With Online Learning, Transfer Student Excels as Scholar
and Soccer Mom
After spending two years as a full-time student at a local
college, Maria Scalisi '10CPS was ready to find
another school where she could gain the flexibility she needed to
continue working and being with her children.
Her search, which brought her to St. John's as a Online
Learning student, exemplifies the truth of the famous
saying that “life happens while you’re busy making other
plans.”
The answer, she decided, was to transfer to a college she could
attend part-time. Then Maria suddenly received a letter from St.
John's telling her she had been awarded a Transfer
Scholarship. “I had often thought about applying to St. John’s
because of its excellent reputation,” she said.
When she went to the Queens campus to enroll as a full-time
student — she planned to stay with relatives in the area — Maria
got her next surprise. In a meeting with an academic adviser at the
Office of Enrollment Management, she learned she could use her
scholarship as a student in St. John’s Online Learning
Program.
Equally unexpected, Maria's advisor helped her choose the ideal
major to fit her goals and interests —
Criminal Justice in the University’s College of
Professional Studies. Criminal Justice is one
of 25
bachelor's degree programs in the College of Professional
Studies, which also offers 13 associate and fourgraduate
degrees.
“That turned out to be a red-letter day for me,” Maria
enthused. “I selected a major that I fell in love with, I ended up
having awesome professors with unbelievable real-life experience
and I was not only able to work full-time, but also got to be a
soccer mom.”
Shortly after this turning point, Maria was in a car accident
and suffered a spinal injury. But even this twist of fate — which
made it hard for her to use her hands —has given her more reasons
to prize St. John’s. “My professors all worked with and continued
to believe in me. They made it possible for me to graduate,” she
said.
Now, Maria's objective is to become a criminal lawyer
specializing in advocating for the young. “I can think of no
better place to get my legal training than at St. John’s School of
Law,” she said. She has had to postpone this plan until her
children are both out of high school. In the meantime, she made
sure to introduce herself to Dorothy Moran, Associate Director of
Admissions, and told her about her strong interest in attending the
School of Law.
Maria left that meeting much better equipped to put this plan
into action. “During the course of our conversation about why I
want to be a lawyer, Associate Director Moran pointed out that my
passion really lay in becoming a criminal lawyer. Initially, I was
considering going into sports law. She told me that my eyes lit up
whenever I mentioned helping at-risk youth — so I have found my
calling.”
In the near-term, Maria is looking for a position as an advocate
and/or researcher with a non-profit that defends the rights of
children. To make this quest easier, she proudly revealed that she
has “a standing letter of recommendation” from Assistant Dean,
Online Learning, Antonio Lodato, testifying to her qualifications
as a criminal justice professional.
The Online Learning Program was “the perfect solution for me,”
she said. “ But, it was far more than just a solution. It gave me
the freedom to fulfill my other responsibilities and introduced me
to a new world of possibilities.”