Alumni eNewsletter

• St. John’s School of Law alumna Tracey Cullen ’04J.D. was recently named President and Chief Operating Officer of King Kullen Grocery Company, Inc.

• The St. John’s Ready initiative will provide free course materials for incoming students.

• St. John's School of Law celebrated its past, present, and future at the recent centennial gala.
• DRAFTED!
• Zuby Ejiofor
• Dillon Mitchell
• Bryce Hopkins  

• Kenneth Horstman graduates from St. John’s University at the age of 82.

• Thomas Gerbasi ’90SVC has been named to the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

• The sale of St. John’s University’s Staten Island, NY, campus has been finalized.

• The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders recently celebrated their 50th anniversary with a party at Vivo! in Bayside, NY. View the photos from their event.
   

Visit the Hearts on Fire website to learn more about this bold initiative. 

• Vincent’s Table offers St. John’s University students food, comfort, and community.
• The University has partnered with Superhuman to bring cutting-edge artificial intelligence designed specifically for higher education to faculty, staff, and students.
• St. John's LEAD Awards honor educators who are shaping their communities.
• A special thank you from Zuby.

• Students recently partnered with Protiviti to package 3,500 meals for families facing food insecurity in the New York City area.

• The Tobin College of Business has launched the Wirth Center for Professional Development to help business students strengthen both their analytical skills and the professional competencies needed by employers.

• St. John’s students raised money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation by shaving their heads.

• Rev. Richard Rock, C.M., Campus Minister for Athletics, is the connection between “life, spirituality, and sports” for student-athletes.

• J. (Jermaine) Cole ’07CCPS released his highly anticipated seventh album, The Fall-Off, and recently visited the Queens, NY, campus.

• St. John’s University students memorialized late actress Catherine O’Hara.

• The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grant helps support St. John’s Center for Psychological Services.

• Former St. John’s Women’s Basketball player Jillian Archer ’24M.A. continues her basketball career internationally. 

• Read the latest news on the St. John's Men's Basketball Team. 

• Alumnus Bishop John Bonnici ’87SJC was recently appointed bishop of the Rochester Diocese by Pope Leo XIV.

• St. John’s nursing students and a faculty member were recently honored by The DAISY Foundation. 

• The St. John’s Insurance Leader of the Year Dinner raised $3.6 million.

• Attorneys and St. John’s University School of Law students recently offered free legal services at the Queens Civil Courthouse.

• Rick Pitino earned his 900th career win when the Men’s Basketball team won against Xavier on February 9! 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Happy New Year to our alumni family!

We’re excited for all that 2026 has in store and look forward to connecting with you throughout the year.

Alumni events are being planned across the country, and we hope you’ll join us for one—or many of them. Click the link above to explore upcoming events and check back often for the latest updates. From 1870 Court pregame receptions and the Alumni Gala to summer outings and more, there’s something for everyone.

We can’t wait to see you!

Let your heart lead—Give to what matters most.

• St. John’s University honored veterans at its annual Veterans Day ceremony and luncheon
• Walgreens welcomed its inaugural class of Community Practice Shared Faculty members
• St. John’s University helps Brooklyn teens break into the insurance field
• Mural Quadros, a Ph.D. candidate in Pharmaceutical Sciences, was honored at the Workshop for Inhalation Products and Pulmonary Drug Delivery

• St. John’s University recently broke ground on a new athletic facility and renovations to Taffner Field House. 

• Students, alumni, employees—and their families—enjoyed a weekend of fun events at StormFest 2025.

• Jelani Jefferson Exum, Dean of St. John’s School of Law, takes inspiration from the School’s Vincentian call to service.

• Stay up to date with all Red Storm sports.

Hearts on Fire | The Campaign for St. John's University

Campus Connections

• The 28th Annual President’s Dinner to honor beloved alumna and administrator Pamela G. Shea-Byrnes, D.Min. ’86SVC, ’90G (posthumously) on October 30.

• The Princeton Review’s The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Editionincludes St. John’s University in three categories.  

• A display of student reflections pays tribute to 9/11 victims.

• Jacqueline Gallagher ‘20C, a former St. John’s track star hits her stride as a religious sister.

• Christine M. Goodwin ’96C,’98G, ’07PD, ’21Ed.D., a longtime St. John’s administrator must find a kidney.

Hearts on Fire | The Campaign for St. John's University

Campus Connections

• Study shows young Catholics are on the rise.
• The Today Show featured St. John’s MBA graduate student Baffour Adusei, who discussed how the Boys & Girls Club impacted his educational goals.
• Promising incoming St. John’s freshman Navaeh Barclay receives a scholarship to pursue her degree in actuarial science.
• St. John’s alumni led Jones Beach cleanup efforts this summer
• US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley ’08CPS discusses picking the team, new uniforms, and the Bethpage Black course.
• St. John’s unveils the official podcast of the Red Storm Men’s Basketball program.

Campus Connections

• Study shows young Catholics are on the rise.
• The Today Show featured St. John’s MBA graduate student Baffour Adusei, who discussed how the Boys & Girls Club impacted his educational goals.
• Promising incoming St. John’s freshman Navaeh Barclay receives a scholarship to pursue her degree in actuarial science.
• St. John’s alumni led Jones Beach cleanup efforts this summer
• US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley ’08CPS discusses picking the team, new uniforms, and the Bethpage Black course.
• St. John’s unveils the official podcast of the Red Storm Men’s Basketball program.

Hearts on Fire | The Campaign for St. John's University

Campus Connections

• Sammantha O’Brien McCalla ’99CBA, ’01MBA, ’20Ph.D., Director of Stewardship in the Office of Advancement, was recently honored for her military and community service.

• More than 100 local high school students participated in workshops at St. John’s during Chemistry Day.

• St. John’s surpasses 200,000 living alumni.

• St. John’s Men’s Basketball has the best ranking for transfer portal activity.

Hearts on Fire | The Campaign for St. John's University

Campus Connections

• St. John’s University bestowed degrees on more than 2,100 graduates during its 155th Undergraduate-Level Commencement Exercise on May 18.
• Students from The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies designed and programmed Thunder Paws, a robotic dog that uses artificial intelligence.
• Recent St. John’s graduate Elijah Croom directed and produced a documentary on the construction of the St. Vincent Health Sciences Center. His film earned the overall top prize at the fourth annual Society for Film and Visual Arts Film Festival in May.
• Summer may be approaching, but for those who like to plan ahead, St. John’s Men’s Basketball team will host Alabama on November 8 at Madison Square Garden.

Campus Connections

• The St. John’s University community came together to pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis at St. Thomas More Church on the Queens, NY, campus.
• The oldest religious sister in the US, St. John’s alumna Sr. Francis Dominici Piscatella ’43Ed, ’53G, turned 112 on April 20.
• First-year computer science major Joshua Peguero presented his research at a national conference in Philadelphia, PA.
• The School of Education has partnered with the Diocese of Brooklyn, NY, to create the Future Catholic School Teacher Scholarship, which awards $10,000 (distributed as $2,500 per year over four years of undergraduate study) to selected students who enroll in a teacher preparation program at St. John’s University.
• Congratulations to the five student-athletes who were inducted into the St. John’s University President’s Society on April 26.

Johnnies of the 21st Century

Campus Connections

• St. John’s University Libraries received the 2025 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity Award from one of the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publications in higher education.
   
• On February 22, students from all academic disciplines developed and pitched ideas for sustainable business solutions or start-up enterprises during Johnny’s Innovation Challenge.
   
• Meet Robert Benignos ’94CBA, ’97MBA, the volunteer coach of Johnny Thunderbird.
   
• Congratulations to our Men’s Basketball team for having its best regular season in almost four decades! We also applaud Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and Head Coach Rick Pitino, who won his first BIG EAST Coach of the Year Award; RJ Luis Jr., who was named BIG EAST Player of the Year; and Cocaptain Zuby Ejiofor, who was named BIG EAST Most Improved Player.

Johnnies of the 21st Century

Campus Connections

• Pitino: Red Storm Rising, a six-part docu-series that focuses on Rick Pitino, Head Coach of St. John’s Men’s Basketball, is now available on VICE TV.

• Sanaa Marie Omondi, a St. John’s sophomore, compiled her poetry into a published work, Who I Am & Who I Was.

• St. John’s is partnering with the Campaign for Working Families, Inc. to ensure that tax support reaches underserved communities. 

• We Are Shoe York City, an exhibit that celebrates New York City’s unique culture of ‘kicks,’ recently opened at the Dr. M. T. Geoffrey Yeh Art Gallery in Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall.

• The late George Gregory Jr. ’38L, the first Black college basketball player to be selected as an All-American, was an advocate for Black New Yorkers.

Get Ready for Johnnies Day

Campus Connections

• The Men’s Basketball team rises to number 15 in the Associated Press poll and number 14 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
• Cassandra A. Johnson ’03C, ’06L is sworn in as historic Queens surrogate court judge. 
• A historical St. Vincent De Paul statue finds a new home on the Queens campus.
• Timothy L. Keiningham, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Marketing, The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, endorses a new strategy for business growth rooted in social justice.

A Message from Sara Hunt Munoz, Senior Director, Alumni Engagement

Happy New Year to our alumni family!
We look forward to seeing you in 2025 and hope you can join us at one or more of our many alumni events that are being scheduled throughout the country. Remember to check back often for updates. Whether it is an 1870 Court pregame reception, the Alumni Gala, or a summer outing, there are events for everyone!