February 17, 2012
Emerging from a field of outstanding entrants in a unique
University competition, a 21-year-old
biology major will serve as the “face of St. John’s” in a
feature in Seventeen magazine this summer.
The winner,
Janine Flores ‘12C, “embodies everything St. John’s stands
for,” said Beth
M. Evans, Vice President of Enrollment Management. The office
held the contest in January to choose the student who will be
featured in a full-page ad promoting the University in the
June/July metropolitan issue of Seventeen.
Seventeen finalists were chosen from more than 180 students who
participated in the contest. Representing the Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan
campuses, the students submitted photos and responses to a detailed
questionnaire. Student and administrative groups helped Evans to
weigh the responses.
“Narrowing down these outstanding contestants was hard to do,”
said Evans. “They all reflect the Vincentian
heritage of excellence and service at the heart of our
University.”
“This is a wonderful way to end my senior year at St. John’s,”
said Janine. “I feel even more ready to take on the world.” She is
the first person in her family to attend college.
In 2010, Janine was among the first students named Obama
Scholars. Funded by President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize, the awards
went to outstanding Latino students nationwide. She also
represented St. John’s at the first Bronx Education Summit, held in
August, 2011.
Janine plans to attend medical school. A member of the McNair
Scholars Program, which prepares underrepresented students for
graduate studies, she served as a research assistant in the
Brain/Gut Initiative at Columbia University; a volunteer at a rural
hospital in Ecuador; and an intern with Global Potential, in the
Dominican Republic.
“My fascination with medicine,” said Janine, “stems from the
fact that it promises to cure, care and comfort. Through service at
St. John’s, I developed something crucial for a doctor — a sense of
what it means to be part of the fabric of humanity.”
The following 17 students were finalists in the competition.
They may be featured in an upcoming campaign that will highlight
the best of St. John’s:
Ariane Acosta ’14CPS
Princess Carroll ’12CPS
Claire Cilento ’13C
Brendamaris Crespo ’13C
Priscilla Frederick ’13CPS
Holly Fuller ’13CPS
Margaret Gander ’14C
Brittany Hauff ’12C
Ashlei Iodice ’12C
Kristin Johansen ’13TCB
Eva Marie Nabavi ’15C
Jacqueline Rubin ’13C
Patricia Salgado ’12P
Karen Tapia ’12TCB
Katie Todd ’12CPS
Lily Topalian ’12CPS
Christian Whyte ’15 CPS