Local historian Chuck Langerman has highlighted the current professional statuses of three Cheltenham alumni:
Victoria (Bianchini) Martoccia (above left)
Martoccia, a 1980 graduate and award-winning South Florida custom home builder, is the owner and president at Martoccia Custom Construction, Inc.
As one of the industry’s few female Licensed General Contractors, Martoccia has encouraged women to pursue their passions. Earlier this year, she was honored with a Women Empowerment Award for mentoring other women to embark on a career of general contracting. She also received an Innovation Award for her work in construction and architecture.
At Cheltenham, Martoccia participated in field hockey and was involved in student government.
Dr. Dallas Donnell (above middle)
Dr. Donnell, a 2006 graduate, has been named Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California.
Dr. Donnell holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a B.A. in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies from the University of Chicago. Prior to embarking on a career in academia, he spent eight years doing communications and organizing work for a variety of racial and social justice organizations, including the Black Youth Project, Color of Change, and ROC United.
Dr. Donnell is the author of “The Political Resonances of Hip-hop and Spoken Word” in The Cambridge Companion to American Poetry and Politics since 1900 (Cambridge University Press, 2023).
At Cheltenham, he won two poetry slams, earning him the title of “Poet Laureate of Cheltenham High.”
Charli Jones (above right)
Jones, a 2023 graduate and current Howard University sophomore, was selected as the Treasury Staffer for the 2024-2025 school year for the university’s Black Women in Pre-Law Society.
Jones, a Business Administration major from Glenside, manages finances, develops budgets, oversees fundraising process payments, and provides financial reports for the Pre-Law Society.
At Cheltenham, Jones served as Vice President of CHS’ Class of 2023 and gave the Welcome Address at graduation. She also served as co-President of Up The Octave, CHS’ treble ensemble group. She received a scholarship to Howard University on behalf of the Cheltenham Area Branch of the NAACP.
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