2024 Alumni Achievement Award Recipients

Solomon Cramer ’94 has been a member of the greater Harrisburg business community his entire adult life. He started by selling baseball cards as a senior in high school to pay for his automobile expenses as one of the first participants on a “nauseant platform” called the “Internet”. Upon graduating from the University of Hartford in 1998 with a degree in Actuarial Science, Mr. Cramer continued in the sports memorabilia field, expanding to offerings on shopping channels and online auctions.

 

In 2004, Mr. Cramer turned his focus to automotive and took over as third generation in the family Budget Rent a Car franchise of Harrisburg and the Cramer Airport Parking shuttle service at the Harrisburg International Airport. He has spent the past two decades growing the car rental business to its present size of thirty-six locations across five states, with both the Avis & Budget car rental brands, plus retail sales and repair facilities.

 

A lifelong Philadelphia Phillies fan, Mr. Cramer married his better half, Beth, in Cooperstown, NY in 2014, and enjoys watching and attending baseball games with Beth and their children, Teddy (HA ’36) and Sadie (HA ’37). 

 

Dr. Nikki Sood O’Neill ’10 moved to the Harrisburg area from Westchester, New York in 2009, just before her senior year of high school. She started at Harrisburg Academy in 2009 and was immediately welcomed by the tight knit class of 2010. Nikki was class president and played varsity tennis. She went on to earn her undergraduate degree in Global Health at Duke University and then attended Medical School at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. She graduated with her Doctor of Medicine in 2018. 

 

Nikki met her husband, Conor, at Virginia Tech and they couples matched at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. She graduated from her Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency in 2022 and is working at a large private practice in Richmond. She will be moving to North Carolina to join Duke Women's Health in November of 2024. She is passionate about women's health, advocacy and mentorship in medicine. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, who live in Enola, and traveling to see friends. She loves taking her dog, Ollie, for walks and enjoys exploring new restaurants with her husband Conor. 

 

Dr. Jason Mandell '03, M.S. is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center and Pediatric Cardiologist at Golisano Children's Hospital in Rochester, NY. Jason practices general pediatric cardiology as well as advanced cardiac imaging, including echocardiography, cardiac MRI and cardiac CT. He has particular interests in using 3D printing and visualization of congenital heart disease for surgical planning and education.

 

As an academic physician, Jason is active in teaching medical trainees at all levels. His research focuses on how understanding blood flow patterns can predict and improve outcomes for children with congenital heart disease. To accomplish this, Jason has fostered collaborations with engineering researchers at the University of Rochester to perform computational modeling of heart conditions and use these models to perform "virtual surgery."

 

Jason attended medical school at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY followed by pediatric residency at Hasbro Children’s Hospital/Brown University Medical School in Providence, RI. He then completed a pediatric cardiology fellowship with an additional senior fellowship in advanced cardiac imaging at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. He also earned a Master of Science in Bioengineering at the Pennsylvania State University and a B.S. in Biological Engineering at Cornell University.

 

Ms. Shannon Porterfield, Esq. ’13 is currently an associate at Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby LLP. She focuses on commercial motor vehicle law, providing strategic counsel and representation to clients.

 

Prior to her work at Weber Gallagher, Shannon served as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Michael A. Toto, A.J.S.C., in New Jersey Superior Court, Civil Division, in New Brunswick, NJ, following her graduation from law school. Shannon’s early career also includes invaluable litigation experience gained as a legal intern with the U.S. Attorneys’ Office in Philadelphia, PA.

 

Shannon graduated from the Harrisburg Academy in 2013 before completing her undergraduate studies at the Pennsylvania State University, Schreyer Honors College. She attended law school at Wake Forest University, School of Law in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

 

Marion Carey Alexander ’59 is a community philanthropist who works tirelessly to improve the local community for the benefit of those in need in Central PA. She is a spirited community volunteer who has impressed upon the lives of many people in her nearly 45 years of selfless volunteer work.

 

Organizations and projects in which she has played major roles include the historic Harris-Cameron Mansion renovation, Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, United Cerebral Palsy of Central Pennsylvania (two-time Board Chair), United Cerebral Palsy Foundation of Central Pennsylvania (Past-Chair), and Drug & Alcohol Prevention, and United Way of the Capital Region (Past Campaign Chair). In 2007, she was the keynote speaker at the Harrisburg Area Community College graduation ceremony and received the distinguished honorary doctorate for her life-long service to the community.

 

Ms. Alexander is currently on the board of the Harrisburg Area Community College Foundation, on the Board for the State System of Higher Education Foundation, the Chair of the Goodwill Foundation, Chair of the Goodwill Keystone Area Board, on the Board for the Harrisburg Symphony and on the Board of the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania.

 

Ms. Alexander earned a B.S. from Southern Methodist University, and later conducted cancer research for NIH in Washington, DC. Currently, she lives with her husband, William H. Alexander, near Hummelstown in one of Dauphin County’s historic homes.

 

Christiana Kasian ’06 - “Athletics is the foundation in my life. Participation in sports provided me structure, accountability, purpose, and community. Being a part of a team taught me how to win and more importantly, how to lose. Mental toughness and teamwork have positively affected my life - from professional to personal achievements. I am incredibly thankful to my coaches at Harrisburg Academy who influenced and shaped me, and my teachers who committed to bettering my education. Work hard, play smart, and have fun!”

 

Taylor Pettis ’10 - “Athletics is the foundation in my life. Participation in sports provided me structure, accountability, purpose, and community. Being a part of a team taught me how to win and more importantly, how to lose. Mental toughness and teamwork have positively affected my life - from professional to personal achievements. I am incredibly thankful to my coaches at Harrisburg Academy who influenced and shaped me, and my teachers who committed to bettering my education. Work hard, play smart, and have fun!”