{"id":1483,"date":"2025-12-02T13:15:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T18:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/?p=1483"},"modified":"2025-12-03T00:34:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T05:34:12","slug":"celebrating-graduate-excellence-inside-the-alpha-epsilon-lambda-induction-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/2025\/12\/02\/celebrating-graduate-excellence-inside-the-alpha-epsilon-lambda-induction-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Graduate Excellence: Inside the Alpha Epsilon Lambda Induction Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On Thursday, November 20, The Graduate School proudly welcomed its newest inductees into Alpha Epsilon Lambda (AEL)<\/strong>, the national honor society recognizing the top graduate and professional students across the country. Membership reflects extraordinary academic excellence, leadership, and service within one\u2019s program and community.\n <\/p>\n

\n As faculty, staff, families, and fellow students filled University Hall\u2019s 7th Floor Conference Center, a warm glow from the New York City skyline set the stage for an evening of recognition, pride, and celebration.\n <\/p>\n

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\n \"Inductees
\n Inductees are seated before the ceremony, taking in the excitement of the evening ahead.
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\n \"Friends
\n Family and friends arrive, eager to celebrate the achievements of their loved ones.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n A Night of Recognition and Inspiration
\n <\/h3>\n

\n The ceremony opened with remarks from Dr. Stefanie Brachfeld<\/strong>, Acting Provost, Vice Provost for Research, and Interim Dean of The Graduate School. She commended inductees for their resilience and dedication, noting that graduate education demands not only intellectual strength but leadership and service to community.\n <\/p>\n

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\n \"Dr.
\n Dr. Stefanie Brachfeld delivers opening remarks, setting an inspiring tone for the evening.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n Faculty and Mentors at the Heart of the Celebration
\n <\/h3>\n

\n Faculty members from across Montclair\u2019s colleges and schools were recognized for their mentorship and contributions to the graduate community. Their presence highlighted the partnerships, encouragement, and scholarship that make student success possible.\n <\/p>\n

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\n \"Faculty
\n Faculty guests, including leaders like Associate Dean Dana Levitt, stand to be recognized for their impact on graduate education.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n Honoring the Chapter\u2019s Legacy
\n <\/h3>\n

\n Deborah Reynoso<\/strong>, Director of Student Academic Services, reflected on the history of AEL\u2019s Alpha Kappa Chapter and its ongoing mission to elevate graduate achievement and leadership at Montclair.\n <\/p>\n

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\n \"Deborah
\n Deborah Reynoso shares the chapter\u2019s origins and its commitment to graduate excellence.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n Student Leadership in Action
\n <\/h3>\n

\n AEL President Dina Marie Leotsakas<\/strong> encouraged inductees to continue serving as leaders within their programs and communities. Her remarks emphasized that graduate education is not only about mastery of knowledge, but about elevating those around you.\n <\/p>\n

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\n \"AEL
\n AEL President Dina Leotsakas addresses new inductees, highlighting the power of leadership and service.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n Honoring Excellence, Leadership, and Service
\n <\/h3>\n

\n One by one, inductees were welcomed to the stage to receive their certificates, honor cords, and society pins. Each recognition marked years of scholarship, research, creative work, teaching, and service.\n <\/p>\n

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\n \"Inductee
\n Inductees receive their honor cords from Dr. Brachfeld during the ceremony.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n \"Audience
\n The audience erupts in applause as fellow inductees walk across the stage.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n The People Behind the Achievement: Family & Friends
\n <\/h3>\n

\n Graduate education rarely happens alone. Throughout the evening, family members, partners, and close friends filled the room with warmth and pride \u2014 a reminder that behind every inductee stands a support system cheering them on.\n <\/p>\n

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\n \"Families
\n Proud families capture memories to celebrate their graduates\u2019 accomplishments.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n \"Inductee
\nSmiles all around as family joins in the celebration. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n \"Inductee
\n Many inductees celebrated the milestone with family, including students like Anthony Palmisano \u2014 whose mother is also an AEL member.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n A Community of Scholars
\n <\/h3>\n

\n During the reception, new inductees connected with peers and faculty from across disciplines. Conversations, photos, and laughter filled the room as students celebrated one another\u2019s achievements and reflected on the work that brought them here.\n <\/p>\n

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\n \"Inductees
\n Inductees reconnected with classmates during the reception to celebrate this shared milestone.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

\n \"Students
\n Joy and camaraderie filled the room as students reflected on their journey to induction.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\n \"Event
\n Event organizers \u2014 Victoria Speiser, Deborah Reynoso, and Dr. Stefanie Brachfeld \u2014 pause for a celebratory moment on stage.
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Interested in Joining AEL?
\n <\/h3>\n

\n If you’re inspired by the scholars featured here, you may be eligible to pursue membership in the future. Learn more about AEL membership criteria.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/section>\n

View more photos from the evening <\/a> <\/p>\n

Follow us for more graduate news <\/a> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Thursday, November 20, The Graduate School proudly welcomed its newest inductees into Alpha Epsilon Lambda (AEL), the national honor society recognizing the top graduate and professional students across the country. Membership reflects extraordinary academic excellence, leadership, and service within one\u2019s program and community. As faculty, staff, families, and fellow students filled University Hall\u2019s 7th […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":463,"featured_media":1519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-graduate-school-news","category-photo-essays"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/463"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1483"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1518,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1483\/revisions\/1518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/graduate-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}