Putting students first is what Dr. Colleen Lelli is all about. Many of her students say that she is willing to drop everything to help a student out.
Lelli is a graduate of Cabrini College. She received her bachelor’s degree back in 1995. She was encouraged by many people, including former Cabrini education professor Dr. Dawn Middleton, to go ahead and get a doctorate degree. Lelli earned her degree right down the Blue Route at Widener University back in 2010.
She came back to Cabrini about 18 years ago. Beforehand, she was teaching classes at Montgomery County Community College, Harcum College in Bryn Mawr and Pottsgrove High School. She came back to teach undergraduate- and graduate-level education courses. But another thing that brought Lelli to the university, was the sense of community. “It means so much to me because it is home for me. I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” said Lelli. “The sense of community for me has been one of the things that makes me feel like I am home.”
Lelli is the director of Cabrini’s Barbara and John Jordan Center for Children of Trauma and Domestic Violence Education, which launched in 2017. There are many goals to this organization. First is to educate teachers, leaders and others as all work toward ending violence in the lives of women, men and children. The second goal is to prepare others to confront the challenges of intimate partner violence. The third goal is to inform educators and school personnel of the effects domestic violence and trauma can have on child victims and the struggles that these students may have during their schooling. The fourth goal is to provide collaborative opportunities between academic professionals and domestic violence advocates while offering community-informed methods of tackling domestic violence and working with children of trauma.
If you couldn’t already tell, Lelli loves to help people out. That is the entire reason she became an educator. She first thought about it in high school, when her dream in life was to be a broadcaster. Her mom said something to her about becoming a teacher. A young Colleen loved the idea, she just loved the thought of helping others.
Throughout her years, Lelli has seen many children who have it hard at home. Many of the children just needed someone to talk to. Lelli was there for those students who needed help. Lelli learned to just listen to the children. Now, she is teaching her students to do the same thing. “One of the things I focus on is teaching future teachers to build relationships with their students,” Lelli said. “It truly goes a long way.”
Speaking of helping people, Lelli serves on several local boards. She serves on the boards of Delaware County Women Against Rape and Laurel House, a domestic violence agency aiding individuals and families in Montgomery County.
Recently, Lelli has taken on a new role in the athletics department. Back in May, the director of athletics and recreation, Brad Koch, announced that she has been named the university’s new Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR). This position serves as a liaison between the institution and the athletics department, and also as a representative of the institution in conference and NCAA affairs. Lelli has also been the faculty mentor for the women’s basketball team.
Lelli’s students recognize her kindness as they love having Lelli as a teacher. On ratemyprofessor.com, Lelli’s rating is a 4.9 out of 5. Just as much as students love Lelli, she loves them more. “I really missed seeing my students over the pandemic, ” Lelli said emotionally. “I love them all so much.”
