Rutherford, NJ – July 9, 2019

Felician University School of Education graduate student Natalie Brunetti received a statewide award for her student teaching. Brunetti, a resident of Hasbrouck Heights, was selected for a 2019 New Jersey Distinguished Clinical Intern Award from the state Department of Education and was honored at a ceremony at Monmouth University on June 12, 2019.

Out of the near 3,000 New Jersey students preparing for teacher licensure, she and two other Felician students, Stephanie Baumgarten of Wantage and Caitlin Lorfink of Hasbrouck Heights were nominated for this award for their outstanding teaching.

Since 1985, New Jersey’s colleges and universities have been invited to submit the dossiers of their three most outstanding prospective teachers for recognition for this award. This Award is co-sponsored annually by the NJDOE (New Jersey Department of Education) and NJACTE (New Jersey’s Association of Colleges for Teacher Education).

The top 60 clinical interns each year are recognized at the NJ Distinguished Clinical Intern Awards (DCIA) Ceremony. An independent panel of esteemed New Jersey educators evaluates these dossiers to select recipients recognized with Distinction.

Dr. Stephanie McGowan, Ed.D., Dean of the School of Education, said, “The School of Education is proud to have the outstanding achievement of Natalie Brunetti be recognized as one of the top 15 clinical interns out of thousands prepared in New Jersey this year. True to our mission, the Felician School of Education is preparing dynamic educators who are dual-licensed in regular and special education, and are prepared to serve ALL children with ALL abilities!”
About Felician University

Felician University engages over 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult students through programs in arts & sciences, business, nursing, and education. Universal Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Felician University’s education is ranked 3rd best return on investment for private colleges in New Jersey 2018 by the PayScale.com College ROI Report and is ranked #1 safest college campus in the state by niche.com.