Elena Marie Habersky of Dallas Graduates from Honors Program

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Standing, from left, are Joseph E. Kraus, Ph.D., director of the Honors Program and associate professor of English and theatre, and Habersky.

SCRANTON, PA (07/12/2013)(readMedia)-- Elena Marie Habersky of Dallas was among just 25 members of The University of Scranton's Class of 2013 to graduate from the Jesuit university's Honors Program. Habersky also participated in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, placing her among the select few students able to graduate from two honors programs. She received a bachelor of science, magna cum laude, in international studies, with minors in philosophy, Arabic and theology, and a concentration in peace and justice studies. She received the Excellence in International Studies Award at graduation.

Habersky's research project, "The Fate of Egypt's Coptic Christians as a Result of the Arab Spring," examined the security and freedom of Egypt's Christian minority following the fall of President Mubarak. She was mentored by William J. Parente, Ph.D., a professor of political science at the Jesuit university.

Habersky was among the five members of the University's Class of 2013 selected for Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards. She earned a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Jordan.

Habersky is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta (the national honor society for first-year students), Alpha Mu Gamma (the national honor society for foreign languages), Phi Alpha Theta (the national honor society for history), Theta Alpha Kappa (the national honor society for religious studies and theology) and Alpha Sigma Nu (the honor society for Jesuit universities and colleges). She was a named to "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges."

Habersky was a member of the Justice Club, United Students for Fair Trade, the Royal Historical Society, Scranton Emerging Leaders I & II, and a Staff Writer for the student newspaper, the Aquinas. Habersky studied abroad in Ecuador, Jordan and Egypt where she taught English and had a summer internship at Better World, NGO. She was awarded the Provost Grant to study Christianity in Uganda and the Magis and World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain.

Habersky is a graduate of Dallas High School.

Standing, from left, are Joseph E. Kraus, Ph.D., director of the Honors Program and associate professor of English and theatre, and Habersky.