STEUBENVILLE, OHIO — Franciscan University of Steubenville honored four outstanding alumni at the 36th annual Alumni Awards Banquet held September 26 during the 2025 Homecoming Weekend.

Father Dave Pivonka, TOR ’89, president of Franciscan University, congratulated and thanked the awardees.

“What happens at Franciscan University matters. People pay attention because what we’re doing here, nobody else in the world is doing,” he told them. “Thank you so much for being good and faithful servants. Thank you for your commitment to the University. Thank you for representing us so well.”

Noelle Mering MA ’22 received the Bishop John King Mussio Award for “shining the light of truth within a culture that is often clouded in confusion.” She is a fellow in the Life and Family Initiative at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., a scholar for the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America, and a prolific author featured in Daily Wire, Newsweek, National Review, The Washington Examiner, National Catholic Register, and more. She also wrote the best-selling book, Awake, Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideology.

“I’m grateful to Father Dave and for the witness of Franciscan University. It’s a witness not just in argumentation, not just in propositional truth, but a witness to the dignity of the human person that you encounter every day,” Mering said. “It’s a school of joy.”

Judge Joseph Corabi ’74 received the Rose M. DeFede ’60 Faithful Franciscan Award for his work in the legal field and service to the University. After teaching business law at the College of Steubenville, he served in various legal positions, including as a magistrate in the juvenile and probate court before retiring from the bench in 2021. He currently serves as in-house counsel for Cedar One Rentals in Steubenville.

Corabi credited his success to his late wife, Kathy (McMenamin ’76) Corabi.

“Without her love and support, I wouldn’t be here. Tonight, I share the award with you, Kathy,” Corabi said. “I hope you’re looking down. I just want to say thanks. This one’s for you.”

Anne Foster ’17 received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award for her work at the popular Hallow prayer app and in the pro-life movement. As a partnership executive at Hallow, she builds and maintains relationships within Catholic higher education institutions, dioceses, schools, and parishes.

“At Franciscan, you receive the gift of an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. And that’s the greatest thing that we can do for our students,” Foster said.

Jennifer (Butler ’05) Routh received the Professor Edward J. Kelly Award for her work as a lawyer and her commitment to her faith. Having earned a law degree magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Law, she now works as a partner at McDermott Will & Emery, a prestigious international firm in Washington, D.C. She is also a wife and mother of three.

“This university gave me more than an education. It gave me a foundation, a community, and the confidence to pursue a path that at times felt uncertain,” Routh said. “Franciscan gave me the most precious gift of my life: a profound experience of God’s personal love for me.”

View and download photos of the 2025 Alumni Awards Banquet here.