Four Indiana University of Pennsylvania students in the Cook Honors College from the Department of School Psychology, Special Education, and Sociology and the Department of Finance and Economics have been selected from a pool of exemplary nominees to be the fourth cohort of the IUP Justice Research Fellows at the Administration and Leadership Studies Research and Training Center.
Students selected for this fourth cohort are Lauren Connor, a sociology and Spanish dual major from Johnstown; Reia Sanchez, a sociology and Spanish dual major from Northampton; Kelly Szolek, an economics major from Youngstown, Ohio; and Jackson White, a political science major with economics honors concentration from Uniontown.
Lauren Connor
Reia Sanchez
Kelly Szolek
Jackson White
To qualify for consideration for selection, students must have junior or senior standing and must be nominated by department faculty and recognized for their superlative academic talent.
This year, the nomination process was opened to students in any major who completed the IUP Undergraduate Summer Opportunities for Applying Research (U-SOAR) program, as well as those students from the Department of School Psychology, Special Education, and Sociology and the Department of Finance and Economics.
The Justice Research Fellowship allows the students to participate in “real-life” practical mini-research projects with IUP faculty during the winter and spring 2026 semesters. They will be immersed in activities of IUP Administration and Leadership Studies Research and Training Center faculty currently positioned at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in Harrisburg. Justice Research Fellows will also travel to attend training and experiential learning opportunities.
The Justice Research Fellowship program is supported through the Departments of School Psychology, Special Education, and Sociology (College of Education and Human Services) and the Department of Finance and Economics (Eberly College of Business).
IUP Administration and Leadership Studies Research and Training Center Director Christian Vaccaro said that the experience will have multiple beneficiaries.
“We are so excited to be in our fourth year of providing this undergraduate research experience to serve the public good,” he said. “This year, we had a very impressive list of nominees selected for the interviews, which allowed us to scale the program to include four fellows. We are excited to grow this program with the help of our partners at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.”
“It was immediately apparent why each of our Justice Research Fellow candidates received faculty nominations: every student displayed an eagerness to learn about the justice system and an interest in applying their skills to conduct an applied research project which has, in past years of the program, informed the programmatic decision making of key state and local justice leaders,” IUP Associate Professor and Chief Research Strategist at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency Robert Orth said.
Vaccaro and Orth also recognized outstanding nominees for the Justice Research Fellowship, which included Noah Grattan, a computer science major; Liv Held, a sociology and human services major; and Saniya Metcalf-Harris, a marketing major.
In future semesters, the Administration and Leadership Studies Research and Training Center hopes to extend opportunities for participation through a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates grant.
“We want to ensure that more of our talented IUP students can take advantage of such a meaningful, transformative experience, which broadly sets an early pathway towards pursuing a career in public service and social science research,” Orth said.
Connor, daughter of Tara and Erik Connor, is a 2023 graduate of Westmont Hilltop High School. She is a Sutton Scholarship recipient, a member of the IUP Marching Band, the Paranormal Society of IUP, and the IUP Sailing Club, and was an exchange student through the IUP and Valladolid exchange program.
Sanchez, daughter of Jamie and Brett Snellman, is a 2022 graduate of Northampton Area High School. She is a dean’s list student and provost scholar, Promising Scholar, received the IUP Sutton Scholarship, and was selected for membership in Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society. She is on the ministry team of the Reformed University Fellowship, is an IUP Crimson Tour Guide, and was an exchange student through the IUP and Valladolid exchange program.
Szolek, daughter of Dan Szolek and Jennifer Szolek, is a 2023 graduate of South Range High School. She is the recipient of the Sutton Scholarship, is in the Eberly College of Business honors program, is secretary of the Economics Club, and is a member of the varsity softball team.
White, son of Sammi and Daniel White, is a 2023 graduate of Uniontown Area High School. He is the student trustee on the IUP Council of Trustees, is vice president of the IUP Ambassadors student-alumni group, is a member of the Pre-Law Society and the Economics Club, is the student member on the Parking Authority Review Board, is a Welcome Week head leader, and is a tutor at the IUP Tutoring Center. As a student trustee, he is the liaison for the Student Government Association, the Co-Op Board of Directors, and the Foundation for IUP.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.