Undergraduate Virtual Recognition Ceremony 2020

Aaminah Ahmad 
The School of Education

Ariana Alessandri                            
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Kayla Circolone
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Staten Island Campus

Amanda DeLisi
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Alexandra Eppolito
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Yekaterina Fyodorova
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Kaitlin Hon
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Yuchen Jin
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies

Bethanie Jones
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies, Staten Island Campus

Seychelle Khan
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Jennifer LoCascio                            
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Deven Rodriguez                            
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Giselle Athena Rosario
The School of Education

Amanda Thompson
The School of Education, Staten Island Campus

Chiemeka Uwakwe
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Nicholas Wunsch                             
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Nicholas Zangrillo
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, Staten Island Campus

Libby Zheng
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Rosalie Bonacasa
The School of Education

Lexi Darcy
The School of Education, Staten Island Campus

Samantha DeNinno
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Katherine Di Maio                           
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Maegan Eustaquio
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies, Staten Island Campus

Jacob Flandermeyer                      
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

David Megaro  
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, Staten Island Campus

Paul Petrone                                     
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Satiya Singh
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies

Dina Tsimaris
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Staten Island Campus

Hanna Vannewkirk                         
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Brooke Bonn
The School of Education

Esther Chai                                        
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Kaysea Criscuolo 
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies, Staten Island Campus

Pavle Dokic                                                    
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Therese Marie Gallagher
The School of Education

Sara Gottlieb
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, Staten Island Campus

Nadia Islam
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Jeanette Lew                                    
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Jack T. Lincoln
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies

James Mazzei                             
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

James Moutafis                               
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Lucia Piatkowski
The School of Education, Staten Island Campus

Gabriela Ponce
The School of Education

Sara Trepca
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Staten Island Campus

Heba Yacoub                                     
The Peter J. Tobin College of Busines

Najee B. Adams
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies 

Taylormarie Capoziello
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies (Staten Island campus)

Celeste Alana Daniel
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Elvira Garcia
The School of Education (Staten Island campus)

Daniel C. Haynes
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies 

Bethanie R. Jones
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies (Staten Island campus)

Jordan Kamp
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Matthew D. Macatula
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies 

Dimitri Mendrinos
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies 

Marlo Mitchell
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies 

Thomas Moore
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Brendan Myers
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies 

Riley J. Parker
The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies 

Deven Rodriguez
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Giselle Athena R. Rosario
The School of Education

Erin Shoul
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Daniel Sparrow
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

David Targett
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Emily Sarah Morrissey Tovar
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Nicholas E. Wunsch
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

Aarij Shakil Zubair
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

To the St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Class of 2020:

Congratulations! You did it! You have achieved one of life’s major milestones that less than half of all Americans have achieved, earning a bachelor’s degree. Think about that for a moment. Moreover, think about how you did it; by completing your courses during the most challenging semester in the history of American higher education. I want to offer special congratulations to those of you who, like me, are the first in your family to graduate college.

You likely don’t remember that I spoke to you at your convocation on the day before you began your freshman classes. One of the things I promised you, paraphrasing the philosopher Richard Rorty, was that over the next four years you would rework your self-image into a new self-image that you helped to create. On behalf of the faculty of the College, I want to thank you for allowing us to guide you to become the person you are today, a person undoubtedly much different from four years ago.

Your education is a gift, but one that comes with the responsibility to give back to make our society a better place even with the unprecedented challenges we are now facing. Be successful as I know you will but, in the spirit of St. Vincent, please use your success and your skills to improve the lives of others.

Good luck. God bless you. And God bless St. John’s University, now your alma mater.

Jeffrey Fagen, Ph.D.
Dean
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Dear Graduates:

On behalf of The School of Education community at St. John’s University, I want to extend my sincere congratulations to The School of Education Class of 2020. This has been a difficult period in our lives but I am confident that you will overcome these challenges.

Your time in The School of Education has prepared you to develop as professionals deeply rooted in our Vincentian mission of empathy, global harmony, and compassionate concern for others. These values will help you to thrive and flourish in this complex world, be an advocate in your professional field of study, and have a positive impact on many lives. 

Although you are graduating, you will always be a Johnnie. We encourage you to stay connected with our faculty, administrators, and staff. Please keep us informed of your many achievements.

We sincerely hope that you have enjoyed your time learning, developing, and growing—we cannot wait to see all that you accomplish after graduation.

Congratulations again, and best of luck!

David L. Bell, Ed.D.
Dean and Associate Professor
The School of Education

Dear Class of 2020, 

On behalf of the faculty at Tobin, I congratulate you on this special day! 

We understand the dedication and hard work required for you to complete your business degree. Today is a celebration of your accomplishments.

This has been a unique semester. I wish I could congratulate you in person, as I arrived on campus with many of you four years ago. Remember that with great challenges come great opportunities. Find the silver linings and turn them into gold. Find a way to make a difference in the lives of people you know—and in the lives of those you have yet to meet. I hope you strive to be an active global citizen and an inspiration for others—a true sign of leadership.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
—Winston Churchill 

I wish you much success. You will always be part of the St. John’s community; we look forward to reuniting with you as alumni.

Norean R. Sharpe, Ph.D.
Dean
Joseph H. and Maria C. Schwartz Distinguished Chair
Professor of Decision Sciences
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business

On behalf of the Faculty, staff and administration of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences I want to congratulate you on the completion of your educational experience here at St. John’s University.  The completion of your undergraduate program, be it in Toxicology, Radiologic Science, Clinical Laboratory Science, or Physician Assistant studies is a tremendous accomplishment that should be celebrated and cherished. 

Faculty, staff and administrators understand and appreciate your efforts to complete your academic program during one of the most challenging times that the University, college, and country has faced in our lifetime.  COVID-19 will be indelibly fixed in the minds of this generation and those to come.  Our response to this pandemic will define the way future generations deal with this type of crisis.  I am proud not only of how you have completed your academic program during these complicated times but also how you have dealt with this health crisis as a whole.  You are to be applauded on both accounts!

As you proceed onto the next step in your development, either through advanced study or entering a professional career, please fondly remember our college and your times here at St. John’s University.

Congratulations Class of 2020!

Russell J. DiGate, Ph.D.
Dean
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

On behalf of the faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni of the Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies, I want to offer my sincere congratulations on the conferral of your bachelor’s degree.

We all know this has been a semester unlike any other. Our professional and social lives have been disrupted in ways no one could have imagined, and many of you have suffered unimaginable hardships and personal loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of you are worried about the future, maybe now more than ever. While the current environment may be complex and uncertain, know that if you ever lose confidence in yourself, or encounter what appear to be insurmountable obstacles, think back to how you were able to earn your bachelor’s degree even when you may have had doubts.

I take special pride when anyone graduates from our College. As you begin the next chapter of your life, please comport yourself with dignity, be humble, kind to others, and carry the mission of St. John’s with you wherever you go. Congratulations!