Always Learning

Meet the Pearson Student Advisory Board

We're proud to introduce you to the remarkable students that have been chosen to serve on this year's Pearson Student Advisory Board. Collectively, they represent a diverse pool of bright, rising stars with a deep desire to make a difference. Individually, each Board member brings a unique perspective to help us better understand students' educational needs. Read about their inspiring backgrounds and learn their motivation for getting involved with the PSAB.

2011-2012 Members of the Pearson Student Advisory Board

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Patrick BelliveauPatrick Belliveau
Sheridan College • Brampton, ON, CanadaBusiness | Junior
Patrick was taught the value of hard work at an early age; he started working at 14 years old and has been working ever since. Moving cities pushed Patrick to be outgoing and to continually network in search of new opportunities. Currently, he works as a Pearson Campus Ambassador in Canada and takes great pride in helping others better understand new Pearson online learning programs. During his time as an Ambassador, Patrick successfully managed students' registration and provided ongoing support in the MyLab learning programs by providing interactive presentations and consistent communication to students.
Patrick is a founding member of his community Rotaract club. He arranged the club's inaugural meeting and has been working with other clubs in order to expand community outreach. In his spare time, Patrick enjoys traveling and keeping up to date on new technologies.
Patrick is excited to work with the Pearson Student Advisory Board team, and feels privileged to have the opportunity to collaborate with other motivated students.
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Margaret GlennonMargaret Glennon
Emmanuel College • Boston, MA, USAHistory, Secondary Education | Junior
Having grown up in a family of educators, Margaret aspires to teach middle school history and would like to travel and study the educational systems of other countries upon graduation.
Margaret previously interned at Plimoth Plantation, a bi-cultural museum dedicated to the lives of the indigenous Wampanoag people and 17th century European settlers. As an intern, she worked closely with the museum's education department to develop public programming as well as design and execute their summer adventure camps. In addition to her studies, Margaret participates in many activities both on and off campus. She is an avid animal lover and Red Sox fan.
Margaret is eager to take advantage of all that the Pearson Student Advisory Board has to offer. In particular, she is looking forward to exploring another facet of the educational world — making learning accessible for everyone.
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Zach GonzalesZach Gonzales
University of Denver • Denver, CO, USAEconomics, Mathematics | Junior
Zach constantly strives towards self-betterment in every area of his life. Scholastically, he is a proud member of the University of Denver's Honors Program. Outside of the classroom, Zach thrives in leadership roles. As president of the university's Cooking Club, Zach organized a fundraising dinner that brought in $2,500 for the Japanese Disaster Relief Effort. He is an active member of the Mock Trial team where he helps push himself and his team towards competitive success.
Zach has been significantly shaped by his work experiences. Working in several restaurants has given Zach a results-oriented perspective and the ability to thrive under pressure. After receiving the prestigious Boettcher Foundation Scholarship, Zach served as the foundation's social media intern. He attributes much of his success to his experiences growing up, working with his father in construction sites, which embedded a "get things done" mentality.
In his free time, Zach enjoys cooking, reading, exercising, and other outdoor activities. He especially enjoys training for endurance sports and hopes to run a marathon and triathlon within the next year.
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Jeanelle HopeJeanelle Hope
California State University, Long Beach, USA(current) • Long Beach, CAHistory, Africana Studies | SeniorContra Costa College (past) • San Pablo, CA, USA
Living each day by the African proverb, "Each one, teach one," Jeanelle has fostered a passion for her own learning, educating others, and serving her community. She aspires to be an educator and ultimately a chancellor. She has a goal to inspire and enlighten students and adults in underrepresented communities about the value of education.
Jeanelle completed high school and community college simultaneously, earning two associate of arts degrees. Currently, she is completing her final year at California State University, Long Beach where she excels academically, serves as Vice President of the History Students Association, and is an active member of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honors society.
For the past three summers, Jeanelle has taught second through seventh grade students at two highly-regarded summer programs in the San Francisco Bay Area in addition to working at her campus bookstore. Traveling, researching, and serving her community through "green" sustainable efforts and education are just a few of her activities.
Jeanelle is elated to be apart of the Pearson Student Advisory Board. As a member, she looks forward to sharing her commitment and enthusiasm for education and student advocacy.
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James HughesJames Hughes
Rhodes State College • Lima, OH, USADigital Media | Sophomore
James was born in Jamestown, New York and grew up in Farmington, Ohio. At fourteen years old, he joined the Boy Scouts of America and earned the Eagle Scout award in just four years. He learned to become a leader and team player through his experiences in Boy Scouts, but mostly attributes his attitude to his parents who established a healthy foundation of good morals and respect for others.
James has held four student worker positions at Rhodes State. As an office assistant, he has created presentations for executive administration meetings and helped prepare numerous campus events. As a peer tutor, he assists students with basic computer skills and writing techniques. He also created a brand new student worker position as a Graphic Designer.
James is President of Student Council where he coordinates quarterly fundraisers and events. Through his presidency, he has been able to hone his natural leadership skills, event coordination, and professional aptitude.
Though he is plenty busy with work, studies, and Student Council James maintains a 3.27 GPA. As a member of the Pearson Student Advisory Board, he plans to help create better futures for students across the nation.
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Yin Yin LuYin Yin Lu
Columbia University • New York, NY, USAEnglish | Senior
Yin is intoxicated by words. She defines herself through her writing, and has always been involved in numerous literary and journalistic activities. She was the Editor-in-Chief of Inside New York 2011, a nationally-distributed guidebook produced every year by a team of New York City college students. She was also Books Editor of Columbia Daily Spectator and serves as an editorial member and Business Manager of The Columbia Review. Outside of school, she is on the editorial board of Cavalier Literary Couture, and has interned at both Columbia University Press and the Book Report Network.
Yin writes primarily for and about other people. Having lived in China, England, and America — and having travelled to over 30 different European cities during her year abroad at Oxford — she has been exposed to many cultures and developed an open mind. Yin thrives on social interaction — meeting people and bringing them together. She loves the art of conversation.
Yin has always wanted to change the world through both spoken and written words. The Pearson Student Advisory Board provides her with this inimitable opportunity, and she intends on seizing it to the fullest extent.
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Paul LyandresPaul Lyandres
University of Pennsylvania • Philadelphia, PA, USAEconomics | Senior
Paul is a talented young leader with a passion for education. He is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is on track to graduate with highest honors. He is active in a variety of community, civic, and professional organizations including Penn Civic Scholars and the Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation.
During his sophomore year in high school, Paul started the College Bound Organization (CBO) which helped hundreds of high school students better understand and prepare for the college application process. CBO held numerous events including SAT Prep courses and gave away thousands of dollars in scholarships. In 2009, Paul founded "strive for," a San Francisco based non-profit organization with the mission of ensuring teenage foster youth have access to high-quality mentorship.
Paul has worked for the Low Income Investment Fund, a community development financial institution where he was responsible for providing financial and analytical support to senior management. Prior to that, he spent four years working as a junior associate at Martin Wolf Securities, a leading information technology investment bank.
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Arshia MalekzadehArshia Malekzadeh
Moorpark College • Moorpark, CA, USAEducational Administration | Sophomore
Arshia is an honors student and Osher Initiative Scholarship recipient at Moorpark College. He excels both academically and in the community-volunteering at his local church, helping restore neighborhoods, and feeding the homeless. When he was a Moorpark College freshman, Arshia served as Director of Student Services on the Associated Students Board of Directors. In this position, he created the college student ID discount list compiled from local community stores, generating over $25,000 in profit that was donated to the college Scholarship Foundation.
Currently, Arshia is the President of Moorpark's Phi Theta Kappa Chapter and the newly elected Ventura County Community College District Trustee — representing the interests of students from three colleges. Arshia also travels to the State Capital to fulfill his duties as a Regional Senator of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), an organization which works closely with the State's Governor and Chancellor's offices to pursue policies that strives to enrich the collegiate experience for the 2.75 million students served. Arshia is the Chair of the Policy Committee within the SSCCC organization and is the Student Representative on the State Academic Senate's Educational Policy Committee.
Arshia is excited to serve as a member of the Pearson Student Advisory Board. With his strong leadership skills and passion for education, he aspires to meet the challenges that students face and implement new ideas and projects to enhance the collegiate experience for students from all backgrounds.
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Mark NothMark Noth
Arcadia University • Glenside, PA, USAInternational Business | Senior
Mark lives by the Gandhi motif: "Be the change you want to see in the world," and strives to make improbable aspirations into tangible realities with zeal and creativity. He is a member of Arcadia University's honors program with a major in international business. Mark has also been afforded the opportunity to study economics at City University in London, England and international marketing at Bond University in Queensland, Australia.
Mark is the Vice President of his class at Arcadia and President of Arcadia's Student Government Organization. Mark considers his area of expertise in the business department where he leads Arcadia's Society for the Advancement of Business Association (SABA) as President. Through SABA, he launched "Dress for Success," an annual fashion show that details proper business attire sponsored by Banana Republic, Starbucks, Hershey, and MAC.
In his first year at Arcadia, Mark attended the Clinton Global Initiative University in Austin, Texas and developed Monies for Medicines, a program that fundraises to purchase pharmaceuticals for women and children in impoverished Zambia. Mark's enthusiasm for the global and domestic community is rounded out by his summer volunteer work at St. David's Hospital.
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Jennifer NurseJennifer Nurse
Brock University • Saint Catharines, ON, CanadaPhysical Education (Honours), Education | Junior
Jennifer is passionate about the education and health of future generations and dedicated to volunteering in child-centered programs and school initiatives. She is currently volunteering at local schools and at the Children's Movement Program, a physical activity initiative for young children. Within her community, Jennifer created a 'smoke-free playing fields' campaign that was successfully created into a by-law to protect children from secondhand smoke while physically active.
At Brock University, Jennifer is committed to her courses, campus, and the surrounding community. She is a recipient of the Deans Honour Role and Brock Leaders Award and teaches leadership courses through the Foundations in Leadership Practicum Series. She is also an active member of the Brock Leaders Citizenship Society and creates large community events to unify the Niagara Community. The Society recently held a ball hockey tournament which raised over C$5,000 for the Niagara Alzheimer's Society.
Jennifer is thrilled to be apart of the Pearson Student Advisory Board and hopes to contribute her passion for education, knowledge of school curriculum, and leadership experience to the success of the team.
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Casey RandazzoCasey Randazzo
Cornell University (current) • Ithaca, NY, USAPolitical Communications, Public Administration | JuniorRaritan Valley Community College (past) • Branchburg, NJ, USA
Casey is a driven young woman ready to take on the world with passion. In 2011, she was named to the prestigious Phi Theta Kappa All State Academic Team, an award that was only given to 36 students out of the 400,000 community college students in the state of New Jersey.
In addition to her involvement with Phi Theta Kappa, Casey served as the Vice President of Student Government. She was awarded Vice President of the Year for extraordinary contributions to her college campus. Casey also served as the Vice President of Citizenship for the American Student Association of Community Colleges, where she helped organize two service projects for the organization in New Orleans and Washington D.C.
Casey has always been involved with community service as a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of America and a Gold Award recipient. She promotes women empowerment as part of her Miss Raritan International 2011 platform, and plans to compete in the Miss New Jersey International pageant next year.
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Jeanne WigantJeanne Wigant
University of Minnesota, College of Biological Sciences (current) • Minneapolis, MN, USAGenetics, Cell Biology and Development | SeniorAnoka-Ramsey Community College (past) • Cambridge, MN, USA
Jeanne spent over ten years in corporate management, leading what many would consider to be a highly successful life. In 2009, however, she realized that true success, would require a substantial change of direction. With the support of her husband, she resigned her "comfy" corporate position and enrolled at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. It did not take long for those at the college to identify Jeanne as a passionate leader and mentor. She committed herself to the success of other students both in and out of the classroom, and though she tends to focus on achievements of others, her own personal success has been recognized by many.
Jeanne is a member of the 2011 All-Minnesota Academic Team, was named the 2010-2011 Outstanding Biology Student of the Year, and was chosen by the college faculty as 2010-2011 Student of the Year.
In addition to eagerly pursuing her goal of becoming a physician, Jeanne volunteers at a number of places, including Bridgebuilders for Kids mentoring a pair of twelve-year-old twin girls, Feed My Starving Children, Meals on Wheels, and Horizons Community Church.
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