Alumni Profiles

Gina Laura Gullo (Ciani), has been interested in education and the sciences since her youth in Northern New Jersey when she started babysitting, tutoring, and teaching at a preschool during summers.  In 2005 she received her B.A. in Biopsychology with a minor in Deaf Education from the College of New Jersey.  After graduation she complete some Master's level work at Rutger's University- New Brunswick in Behavioral Neuroscience and then moved onto work in the Pharmaceutical Industry.  After re-igniting her passion for education by heading up the "Bring Your Child to Work Day" educational program at the company, she returned to school to pursue her Master's degree in Special Education with certifications in special and elementary education at Lehigh University that she expects to earn in May 2014.  

While at Lehigh, Gina became involved in the community and culture of the school through participation in leadership programs such as the Graduate Student Senate, where she held the office of Communications Officer in the 2012-2013 academic year, and service programs such as V-Day Lehigh where she helped spread knowledge and raise funds for individuals and families surviving domestic abuse locally and around the world.  She also has been involved in research opportunities through the university working with the Center for Adolescence Research in Schools (CARS) program and RAMP-UP reading intervention programs.  Meanwhile, she works as a research assistant in Educational Leadership and is awaiting publication of a co-authored book chapter later this year.  Gina will be beginning the Educational Leadership doctoral program in Summer 2014 and hopes to work in a local school while pursuing her degree. 

Andrew Makhoul, a native of Allentown, PA, learned the value of a high quality education at an early age from his parents, who sacrificed much for him and his brothers.  In 2003, he earned his B.A. in Telecommunications from Penn State University, where he gained vast experience in the field of television production.  During his senior year and upon graduation, he worked for Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics and ESPN Productions before returning to the Lehigh Valley.  His journey towards a career in education began when he worked for a time as a certified nurse aide at an acute care hospital in Bethlehem, PA.  There, Andrew realized his passion for teaching while working with patients who had to relearn how to perform activities of daily living as they recovered from a variety of serious ailments.  This led him to Lehigh University.

While at Lehigh, he worked in field-based programs of the College of Education under the leadership of Dr. Linda Bambara.  There, he supported adults and transition-aged youths with intellectual disabilities and Autism to find meaningful employment within the community.  Currently, he is a supervisor at a human service organization for adults with intellectual disabilities, where he has brought research to practice by taking the teachings of Lehigh University’s College of Education with him.