A beautiful autumn-like day served as the perfect backdrop for a child study and adolescence education alumni event held last month at St. Joseph’s University, New York’s Brooklyn Campus.
More than 40 alumni representing class years from 1986 through 2024 returned to SJNY for a casual BBQ “back-to-school” style gathering. The Sept. 13 event was family friendly (with a bouncy house and face painting for children) and offered alumni a chance to reconnect with old friends, meet new faces and hear about updates at the University in a familiar setting: the Bloodgood Garden—a special spot nestled into the campus grounds that are part of the historic Clinton Hill neighborhood.
Several faculty members attended, including Susan Straut Collard, Ph.D. (professor and associate chair, child study, literacy and cognition and special education), Sarah Birch, Ph.D. (associate professor and director of the M.A. in childhood and adolescence special education), Anne Mulligan, Ph.D. (associate chair and assistant professor), Tess Dussling, Ph.D. (assistant professor and director of the M.A. in literacy and cognition), Karen Russo, Ed.D. (professor of child study), Agatha Kelly, Ed.D. (assistant professor special education and child study), Phyllis Corbin, Ph.D. (former adjunct) and S. Mary Sivillo, CSJ (former adjunct and administrative assistant).
SJNY Alumni Success
Alumni enjoyed seeing the professors who helped mold them into educators. For example, Dylan Larkin ’16 — assistant principal at IS 24 in Staten Island and a 2024 Esse Non Videri Gala ‘Rising Star’ award winner— said he enjoyed reconnecting with professors like Dr. Mulligan.
It was a special day for Andrew Wenzler ’21, too.
“Being back at SJNY was a trip down memory lane; it was so cool to see all the changes made to the campus in the few short years since I graduated. The best part was reconnecting with professors who I have not seen in a while and getting to share my experiences with them,” he said.
The opportunity to return to Brooklyn was especially appreciated by Wenzler, whose time on campus was curtailed by Covid-19.
“With the pandemic cutting my time at SJNY short, it was great to be back on campus and reconnecting with my classmates,” he added.
Dillon Center at SJNY
Dr. Straut Collard led alumni on a guided tour of the Dillon Center— the University’s renowned education center for pre-school-age children. Founded in 1934 as a laboratory early childhood center, the Dillon Center was among the first of its kind on the East Coast. Through the Dillon Center, SJNY students have opportunities to gain practical experience in early childhood education.
“Reuniting graduates across nearly four decades—with many now teaching and leading in local schools—is what made this alumni BBQ gathering so special,” said Sylvie Brown, associate director of alumni engagement on the Brooklyn Campus. “Seeing them reconnect with professors and mentors like Dr. Straut Collard inside Dillon, where so many of their journeys began, was a full-circle moment for the education program and our community.”
Alumni also had an opportunity to make a donation to the S. Alice Francis Young ’40 Scholarship‚ named in memory of Sister Alice Francis Young ’40, CSJ, a professor of child development at St. Joseph’s University for 43 years and a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph from 1932 until her passing in 2016 at the age of 101. She was the driving force behind the creation of New York City’s first Head Start program.
Also attending the alumni gathering were Heather E. Barry, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Rory Shaffer-Walsh, vice president of institutional advancement, as well as current SJNY students who are studying adolescence education and child study on the Brooklyn Campus.
