{"id":2248,"date":"2018-11-19T19:26:50","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T19:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=2248"},"modified":"2025-02-06T17:18:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T22:18:58","slug":"alderman-kelly-pettyjohn-distinguished-alumni-award-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2018\/11\/19\/alderman-kelly-pettyjohn-distinguished-alumni-award-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"Alderman Kelly Pettyjohn: Distinguished Alumni Award Winner"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column2248_e21d0b-ba dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f56a869c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"392\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.test.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Distinguished_Alumni_Logo_Winner-1-392x480.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14793\" style=\"object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Distinguished_Alumni_Logo_Winner-1-392x480.jpg 392w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Distinguished_Alumni_Logo_Winner-1-204x250.jpg 204w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Distinguished_Alumni_Logo_Winner-1.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 392px) 100vw, 392px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff\"]{font-size:1.5rem;line-height:30px;font-weight:500;font-style:italic;font-family:proxima-nova;color:#808080;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading2248_2ea45c-ff\">Alderman Pettyjohn has been selected from numerous nominees as the recipient of the first Distinguished Alumni Award, presented by the Wilmington University Alumni Association.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full wp-image-6366\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.test.wilmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Kelly_Pettyjohn-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6366\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kelly Pettyjohn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Alderman and alumna Kelly Pettyjohn uses her background, work experience and education to lead with compassion and make a positive impact in her community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And she does that in Court 35 in Laurel, Delaware, where she speaks with elementary students about civics lessons, listens to defendants\u2019 backgrounds, or sets up payment arrangements for those who find themselves in her court. An alderman is nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate to decide all violations of city ordinances occurring within the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pettyjohn never imagined presiding over a courtroom. \u201cI would not have guessed that I would be a judge,\u201d she says. \u201cI am honored to work in such a small town where I can get to know the stories of those who enter the court for whatever reason.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She found solace in those stories, mainly because, at 17, she had been a victim of domestic violence in a romantic relationship. \u201cI knew what it felt like to be scared and feel helpless,\u201d she says. \u201cDomestic violence can sometimes seem manageable until it\u2019s too much to bear. I was able to heal from my experience through helping others find their voices. It was most important to me that we educated others to advocate for themselves when no one else could.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before becoming an alderman, Pettyjohn worked as a domestic violence liaison and program manager at People\u2019s Place II, a multi-service nonprofit dedicated to helping people find their paths to growth and independence by connecting them with counseling, education, prevention, intervention, supportive services and advocacy. She coordinated and mediated visitations between custodial and non-custodial parents, and the position utilized her ability to deescalate emotionally-charged situations.<br>Pettyjohn earned two WilmU degrees: a bachelor\u2019s in Behavioral Science in 2015, and a master\u2019s in Administration of Justice in 2017. \u201cMy passion to work with domestic violence survivors in a more impactful way pushed me to continue my education,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The alderman hopes that her hard work is an inspiration to her 14-year-old daughter, Mollie. \u201cI couldn\u2019t imagine her going through everything I had to go through to find my voice,\u201d says Pettyjohn. \u201cI\u2019m stronger because I know she\u2019s watching.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Pettyjohn thinks about how differently things could\u2019ve turned out, she\u2019s \u201cincredibly grateful,\u201d she says. \u201cI have spent the past 24 years trying to convince myself that I am worthy, and that is difficult once your spirit is crushed. I don\u2019t need recognition or to be on television or in the news. Just the feeling that the folks in the town I serve feel welcome and comfortable talking to me or asking for help. That\u2019s how I know I\u2019m absolutely where I\u2019m supposed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014Britney Gulledge<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alderman Pettyjohn has been selected from numerous nominees as the recipient of the first Distinguished Alumni Award, presented by the Wilmington University Alumni Association. Alderman&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2249,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[145,135],"tags":[652],"class_list":["post-2248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-news","category-magazine","tag-magazine-fall-2018"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":145,"label":"ALUMNI NEWS"},{"value":135,"label":"MAGAZINE"}],"post_tag":[{"value":652,"label":"Magazine Fall 2018"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/WilmUDistinguishedAlumni-2018-1-750x331.jpg",750,331,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Eric Mumford","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/eric\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":145,"name":"ALUMNI NEWS","slug":"alumni-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":702,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":113,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":145,"category_count":113,"category_description":"","cat_name":"ALUMNI NEWS","category_nicename":"alumni-news","category_parent":0},{"term_id":135,"name":"MAGAZINE","slug":"magazine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":692,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":431,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":135,"category_count":431,"category_description":"","cat_name":"MAGAZINE","category_nicename":"magazine","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":652,"name":"Magazine Fall 2018","slug":"magazine-fall-2018","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1209,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":20,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2248"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14795,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248\/revisions\/14795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}