The bond between the students of St. Joseph’s University, New York and the Sisters of St. Joseph remains the keystone of a legacy that has persisted for more than a century. Any opportunity for students to speak with and learn from the Sisters is an opportunity to connect with the past, be advised on future decisions and reinforce the core values that SJNY was founded on.
That is exactly what occurred on August 26 when a group of orientation leaders from St. Joseph’s University’s Brooklyn and Long Island campuses traveled to the Sisters of St. Joseph Congregation in Brentwood for their annual training. But rather than focus on team bonding exercises or how to address this semester’s incoming students, training centered on deepening the orientation leaders’ understanding of SJNY’s founding order and the 375-year legacy that continues to inspire and influence the institution to this day.
Breaking the Ice
Leading students through a history of the Sisters were Cristian Murphy, director of Justice, Peace and Integrity for the Sisters of St. Joseph, and SJNY’s own S. Marie Mackey ’84, CSJ, director of the University’s Campus Ministry. In learning about the Sisters’ values and embracing their “dear neighbor” ideology, the day’s mission was to impart these lessons to this year’s orientation leaders so they can then pass them along to the next generation of students attending SJNY.
“There’s a reason why we’re all here. College is about finding your vocation. It’s a time to really start thinking ‘what is my life about?’” said S. Marie Mackey. Her words emphasized inclusivity, acceptance and kindness. “Treat everyone with the same kindness as if you were meeting God.”
That being said, the morning was not all wise words and history lessons. During an interactive workshop, students got on their feet to break the ice with their fellow orientation leaders. For some, the experience of ushering first-year and transfer students into the SJNY community will be a new one. That is the case for Joedaine Davis ’28, a nursing and pre-med student from Jamaica who will be serving as an orientation leader on the Brooklyn Campus.
“I’m really happy to be here. There is so much to learn about the school’s origin and foundation as well as having the opportunity to meet with the Sisters. They have done a wonderful job at filling in the University’s history. With everything I’ve learned, I can’t wait to welcome to our future 2030 graduates,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jessica Medina Gonzalez ’28, a Child Study Major on the Brooklyn Campus, had prior experience as an orientation leader in high school, although this was her first time doing so for the University.
“I’m looking forward to a fun-filled experience of meeting new people and hopefully building some new friendships,” Gonzalez said.
Lunch with the Sisters of St. Joseph
Up next was an outdoor tour, led by Murphy, of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s 200-plus-acre campus. The tour detailed the history of the Convent of St. Joseph, the grounds’ land ethic statement, and the campus’ significance as the original site of SJNY’s Long Island campus before permanently moving to Patchogue in 1979.
Students also learned that the now defunct Academy of St. Joseph’s — located on the grounds — will soon be converted into affordable housing.
Returning from the tour, the orientation leaders had lunch with a group of Sisters, who exchanged stories and life advice with the students.
Mary Ann Cashin, CSJ, a former Child Study professor at the University, loved the opportunity to view life from the students’ perspective, sharing, “Telling our stories invited students to tell theirs, so I think we all enjoyed hearing about one another’s hopes and dreams for college and beyond. It’s so nice to be surrounded by youthful energy.”
At another table, Sisters looked through an old yearbook with students, contrasting all the ways St. Joseph’s has changed over the years, and also what ways it has remained the same. Seated at that table was former Sisters of St. Joseph President, SJNY alumna and member of the University’s Board of Trustees S. Helen Kearney ’67, CSJ, Ph.D.
“The students are very attentive to the stories of what the congregation has been about and has helped them understand that it is their responsibility to carry on that legacy,” said S. Helen Kearney. “In light of so much division in the world, their enthusiasm, energy and willingness to help is going to make a big difference in the future.”
Leading Together in Service
After lunch, orientation leaders split into two groups, each engaging in a separate act of service. While one group stayed behind to write postcards promoting voter registration in underserved communities, the other was led outside by Heather Coste, Director of Ecological Sustainability for the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Aligning with both the University’s and Sisters’ sustainability efforts, students helped remove non-native plants from the garden to make way for native perennials that help regulate the local ecosystem.
Where Leaders Find Inspiration: Voices of Orientation Leaders
Near the end of the orientation leader training, we asked several of the attendees a few questions about what they learned and what they found helpful in preparing for this year’s orientation. More broadly, we asked them what aspect of St. Joe’s they are most excited to share with new students.
Sophia DiPrima-Ginas ’27, who’s majoring in nursing on the Long Island campus, said she learned some helpful techniques for getting new students to connect with others. “The icebreakers definitely helped me. I think I’m going to take that into the classrooms. When we break out into individual freshman-year experience classes, I’m definitely going to be doing the silent-name lineup. I just feel like it made me laugh the whole time. I even met someone with the exact same name as me!”
Tara Murphy ’27, who’s majoring in Speech-Language Pathology on the Long Island campus, found having lunch with the Sisters of St. Joseph very valuable. “I would say the lunch with the Sisters and getting to talk with them was really helpful,” she said. “I got a lot of good jokes from one of the sisters, who gave me some new material that I’ll be testing out at orientation! Also, just how welcoming they are. I think that’s something I’ll carry forward. This is my second year as an orientation leader. And I loved it last year, and I’m excited to come in this year having been given even more skills and inspiration from this training, for sure.”
Murphy also wanted to pass on how students can make the most out of their student experience.
When asked what aspects of St. Joe’s she was most excited to share with new students, Murphy said, “I would say the number of opportunities that we have inside and outside of the classroom. For instance, opportunities like this, like coming to the Sisters and doing service projects. Opportunities like going abroad. Or taking a semester at the Brooklyn campus (because I’m from Long Island) and experiencing living life in the dorms.
“I think there’s so much more that our school has to offer than just your degree, and how you can get an education outside of the classroom, too…. I’d also like to tell them that there are so many opportunities you can get here and push them to talk to more people, talk to your professors and talk to people in your class… because you never know what something can lead to.”
When we asked Jawad Zaman ’27, an international student majoring in Computer Science, Math and Business Administration on the Brooklyn Campus, what he wanted to learn about the new students, he said, “I want to know their reasons for choosing St. Joseph’s. They had a lot of options, but they chose to come here…. I’m an international student, and when I first came to New York, I felt at home because of the orientation leaders. And I want to give back the feeling that I had so that they can feel at home, too.”
