A Word from the President - Villanova University

intellectual energy to which a liberal arts
student should aspire.”
Alisha has spent the past three summers
working in legal settings. After her
sophomore year, she interned in the Office
of Attorney Ethics in New Jersey. “That
internship got me interested in making
the world easier for people with disabilities,”
she said.
Last summer, she worked for U.S.
Assistant Attorney Tim Rice. “We had a
case in which a lot of voting places were
not accessible to people with disabilities,”
she said.
At the same time, Alisha is not always
serious. She enjoys fashion, visiting Disney
World (“My grandparents live near
Orlando, and I’ve been there 15 times!”
she laughed) and volunteering at the Ronald
McDonald House, where she read to
and played with children.
Alisha chose Villanova because she felt
it was one of the strongest liberal arts colleges
close to her home. “My mom was
nervous about me coming here, because I
would be completely on my own,” she
recalled. “But I wanted the adventure.”
When Alisha arrived at Villanova, it
soon became clear to McWilliams that he
would not often be hearing from her.
“Alisha is an exceptionally strong and
independent person, and her attitude was,
‘Don’t call me, I’ll call you,’” he recalled.
Alisha Welch says her Villanova friends will remain an important part of her life as she enters
law school with a scholarship this fall.
When she did need to make a call—
for example, after heavy snowfalls left her
car inaccessible—Alisha was heartened by
the caring of the Villanova staff. “Steve
McWilliams was great. Kevin O’Donnell,
the snow plow guy, gave me his cell phone
number. Rich McKay from Facilities Management
always fixed stuff for me. They
were really nice.”
Alisha pledged Alpha Delta Pi sorority
at the end of her freshman year, and
enjoyed the camaraderie it offered. She
enjoyed the sorority’s movie nights, its
regular “Grey’s Anatomy” watching party
and the formals she attended. “It meant
shopping for a lot of cocktail dresses,”
Alisha smiled.
While shopping in Philadelphia with
her sorority sisters, Alisha was dismayed
to realize that some of her favorite stores
were not accessible. “There’s no excuse
for that,” she said.
Alisha spent the summer of 2007 prepping
for LSATs, and was rewarded with
acceptances from four different law schools.
“I was here at Villanova for sorority
recruitment, and my wheelchair broke. My
mom drove to campus with my spare
wheelchair — waving the Temple acceptance
letter in her hand!” she recalled,
smiling. “They gave me a $15,000 scholarship
for each year.”
Alisha is excited about a new environment
at Temple. She credits her family—
parents Jim and Maureen, twin brother
Michael and older sister Meghan—for
their ongoing support.
As she leaves Villanova she feels proud
and excited about her future. “I feel like I
had to prove I could do it — that people
with disabilities could do it,” she said.
We knew them when
Carl and Alisha’s professors feel confident
that they will continue to succeed in the
next stage of their lives.
“I am certain Alisha will perform admirably
in law school,” said history professor
Dr. Wayne Huss. “She will become an attorney
well-known not only for her intellectual
and legal competence, but also for her
genuine caring and compassion for others.”
“Carl is an individual of multi-faceted
abilities,” said Dr. Fitzpatrick. “I have
the greatest expectations that he will be
a real success for himself and a real credit
to Villanova.”
Highly motivated and exceptionally
gifted, Carl Riccio and Alisha Welch seem
destined to do great things, and their
achievements will continue to be a source of
pride to the entire Villanova community.
Summer 2008