Alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends celebrated all things SJC Long Island Thursday, Sept. 24, through Saturday, Sept. 26, during this year’s Golden Eagles Spirit Fest.
Events offered participants a chance to join a virtual run, go on an online scavenger hunt and show off their knowledge during trivia.
“While we were unable to gather in-person this year, we provided the SJC community an opportunity to come together, reconnect with friends, reminisce and even make new memories in a variety of virtual ways,” said Associate Director of Alumni Engagement Lisa Galasso ’08, M.S./MBA ’13. “Golden Eagles Spirit Fest is only successful when the entire SJC community comes together to make it work. We definitely did that, and I would like to thank everyone who participated!”
Learn more about each event below.
Lunch and Learn: Faculty Spotlight, Mindfulness Presented by Professor Thomas Petriano, Ph.D.
Thomas Petriano, Ph.D., professor and chair of religious studies, presented Thursday, Sept. 24, on the practice of mindfulness — being fully present and aware in the moment — to provide aid in stress management, anxiety and general well-being.
“I think the anxiousness (we feel), whether it’s caused by COVID or just the demands of everyday living, there is a way to manage it,” Dr. Petriano said during his presentation. “And the way to manage it can be described best, I think, by the word mindfulness.”
SJC Virtual Trivia
The St. Joseph’s Alumni Association held trivia the evening of Friday, Sept. 25. Former Director of Student Life Marian Russo and Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Admissions Operations Andrea Volk ’04 hosted the event.
Trivia topics included SJC Long Island, music and sports. Participants ranged from members of the Class of 1982 to 2020, with young Board of Trustee Mike Meyers ’08, Esq., in attendance with his wife Krista ’14. Many alumni were joined by their children.
The winning team, with an astounding 74 points, was the Reliable Eagles. In a distant second was Team 90s (46 points), followed closely by We Love Marian! and A-Squad tied in last (42 points).
Accounting Program Reunion
Assistant Professor Mary Chance, Accounting Chair Jennifer Mensche ’01 ’16, current students and alumni met via Zoom Saturday, Sept. 26, from 11 a.m. to noon to talk about all that is happening with the SJC accounting program.
The conversation focused on how essential networking is, while encouraging students and alumni to connect in order to create a formal pipeline for jobs and internships.
Participants were introduced to SJCNY Connect, where an accounting group was formed in order for students and alumni to continue the conversation and develop professional relationships.
Golden Eagles Huddle
Alumni athletes joined the Golden Eagles Huddle Saturday, Sept. 26, from noon to 1 p.m. for a conversation with newly appointed Director of Athletics and Recreation Melody Cope, who provided updates with her staff and coaches on the current state of SJC Long Island athletics.
“We worked really hard over the summer … to work on a return-to-play plan for both campuses, so I feel very good about the plan that we put together,” Cope said. “It is a four-phase plan. We’ve already started phase one, and that’s where (our student-athletes) have done their COVID testing.”
Students began physical training again, which they are doing two times a week in pod groups of 10. In phase two, the athletes will start skill training in the same pods. The final phase will be getting back to normal practices.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll get to that phase (this semester), but it’s not guaranteed,” Cope said.
Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Ten winners found all 21 items in the scavenger hunt between midnight on Thursday, Sept. 24, and midnight on Saturday, Sept. 26:
- Taylor Wilson
- Pileigh Shahinian
- Nadine Puglia
- Dana Liuzzo
- Chris Lo Re
- Kayla Grunenberg
- Emma Tennaro
- Bruno Franchino
- Katie Padgett
- Michelle Peplinski
Each winner received an exclusive SJC blanket.
St. Joseph’s Dash for Golden Eagles
This event started on Thursday, Sept. 24, and ended Sunday, Oct. 4. A total of 30 people participated in the virtual run/walk, running a combined 175K, or 108.74 miles.
Caleigh Capek ’22 placed first for the female division Virtual Run/Walk 5K, with a total run time of 20:52, while James Dachille ’18 finished first in the male division at 19:32. First place for the 5K Ruck Run goes to Cyndi Borrelli, who finished in 45:12. Vicky Quinones ’21 clutched first place for the female division 10K, coming in at 1:01:37.00, and Trent Hampton finished in first of the male division at 40:50.00.
See the complete list of race results here.
