Meet Anna R. Lukachik ’80Ed, Pietas Medal Recipient

At St. John’s University’s annual Alumni Convocation on October 18, Anna R. Lukachik ’80Ed received the Pietas Medal, an award that honors exceptional alumni for their service and achievements. Recipients demonstrate a commitment to the University’s core values through their professional and/or personal lives. Ms. Lukachik is a member of The School of Education Dean’s Advisory Board at St. John’s and the Training Director for the New York State Department of Financial Services. 

Congratulations on receiving the Pietas Medal for your demonstration of devotion and loyalty to St. John’s University! What does this award mean to you personally?

On a personal level, the award was totally unexpected. My volunteering at various events has always been intrinsically motivated. By sharing my student story and professional career, I hope to illustrate how St. John’s shaped my career journey and personal life. My goal has always been to encourage prospective and current students to become future alums. Both the skills and knowledge I received at St. John’s through activities and academics contributed significantly to my life journey. My motivation was simply to pass that along.

Can you share a memorable moment from your journey that led to this achievement?

There are so many memorable moments, but here is one: when the late Jerrold Ross, Ph.D., the longest tenured Dean of The School of Education, reached out to invite me to be part of the planning committee for The School of Education centennial celebration in 2005, and subsequently a member of the Advisory Board.

I asked him, “Why me?” and he responded, “You took a career path out of ‘traditional education’ and you’re an example of education outside the classic definition. Given changes to the knowledge and skills needed for future jobs, your input into what needs to be in place for ‘educators’ is a needed opinion at the table.”

What is the “why” that keeps you going?

Life is a learning journey. Think about your day. Did you have to solve a problem? Figure out a way to do something better? Spend an exasperating two hours on a call with Verizon to figure out why your streaming is dammed?

My goal is to help my clients solve problems that prevent or hinder them from accomplishing things on their “to-do” lists. I don’t think of my audience as students. They are adults, and leveraging andragogy principles is key to constructing successful learning events. Learning events for adults range from job-aids to ongoing skill development for continued employment and success. It’s rewarding to hear someone say, “Your class/job-aid/tutorial/on the job assignment helped me.”

Who or what has been your biggest inspiration throughout your career?

My parents. Dad and Mom immigrated to the US from Germany at the end of World War II. Both had been “volunteered” to go to Germany to support the war effort by working on German farms and industry when the Eastern Front shifted and their towns fell under German rule. They had to learn a fourth language (i.e., Ukrainian, Polish, German, and then English) and find jobs.

And they did. They bought a home and raised two children who both attained college degrees. For Mom and Dad, learning always came first. Is it any surprise that their daughter would wind up architecting learning events while her sibling engineered civic projects?

Can you share an impactful experience while at St. John’s that will inspire others?

A leadership class I took with William Sanders, Ph.D., Retired Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at St. John’s University, during the summer of my junior year. I was stepping into leadership roles in several student organizations. The class shaped so much of my fundamental philosophy toward leadership. Leaders need to get things done through others, and you need to model what you expect and give your colleagues and team members what you expect from them. If you don’t, failure is the certain outcome.

I also learned that making mistakes is part of learning. You need to embrace them versus running from opportunities that may mean a fall. You just need to get up, figure out what should have been done differently, and try again.

If you could do this journey again, what would you change or not change?

The Redmen—now the Johnnies—winning the Final Four in 1985. It was a wonderful trip to Lexington; winning the tournament would have been awesome.

Change anything? No. Every step—whether I faltered or danced—was valuable.

As a proud alumna, committed member of The School of Education Dean’s Advisory Board, and a dedicated Red Storm fan, what is next for you?

Given this phase of my career journey is on the waning side, I’m thinking about paying forward. I’m considering consulting or contracting assignments focused on helping those in education roles for adults build stronger learning events regardless of the delivery vehicle.

I always see subject matter experts create learning events that are the epitome of the “fountain of knowledge” approach. Let me read you my slide and you will know it all. It doesn’t work; they forget it all. If I can shift that approach for a few small- and medium-sized enterprises, it’d make workplace learning way more powerful and lasting.