Dr. Anne Prisco, new president of Holy Family University, continues to work to make her students and staff safe from the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. But she’s also prioritizing other initiatives, reports Nigel Thompson of Al Día News.

Prisco mandated vaccines and masks campus wide, positioning them as in step with the school’s mission and values.

“We’re Holy Family,” she said. “We’re responsible to each other; we care about our community. So, how do we stay together? We get vaccinated, and when we’re inside we put a mask on.”

Her reliance on interpersonal responsibility was formed by her bicoastal education and career path. A series of east-coast, west-coast hops took her from an undergrad degree to her professorial teaching.

And her agility in navigating those changes — especially being identified as an outsider with each move — is now informing her diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as president at Holy Family.

“I always say it’s good because it forces you to feel like the ‘other’ and learn how to assimilate,” said Prisco.

Her priority list is topped with an effort to serve the changing demographics of her student body.

“The whole idea of diversity and inclusion for me is a wonderful opportunity, because there are lots of different people in Philly,” said Prisco. “How do we all get to learn together and be educated and be in classrooms together? That’s how we learn from each other.”

More on Dr. Anne Prisco and her leadership of Holy Family University is at Al Día News.