Meet Regla Perez Pino ’89, ’90W (MS), a director of school counseling and proud Delta Zeta

Share a bit about yourself! What are you up to now?

I am the proud parent of Martín, my 21-year-old son, a junior at Ithaca College. He gives me the excuse to travel upstate and visit Rochester, where I have friends who became my family. I currently live in Alexandria, near Mount Vernon. The historic aspect of the region brings about lots of charm amid the busyness of a city.

I currently serve as the director of school counseling at Gar-Field Senior High School in Prince William County Schools, the second-largest school division in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As Director, I support all areas pertinent to student services for over 2,400 students plus a pre-k. Gar-Field Senior High School is an IB World School and a Title I school. We are a diverse community with hundreds of languages represented by our families.

What are your most cherished memories from the Ģ����ý?

I have many cherished memories from my days at the University. Whether related to student activities or my work-study with dining services. I remember launching the first Tropicana, a festival hosted by S.A.L.S.A. that became a tradition. I also remember working at the Rochester Conference, a program that ran during the period preceding the beginning of the spring semester. One year, the theme was “Creation” and with dining services, I hosted a booth at Danforth with one of the managers. We focused on creating natural beauty products ranging from rose water to facial scrubs. I remember spending time during winter break shopping in warehouses back at home in New York City, searching for miniature jars for the potions that we were about to create.

I remember living in the I.L.C., the International Living Center, my sophomore year and being part of the International Students Association. I learned to eat with chopsticks and met friends who taught me how to make baklava and curries. I vividly recall living on the I.L.C. at Anderson Towers and walking to Phase for sorority events at night in the dark. There was a small Facilities or Transportation building that we crossed during our travels; I remember telling my sorority sister who also lived in Anderson that there was a ghost in that building. We would sprint in fear to either Towers or Phase depending on if we were coming or going to the Delta Zeta floor in Phase. There was never a ghost, just a macrame planter hanging in the Facilities building’s window! Frankly, it was more fun believing that it was a ghost! Another cherished memory was painting the tunnels with the sorority, especially the year that Delta Zeta developed the Greek God contest.

I was quite active in student activities. I remember meeting friends at the Lollipop Clock and hanging out at the café inside the Wilson Commons lower area between classes or napping in the Welles Brown Room. Studying at the library’s old stacks was also much fun. And being the first group to evaluate/taste Jolt Cola, twice the sugar, twice the caffeine during finals one year! I spent much of my time working for dining services, primarily at Douglass. I still remember my first shift freshman year: it was Breakfast, and we were making donuts. There I met someone who became my dearest friend, he was a year older, in a fraternity, and my shift supervisor. I quickly learned the ropes and was promoted to various positions including grill cook and the coveted ‘cook’s ass’ or cook’s assistant, and later student supervisor. While in graduate school, I became a student manager and was wearing the official polyester blue skirts with the grown-ups who held ‘real jobs.’

How did campus life and any co-curricular involvement (clubs, organizations, teams, etc.) impact your personal and professional growth?

During my junior year, I was admitted to the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, now Warner School’s 3-2 program in Human Development. Initially, I specialized in higher education counseling. While working at the University in the Office of Minority Student Affairs as an H.E.O.P. counselor, I collaborated with Dr. Bonnie Rubenstein, a former professor, and Director of School Counseling at the Rochester City School District, I went back to complete the necessary coursework to earn the school counseling credential. Karen Mackie, at the time a graduate student working on her doctorate, was an incredible professional who taught me how to work with clients in a counseling setting, and Dr. Fred Jefferson, a remarkable leader whom I first met as a pre-frosh during the ECO program. While on the 3-2 program I was fortunate enough to take several group and culture courses with him.

How did your experience at the URochester influence your life?

I have switched careers and have circled back to my formal training in counseling. I started as a higher education counselor and later became a school counselor in Rochester. I maintained connections following my graduate degree with the University. After the ice storm, I moved back to Puerto Rico where I was raised but never lived as an adult. I am first generation Cuban American, born in NYC and raised in Puerto Rico. I finished high school in NYC and from there attended the URochester. In Puerto Rico, I served as the director of the Meditation Center at the Superior Court Bayamon Part. I was able to secure that position thanks to the volunteer work that I previously held in Rochester.

I believe that all the various activities, opportunities, and engagements including, of course, the coursework that I experienced while at University, enabled me to be what I am today.

While working in the Mediation Center, I married and moved back to the mainland, specifically to Northern Virginia. Somehow, I fell into the corporate world. I held numerous positions of increased responsibility at a multinational telecommunications company for over a decade. I did not have an MBA; I had an MS from Rochester. I am convinced that I was able to be successful and lead various organizations at the multinational corporation thanks to the skills I learned in Rochester and the Meliora values.

Reminiscing about that period when I had the best time of my life forging memories to cherish a lifetime. Whether celebrating a major milestone birthday or my son’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor, my University family has always been there to support me. In good times or when I need advice there is always an alumni friend that I have called on for support.

What sparked your initial interest in volunteering with the University? What role(s) have you held?

My primary volunteer roles today include working with the Office of Admissions and the Alumni Office serving on the class reunion committee. This year I will be celebrating my 35^th reunion. I have volunteered in several class reunion committees in years past. To me, it is important to maintain an active connection with the University because it helped me grow and develop and more importantly it made me ‘ever better.’

I have the pleasure of working directly with Beth Luke, a formidable resource at the University who ensures alumni volunteers supporting admissions are kept abreast of trends, timelines, and overall information to help make the interview season more enjoyable. I remember as an undergraduate supporting the Admissions office by calling students, traveling to NYC with the alumni reps for events, or hosting prospective students for a weekend.

What’s the most rewarding part of staying connected with your alma mater?

To me, the most rewarding part of staying connected with the University is knowing that I am contributing to something that gave me so much. Giving back is part of who I am, and that, I owe to those University values, coupled with my Catholic faith. I would be remiss if I failed to share that one of the more serious memories that I cherished, was attending Mass with President O’Brien on Sundays at the lower level of the Interfaith Chapel, sharing peace and communion with him and Father Bill.

To my fellow alumni and friends, I encourage you to consider serving the University in some capacity. There are multiple ways of engaging and giving back. Consider your strengths and decide how to support the various campaigns whether you do so with your time or contributing to the various financial gifts.

Meet Chi Omega and Chicago Network Leader Ashley Chiu ’13, ’15W

Share a bit about yourself! What are you up to now?

I am a Rochester native, but I’ve lived in Chicago for just about 10 years now! Professionally, I’m a user experience researcher and I work in consulting helping our clients develop usable and user-friendly experiences for their digital and physical products.

What are your most cherished memories from your time at the URochester?

Either spending time with my friends while we definitely should have been studying for organic chemistry exams all those late nights in Gleason freshman year (liked the friends, not so much the organic chemistry) or some of my smaller group seminar classes my senior year.

How did campus life and any co-curricular involvement (clubs, organizations, teams, etc.) impact your personal and professional growth?

I feel very fortunate that there was so much I could do and get involved with while I was at Rochester. I joined a sorority and had a role on the executive board and on the Panhellenic Council. I’m still involved as a National Volunteer with Chi Omega today, helping to write and deliver leadership training.

Did the University offer any resources or initiatives that helped you transition smoothly into the workforce?

I loved being involved in research as an undergraduate, which is so rare at research institutions. I’m still doing research now and owe a lot to the great foundation and mentors I had at the URochester.

How did your experience at the URochester influence your life?

My dad actually went to Ģ����ý – he went back to school part-time to study chemical engineering while working full-time at Kodak. He graduated when I was 7 years old. I got to attend his commencement on River Campus and graduation ceremony at what was Eastman Theater (now Kodak Hall). I wanted to attend the Ģ����ý ever since. While I didn’t end up pre-med as I originally intended, I know I ended up where I belonged. When I graduated with my master’s degree, my graduation ceremony was in Kodak Hall. Talk about full circle!

What sparked your initial interest in volunteering with the University? What role(s) have you held?

I love the connections that I have been able to make meeting fellow alumni who have shared experiences. I volunteered at an admissions event, as a mentor in their new mentorship program, and most recently, as an outreach volunteer for my 10-year reunion! I’m also super excited to be joining the Chicago NLC.

What advice do you have for fellow alumni and friends who may be interested in taking a more active role in our alumni and friends’ community?

Do it! I love that I have gotten to meet such accomplished and interesting individuals in different professions and industries who have shared experiences from Rochester. The more the merrier!

What’s the most rewarding part of staying connected with your alma mater?

After working with so many people who have gone to local universities here in Chicago, it’s so nice to be able to reminisce about Rochester memories and stay connected with each other. We have such a special community and I love seeing new faces at each upcoming event.

Gift will support academic leaders, faculty research, and student success

Mary Ellen Burris ’68W (EdM)

Mary Ellen Burris ’68W (EdM), who retired from Wegmans Food Markets in 2020 as its senior vice president for consumer affairs, has committed to making a major gift to support the Ģ����ý’s . The endowed gift, which will be funded through Burris’ estate, will support academic leaders, faculty research, and student success through the establishment of a deanship, professorship, and scholarship. This will be the single largest gift Warner has ever received.

“Throughout her life and work, Mary Ellen has remained an educator known for helping others, being informed of issues, and finding solutions to problems,” says Sarah C. Mangelsdorf, president and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor. “She is a trusted and valued member of the Warner and University community, and we are honored that she has made such a generous commitment to support the future of education.”

“We are incredibly grateful to Mary Ellen for this gift and her longtime partnership and support,” says Sarah Peyre, dean of the Warner School. “By investing in our school and students, Mary Ellen will change the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Her generosity will have a ripple effect, too—it will make a difference in the lives of all those students our alumni will teach, counsel, inspire, and influence.”

“My Wegmans career depended on the skills and knowledge I gained at Warner and, now, I am in a position where I can help facilitate opportunities for others, especially those who have or will build careers in education,” says Burris. “I’m honored to play a role in the development of the school and the people within it.”

After earning her master’s in educational psychology—now known as human development—from Warner in 1968, Burris joined Wegmans. Over the course of her 50-year career, she applied her educational knowledge to corporate service with local and regional communities, and to her role as a champion for food safety and sustainability.

Burris has been actively engaged with Warner for many years. She’s served on the school’s National Council since it was established in 2008. During the University’s Meliora Challenge Campaign that culminated in 2016, her philanthropy named the Mary Ellen Burris Conference Room in the school’s new home at LeChase Hall on the River Campus. Burris is also a member of Warner’s Center for Urban Education Success (CUES) Advocacy Council, which was formed in 2016. Additionally, she is a Women’s Network member, a George Eastman Circle Founder-level member, a Wilson Society member, a former University Volunteer Task Force member, and a former Warner Dean’s Advisory Committee member.

“Throughout her work and life, Mary Ellen has remained an educator committed to improving the human condition,” says Raffaella Borasi, the Frederica Warner Professor, director of the Center for Learning in the Digital Age, and former dean of the Warner School. “She exemplifies Warner’s mission to prepare leading practitioners and scholars who are driven to improve society. Everyone who has worked with Mary Ellen over the years is tremendously grateful to her for her generosity and the impact that her gift will have on future generations.”

about Mary Ellen Burris.