Congratulations to Chakayla Coulter for winning the 2026 Ignation Award! This award is Loyola’s highest honor given to one outstanding graduate student, annually. Ignatian Award winners have distinguished themselves by their holistic involvement in the life of the university — representing Loyola with honor and distinction, maintaining a distinguished grade point average, living a strong faith commitment, demonstrating examples of service for and with others, and showing high regard for Ignatian, Jesuit values. We are so proud of you!
Dr. Hunter and first year student, Blake Erskin, participated in a panel discussion hosted by Loyola's Career Center on "Pathways to a Career in Counseling". Joining them was Morgan Faust, PLPC, a school counselor at Holy Name of Jesus School, and Rebekah Cianci, LPC, BCBA, the director of Crescent City Bloom Consulting. Thank you to Dr. Hunter and Blake for representing the Department of Counseling!
Faculty member, Dr. Sarah Stillwell, and third-year internship student, Sophia Bologna, traveled to Atlanta for the Chronic Illness Therapist Conference on March 6-7, 2026. They both presented, "A Clinician’s Guide to Getting Kinky with Chronic Conditions + Pain." This presentation explores the intersection of sexuality and chronic conditions. Congratulations to Dr. Stillwell and Sophia, we are proud of you!
Dr. Ebrahim and three second-year students, Margaret Adams, Aboorva Sivasankaran, and Dominic Collara presented at the Law and Ethics in Counseling Conference hosted by Holy Cross University on January 28, 2026. Dominic and Dr. Ebrahim led a round-table discussion on the ethics regarding a case study he used in Ethics class. Margaret, Aboorva, and Dr. Ebrahim presented on "The Complex Ethics of Intimate Dual Relationships," and compared their case studies on intimate dual relationships. We are proud of you!
Dr. Tracey Lamont, Director of LIM and Associate Professor of Religious Education and Young Adult Ministry, continues to make a national impact through her scholarship and ministry. At the 2026 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, she presented a compelling and timely lecture titled “Beyond Cancel Culture: A Theology of Reconciliation and Forgiveness in Ministry with Young Adults.”
Congratulations to second year counseling student Ellis Sather for authoring her article, "Persona-mediated dissociation: A new framework for understanding the work/self-split in sex workers", in Frontiers Public Health as a solo author. This theory paper explores the adaptive function of dissociation in sex workers. We are so proud of you, Ellis!
Congratulations to three second-year students, Ellis Sather, Logan Blouin, and Anna Bowlin, for publishing their research paper, “Risk and Resilience in the Red Lights: A Mini-Review on Sex Worker Lived Experiences and Mental Health Outcomes” in Frontiers Public Health. Their article was accepted after having only 20 days to prepare a manuscript for submission. Congratulations to these impressive students!
Dr. Francisco Castillo, professor of Pastoral Studies at the Loyola Institute for Ministry at Loyola University New Orleans, presented a workshop at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in February 2026 titled "Más allá del RICA: La mistagogía como camino de esperanza y formación continua" ("Beyond RCIA: Mystagogy as a Path of Hope and Ongoing Formation").
We’re proud to celebrate Ansel Augustine, a Loyola alumnus whose recent article "On Mardi Gras, Catholics should celebrate the faith and resilience of the New Orleans Black Masking Indians" shines a powerful light on the living culture and faith of New Orleans.
At the annual conference of the Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry, held in Tucson in February 2026, Dr. Emily Jendzejec was named the recipient of the inaugural Pope Francis “Timbro Pastorale” Award for Best Ministry Publication. The newly established award recognizes exemplary scholarship that advances pastoral practice and theological reflection in service to the Church.