
Dr. Matt Fotis is the ultimate super-hyphenate: husband, father, professor, award-winning playwright, author and improv impresario who shines on stage despite being a self-described introvert.
Though he enrolled in Monmouth College with plans to become a high school history teacher, he was drawn to theater after playing the “guy in the wheelchair with one leg” in his brother’s best friend’s class project. The experience led Fotis to audition for one of the college’s improv groups, and that’s where he found his voice, he says.
“I’m unbelievably introverted, but I feel safe in improv,” says Fotis, who grew up as a sports kid in the Chicago suburbs. “The best is when your partner can tell where you’re going, and you’re just setting each other up along the way.”
Fotis has studied improv at iO Chicago, whose alums include Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert and Amy Poehler, and he was awarded the 2010-2011 Mark Twain Prize in comedic writing. In addition, two of his plays were national finalists at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Washington, D.C. He is the only playwright to have three plays represented at the national festival in one year since the Kennedy Center was founded in 1971.
Fotis earned a master’s degree in theater at Illinois State and a Ph.D. at the University of Missouri, where he learned how to mix his passions, he says. “I taught classes in improvisation, and I loved it,” says Fotis, who also joined MU Improv, a campus group that skyrocketed in popularity under his leadership.
“I loved the writing process. I loved teaching.”
At Albright, he advises the college’s improv groups and coordinates the Improv Festival. “I’m glad improv is garnering recognition,” says Fotis, who strives to be truthful and authentic in his teaching and writing. “I’m still growing as an artist, and I like that I get to do that at Albright. I’m glad I get to work closely with students and see them grow.”
Off the stage, Fotis loves spending time with his three kids, ages 3, 4 and 6, and his wife, Jeanette, an actress who owns Knits & Giggles and teaches at the Yocum Institute For Arts Education. On this afternoon, Fotis is heading home to be with his family – and add another hyphenate to his description: handyman.
“I’m going to install floor molding,” he says, wryly. “Very cool, right?”

Cara Cotellese, assistant professor of Electronic Media at Kutztown University, laughs if she hears her students complain about carrying equipment. She reminds them of the good old days when she had to lug a big, bulky video camera and several large cassette tapes to cover events.
“Even then it was exciting, but I do give the ‘when I was your age…’ speech often,” she says.
Cotellese, who grew up in Gilbertsville, just outside of Boyertown, initially dreamed of becoming an art teacher. But as she became more interested in her middle school’s television production club, she felt conflicted.
“I went to my art teacher in ninth grade. She was this really cool teacher with purple and clear glasses, and I told her, ‘I don’t know what to do. I love TV but I love art, too.’ She told me, ‘Cara, television is art. It’s all good.’”
The words calmed Cotellese, who began to embrace TV producing, editing and writing. “The thing that was really cool was when I realized that television was very creative and visual, and that I was creating these stories from these colorful pictures,” she says. “She was the person who helped me to be okay with working in TV.”
Cotellese earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Kutztown University in telecommunications – “Which now means just phones, but it was the TV program back then,” she explains. After graduation, she enjoyed a successful behind-the-scenes career as a freelance corporate videographer and later as a professor at Bucks County Community College for 19 years.
Seven years ago, she returned to Kutztown University and moved to Topton. She has three children — a 23-year-old son and twin 21-year-old daughters, — and a 9-year-old Labradoodle, Micah. She is working on her Ph.D. dissertation at Lehigh University, and in her free time, she enjoys gardening, shopping at farmer’s markets, vacationing at the Jersey Shore and cooking Italian meals.
In addition to teaching, she oversees the Electronic Media Department’s internship program and KUTV, the university’s television station. She enjoys sharing her skills and knowledge, such as how to properly produce coverage of a live event and how to shake off a mistake and keep rolling. She says her humor and real-world advice help her connect with the college kids.
“I love my job,” she says. “I’m living the dream.”
“For me,” she adds, “it’s about [students] realizing the capabilities that they have to be able to do whatever it is they want to do. I don’t ever want them to be afraid to try.”

Professor Peter Rampson is a modern-day Renaissance man whose varied interests, high-energy personality and interactive teaching style are earning him an A+ at Alvernia University.
He was recruited to play college football but decided on art school. He played the trumpet in high school and loves exercise, hot yoga, snowboarding and water sports. A chef who loves cooking and grilling, he has participated in ½Iron Man competitions, and he’s still an active artist, illustrator and woodworker who’s building an urban garden in his neighborhood.
He’s all about breaking boundaries and leading a purpose-driven life, he says.
“As a GenXer, I should no longer be cool because I’m an old guy and old guys aren’t cool,” says Rampson, an assistant professor of graphic art. “But there is something special about being in the classroom. These students make me feel young. I learn as much from them as they do from me.”
When he was a boy, Rampson dreamed of becoming a plastic surgeon. His grandfather was a doctor, and he liked sculpting, biology and anatomy. But he is a visual learner and had a difficult time studying textbooks, he says, explaining that nowadays he would likely be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At one point, after a teacher recommended he expend some energy before school, he began participating in a two-hour swim team practice at 5am.
His honesty in sharing those stories helps students relate to him, he says, adding that one of his favorite life mottos is, “Failure isn’t getting knocked down. It’s not getting up again.”
Rampson, originally from Milwaukee, Wis., earned his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at Rhode Island School of Design and his master’s degree from North Carolina State University. He discovered a love of teaching in college after a professor allowed him to lead a class, and that love grew in grad school, he says.
“I realized teaching was fun,” he says. “I want to prepare students for the next level.”
At Alvernia, Rampson teaches several courses and oversees the college’s Miller Gallery. He also participates in the college’s intramural sports activities, including the annual Maroon and Gold Game.
Inside Alvernia’s new media center, Rampson, who says he likes the college’s connection to God and faith, sits in his office, showing his digital portfolio on his iPad. Another of his mottos is painted above his desk: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
“I tell students all of the time, ‘Stop and smell the roses. If you don’t like the roses take time to stop and smell something,’” he says. “Enjoy it because responsibilities only get greater and greater, and time only gets quicker and quicker. Enjoy life and what makes it remarkable.”

Every inch of Professor John Lawlor’s office space at Reading Area Community College reveals a slice of his story.
A funny “I Brake for Historical Markers” bumper sticker is adhered to his floor-to-ceiling bookcase, which is jam-packed with history books. He has pictures of the Coliseum and of him meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican in January, as well as photos of his grandchildren, Maverick, Mattias and Josie.
Above his desk is the heartwarming essay he wrote about his father’s service with the 16th Armored Division in Pilzen, Czechoslovakia. Lawlor beams with pride when mentioning how the essay was published after he won a recent “I found it in the National Archives” contest.
A history buff and avid researcher, Lawlor volunteers for the ReSource Room at the Boeing Learning Center at The National Archives in Washington, D.C., once per month during the school year and two times during the summer months. He also takes his students to volunteer at the archives, and he uses the documents he discovers to develop out-of-the-textbook lesson plans and courses, such as the new urban history class he will launch in the fall.
“It’s like the nation’s attic,” he explains. “The National Archives are where we permanently keep important, valuable documents and materials related to the federal government. They’re stored, preserved and made accessible. You never quite know what treasure you’re going to run into.”
Lawlor uses the archives as his personal classroom. It’s the perfect place for a guy who, ever since he was a kid growing up in Reading, has always loved learning, particularly about history, engineering and computers. “I have an inherent curiosity that’s almost insatiable,” he says.
After earning a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in history from Kutztown University, Lawlor worked for Conrail and later as a programmer at AT&T. He started as an adjunct professor at RACC in 1976 and landed a full-time position in 1990 with the Social Science/Human Service Division.
“I’m doing exactly what I want where I want to do it,” he says, adding that his wife, Michele, is a retired counselor from RACC. “I am interested in what I do. I think students pick up that vibe. We have a connection, and I enjoy collaborating with them.”
Lawlor compares his teaching style to the late Tom Sanelli, a history professor who was empathetic, enthusiastic, encouraging and excited to push students toward excellence. He was one of Lawlor’s favorite teachers.
“I always had good teachers, and I’m fortunate for that experience,” he says. “When I’m teaching, I always ask myself, ‘What would Tom Sanelli do?’” I enjoy watching my students succeed. They are talented. I get energy from them. That keeps me coming back.”

Rapper Jay- Z once said, “Difficult takes a day. Impossible takes a week.”
That could be Dr. Jessica Schocker’s theme song, since the Penn State Berks professor rarely takes no for an answer. Her passion spills over into all of her projects, and she prides herself on developing real-life lesson plans that connect with her students and nurture their potential.
For example, when Shocker began her career as a history teacher in an urban high school, she followed the curriculum outlined in her Western Civilization textbook. When a student respectfully asked if the class was going to learn about African-American history, Schocker says she “immediately stopped teaching from the book, and I started teaching what was relevant for my students.”
“I stayed up all night researching the Harlem Renaissance and rewrote my curriculum,” she recalls. “Two weeks later, that same student was at the front of the classroom, rapping an eloquent poem he wrote about social change, that is “renaissance,” comparing the artistic experiences of Langston Hughes and Leonardo DaVinci.”
After leaving the position and working for several years at Western State Colorado University, Schocker was hired as an assistant professor of social studies education and women’s studies at Penn State Berks in 2010. The opportunity to return closer to home, plus guide student teachers and work with children in the Reading School District, was too hard to resist, she says.
In 2012, she created a yoga and taekwondo program for third graders at Glenside Elementary School. Schocker also spent this spring working with Penn State students and Glenside students, parents and staff to refurbish the school’s garden, which was originally installed and maintained by the Junior League of Reading.
“I love the children. Reading is one of the most vibrant communities,” she says. “I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. I was in the garden, digging around with them. It’s more than just job satisfaction. That project was so meaningful on so many levels.”
Schocker’s commitment to education was recognized earlier this year when she was among six faculty members to receive the 2014 George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching. The university award honors excellence in teaching at the undergraduate level.
In her spare time, Schocker enjoys hanging out with her family, including her husband, Scott Zolotsky, and her “bonus kids,” 14-year-old Kara and 12-year-old Ryan. The family also has a Golden Retriever, Molly, a therapy dog that she often brings to campus.
“I don’t think anything is impossible. That’s what I always share with students,” Schocker says. “I’m the one who’s not afraid to fail. I’m the one who’s like, ‘Okay, let’s try; let’s make it happen.’”
by Kristin Boyd | photos by John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics