establishing a specific path around campus that soon grew comfortable to her. She recalls the distinct change in sound she would notice when she walked out of Reilly Hall and into Grewen, or from the original portion of the Coyne Science Center into the new addition.
As her time on campus progressed, Penson became increasingly involved in Tau Sigma. She served as the organization’s co-president from the time she joined the honor society in the spring of 2021 until her graduation in December of 2022.The experience provided her with the opportunity to immerse herself in the Le Moyne community, grow as a leader, and help raise awareness about disability culture. The majority of the work she did on campus was centered on accessibility, which she said was a “team effort.” She reflected on that in the essay she wrote as part of her application for the Tau Sigma scholarship. Penson wrote in part, “I work alongside Information Technology, Disability Support Services and professors implementing disability initiatives campus-wide, so all persons have full participation and equal access to academic success. When I arrived at LMC in Fall 2020, disability culture and web accessibility needed improvements … We have made a difference regarding the narrative surrounding disability culture so more people feel included.”
Penson recalled that when she first learned that she won Tau Sigma’s highest honor from Student Success Coach and Transfer Student Coordinator Karen Ortega, she was “absolutely speechless.” It was an affirmation of her own incredibly hard work and of the strength of the community she had built here. As she looks to the future, she is eager to continue her education and then to building a career in disability advocacy and perhaps teaching at the college level. In the meantime, her advice for future transfer students is simple: advocate for yourself, embrace every opportunity, and get to know your professors and classmates.
“The end of the road as there,” she said. “You will walk across the graduation stage.”
In addition to work with Tau Sigma, Penson remained deeply committed to many of the causes that have long been important to her, serving on the boards of state chapter of the National Federation of the Blind as well as ARISE, a nonresidential independent living center, and VERA House, which supports survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse. She continued to excel academically, being named to Alpha Kappa Delta (The National Honor Society for Sociology) and earning the Rev. Donald Zewe Social Justice Award.
Meet Kathryn LaPaglia ’23
Kathryn LaPaglia ’23 was drawn to Le Moyne because of its Jesuit values, great reputation and nationally ranked accounting program. LaPaglia was interested in following in the footsteps of her father, James, and becoming a certified public accountant. She found that she truly enjoys the work and that the job suits her well. She also knows that, even if she doesn’t choose to stick with public accounting for the entirety of her career, her expertise in the field will provide her with future opportunities that she would not otherwise have. What’s more, she’s already shown tremendous affinity for the field.
A native of Utica, N.Y., LaPaglia earned the Robert J. Dermody Medal in Junior Accounting. She served as a team leader for the Dolphin Green and Gold Fund, the 46th-largest student-managed fund in the United States, and as member of the Madden Accounting Student Advisory Board, helping to plan on-campus accounting networking events for students and representatives of public firms. She has completed internships with Bowers and Co. CPAs and Fust Charles Chambers LLC. In addition, she currently works as a tutor for Introductory Accounting I and II.
LaPaglia is passionate about her field of study, but she is also committed to having as well rounded Le Moyne experience as possible. She became involved in Tau Sigma at the earliest opportunity – during her second semester at Le Moyne. It seemed to her to be an ideal way to form connections with other transfer students. She grew more and more involved in the organization, transitioning from member to vice president, to co-president and her current role as president.
“Being awarded this scholarship [from Tau Sigma] was an unexpected and overwhelming experience,” she said. “I will never forget the call I received from our chapter advisor, Karen Ortega, who gave me the good news. The past several years of my life have been challenging in various ways, so being acknowledged on such a level has made both my drawbacks and strides well worth it.”
As LaPaglia reflects upon her Le Moyne experience, she credits the challenges presented in her coursework, extracurricular activities and internships with instilling in her more confidence in her abilities, and making her a more disciplined and persistent student. It also helped her think about what she wants out of life. Personally, she says, that means being happy, healthy and having a solid support system. Professionally it means setting goals for herself and working hard to achieve them. She acknowledges that having the right balance of both can be challenging, but she is eager to find a way to strike it. After earning her bachelor’s degree in May, she will begin preparing for the CPA exam. She hopes to begin working for a firm by the spring of 2024.
“I think the most important thing I’ve learned as a transfer student is to take every opportunity presented to you even if you are hesitant,” she said. “Getting involved on campus and doing things out of your comfort zone introduces you to people with similar interests that will eventually become family.”
Dawn Penson ’22 (left) and Kathryn LaPaglia (right)