Opening Up A World of
Opportunity
In her first semester at St. John’s University, Christina
Zaccarelli ’10TCB watched as her roommates did the “St. John’s
thing,” hurrying from one campus activity to another. “I was still
a little worried about getting overwhelmed,” she recalled, “so at
first, I only went to class.”
But Christina was never the type to sit back. Today, as a St.
John’s graduate, she appreciates the experience skills and friends
she gained by getting involved on campus.
In her second semester, she joined the Intervarsity Christian
Fellowship. Soon she was serving others through Habitat for
Humanity, raising funds for cancer research and leading cheers for
St. John’s teams as chairperson of Red Zone, the School Spirit
Committee.
“I always believe in being busy, meeting people and helping out,”
said the recent alumni. “If I see there’s something that needs to
be done, I’ll get involved and do it.”
Christina complements her undergraduate career for “opening up new
worlds” for her. “One opportunity lead to another,” she said. “If
you did something well, someone asked you to try something else.
There was always something new to experience.”
New experiences are part of the reason Christina came to St.
John’s. She also thought St. John’s mission as a Catholic and
Vincentian university would enhance her education.
A former member of Beta Alpha Psi, the honor society for
Accounting majors, Christina combined her math talent with an
interest in law and investigative work. With plans to become a
Certified Public Accountant, she is deeply interested in forensic
accounting and business law.
Even accounting provided opportunities to serve, she added. For
example, she volunteered at an accounting camp for high school
seniors. Organized by the New York State Society of Certified
Public Accountants (two of her professors are active in the
society), the camp brought the students to the Queens campus to
learn more about the profession.
“No matter how much you think you’ve done,” she said, “you can
always do something more to improve things for other people.”