May 2, 2018
On April 26th, Dr. Andrea Licari-LaGrassa of St. John’s University, College of Professional Studies, was awarded Woman of the Year for the Little Neck Douglaston Memorial Day Parade, the largest in the U.S., in support of our veterans.
This award honors Dr. Licari-LaGrassa’s exceptional service to her local community, her place of work here at St. John's, and the greater New York City community. Her service ranges from applying her marketing and networking skills to fundraising for the Community Church of Douglaston, to organizing events with the Douglaston and Little Neck Historical Society, amongst other activities. Beyond this, it lays very close to Dr. Licari-LaGrassa's heart to visit cancer patients at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, and share her personal story to give strength. She is engaged in a congressionally funded committee on cancer research, in Washington D.C.
Dr. Licari-LaGrassa recalls a central point made by Lt. Col. Andrew Lyons, a Dean in the St. John’s Freshmen Center, who spoke in uniform at the awards dinner: community service is important, whether you serve your country in the Armed Forces, or in other forms – there are many ways to be empathetic for the people around us and serve our community.
When asked about her experience at the awards dinner, she stated that the greatest gift, besides being awarded Woman of the Year that evening, was her son surprising her at the awards dinner and sharing this special moment with her.