Marist Connect - Marist Minute

Spotlights:
1. Class of 2022 Commencement Held May 21 and 22 on Campus Green
2. Marist Welcomes Back Class of 2020 for In-Person Commencement
Alumni Stories
Around Campus
Podcast
1. Water Polo: Amanda Amorosa '17 and Coach Chris Vidale
2. Basketball Isaiah Lamb '19
3. Lacrosse: Brian Corrigan '18 and J.D. Recor '17
Sports Round-Up

Class of 2022 Commencement Held May 21 and 22 on Campus Green
Marist College conferred 1,671 degrees to graduating students on Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21, 2019. Friday’s ceremony celebrated 450 adult, graduate, and doctoral students and Saturday’s 76th undergraduate commencement ceremony honored 1,221 students on the Campus Green overlooking the Hudson River.

On Saturday, Marist College President Dr. Kevin Weinman addressed the students as part of his first spring Commencement since his arrival as Marist’s fifth President last year. In his speech, President Weinman noted the accomplishments of the students during historic times. He also focused his speech on the importance of humility, measuring success ahead and the challenges currently facing this latest group of graduates, noting the world they enter.

“The world today has problems that are not going to solve themselves. The global community is in dire need of humility, desperate for people who care for others more than themselves,” he said.

He also spoke about students developing their own genuine brand of humility, one that will help lead a life of purpose, service, and one that can help solve the world’s problems.

“You are each your own beautiful, unique, unfolding novel, a Pulitzer in the making,” said Kevin. “What you’ve overcome and are still struggling to overcome. What you love. What you’re afraid of. What inspires you. What you hope your future holds.”

Tenzin Tsundu, class valedictorian and student body president, also addressed his classmates. A dual philosophy and business administration major, he reflected on the challenges ahead for the Class of 2022.

“It has now become more important than ever that we connect across boundaries and learn to live and work with people of different backgrounds and identities,” said Tenzin. “The challenges we face require global effort, commitment and collaboration. Although the problems that lie ahead of us are significant, knowing you, gives me hope,” he said.

Friday evening’s ceremony for adult, master’s, and doctoral students included a keynote address from New York Post Sports columnist and best-selling author Ian O’Connor ’86. During the ceremony, Ian was presented with a Distinguished Alumni Medal in recognition of his success and entrepreneurship.
Ian spoke about choosing Marist and learning to become a writer as well as the glowing reputation of Marist across the country. “If you give a Marist graduate a job, that job will get done the right way. The Marist graduate will attack the day with enthusiasm and with a relentless commitment to excellence.”

Since 2005, Marist College has bestowed the Distinguished Alumni Medal on individuals who exemplify the College’s ideals: excellence in education, a sense of community, and a commitment to service.

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Marist Welcomes Back Class of 2020 for In-Person Commencement
During the spring of 2020, the class finished their time at Marist virtually due to the pandemic, which included a virtual graduation ceremony. Two years later, hundreds of those adult and traditional undergraduate and graduate students made it back to campus for a full Commencement weekend experience.

After a Friday night including Riverfest and fireworks, on Saturday nearly 700 members of the Class of 2020 finally received their deserved opportunity to walk the stage.

“Class of 2020, finally!” exclaimed Marist College President Dr. Kevin Weinman in his opening remarks. “You have waited two years for this moment. Congratulations,” he said. “You’ll be a Red Fox for life, and I hope you are as proud of your connection to Marist as Marist is of you.”

Special guest speaker Dr. Dennis J. Murray, former Marist College President and now President Emeritus, addressed the class after receiving a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree from the College he has served for over forty years. The honor was presented by his son Michael Murray ’06 and President Weinman.

He urged the class to make a difference in the world. “Very few of us here today will have a chance to change the course of history, but all of us will have a chance to change a small portion of events that affect the way we live our lives, and the quality of the lives of those around us. Individuals in your family, workplace, and your community will all be affected by the way you live your life,” said Dennis.

Also addressing the class was undergraduate valedictorian Emmanuelle Farrell and master's graduate Daniel Creedon. Dan received his Bachelor's degree from Marist in 2013 and received the Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies in 2020 while obtaining his MS in Physician Assistant Studies.

Emmanuel, who graduated with a degree in psychology, spoke of the road back to Marist for Commencement and the strong sense of community on campus. “Although we left Marist at a tragic time in global history, our gathering here today represents our unity, regardless of our circumstances,” said Farrell. “We have come this far because of the schools that taught us, the people who supported us and the inner strength that sustained us, and here we are standing on the threshold of our future.”

Daniel discussed his experience and the perspective he has developed after these last two years. “The world has changed more than we could ever imagine. The world we entered as graduates was much different than when we started our journey at Marist,” said Daniel. “We return for our graduation, not as new graduates going out into the world, but instead wearing the many hard taught lessons the world has taught us,” he said.

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Alumnus Wins Tony for his Role in the Revival of Take Me Out
As Director of Operations for Second Stage Theater, Jim Joseph ’91 is part of the leadership team for the organization which produced the revival of Richard Greenberg’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Take Me Out. His team won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play at the 2022 Tony Awards hosted at Radio City Music Hall.

Take Me Out beat out American Buffalo, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, How I Learned to Drive, and Trouble in Mind to win the category.

According to Theatrely, “Take Me Out follows star baseball player Darren Lemming after he comes out of the closet, leaving his teammates stunned and a newcomer furious. A friendship builds with his new accountant as they both discover new layers to their love of the game. The memory play is told through the lens of Kippy as he tells the story.”

Jim graduated from Marist in 1991 with a degree in communications where he was very active with the theatre program. Since graduating, he has worked in many different areas of the performing arts, on and off Broadway, including development, education, marketing, box office, and most notably “front of house” and theatre operations. A video of the acceptance speech can be found here: https://bit.ly/3n7jEez (Jim is seen wearing his mother’s Puerto Rican flag in his collar).

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Alumna Earns Women of Influence Award After 20 Years of Service

Lt. Laura Emanatian ’15MPA recently retired from the Saratoga Springs Police Department after a 20-year career. She was one of five to receive the Women of Influence Award in June 2022.

When Laura started with the Saratoga Springs Police Department in 2001, the “women’s locker room” was a utility closet with no shower or toilet and she would have to go home during her dinner breaks to use the facilities there. Inspired by the female officers who had come before her in the fight for workplace equality, she decided to make her voice heard.

“It was not very well received at the time,” Laura says. The administration was concerned with budgeting and the age of the building. “When you decide to be vocal, you have to be prepared to stand alone because others can be easily manipulated and intimidated.”

Laura advocated for appropriate facilities for eight years before spearheading a complaint filed with the Division of Human Rights against the city. She won in 2008 and women’s locker room was constructed.

Throughout this time, Laura was passed over for promotions on the job. She sued again and won. She then served as an Investigator, Sergeant, and Lieutenant in several divisions. In 2013, she was the first woman from the department to win Officer of the Year award for undercover work.

Laura received her Master of Public Administration from Marist in 2015. Now retired, Laura is enjoying spending time with her husband, Neil, 16-year-old daughter, Laine, and 15-year-old son, Nolan. She enjoys cheering her children on at sporting events and hopes to get more involved with volunteer work in the community. “I need to take time to regroup and really decide what the next thing is going to be, but I’m not done and will continue in the service path.”

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Alumnus Publishes Children’s Book Series to Raise Funds for Rare Stroke Disorder

Michael Kennedy ’89 was diagnosed with Cerebral Autosomal-Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) in 2014. In 2019, he published his first book titled Billie’s Vacation and is now about to release his fourth this fall.

Although Michael’s process has stayed more or less the same, he says it has gotten easier with time. “Both myself and my illustrator had never done a book for our first one so there was a lot of back and forth on formatting of the text, the right kind of files to save the artwork to. Each book went a little smoother than the one before it.”

CADASIL is considered a rare disorder currently but often individuals with CADASIL are misdiagnosed with MS or Parkinson's. “We really need to get the medical community to begin considering it as a potential diagnosis besides the other options,” says Michael. “We also need far more funding to research treatments and possible cures. There are some studies being done and grants being written but it is at a grass roots level right now. I volunteer with cureCADASIL which is a nonprofit who has been able to get five research grants written over the last four years; but that is on the strength of a dedicated Board and CADASIL families stepping up on fundraising; but it is a small group and can always use help and support.”

All proceeds from Michael’s books go to cureCADASIL, a nonprofit that seeks to spread awareness of and finance research into the disease. “Once I was diagnosed, I was trying to figure out a way to get involved and the book writing idea popped into my head, and I figured what have I got to lose. Once I wrote one and it went well, I just kept going.”

Michael graduated from Marist in 1989 with a bachelor's in communications. “As a person, my four years were a tremendous growing experience”, he says. “I was very reserved and shy but gained confidence in my abilities. I left with a great group of friends and memories. I loved the experience. On the academic side, I took a variety of writing courses including screen writing, play writing, wrote some articles for The Circle, and wrote tv and radio news for my internships, so that side of me was always there. I also took some accounting classes and business courses that eventually I was able to utilize when I went to work with my wife in the grooming business she created, and we were able to expand our services when I joined.”

Michael was the first in his family to attend Marist, but since he graduated, his stepdaughter, two nephews, and two nieces have all graduated from Marist as well.

Additional information about Michael, his books, and his work with cureCADASIL can be found at https://www.kenbrightkreations.com/.

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Alumni Leadership Award Presented to Two Graduating Seniors
The Alumni Leadership Award is given to two seniors who exemplify the true spirit of Marist College. Tenzin Tsundu and Harper Anne Finch were awarded the 2022 Alumni Leadership Award during this year’s Baccalaureate Ceremony. The award was presented by Alumni Association President Eileen (Gilfedder) Altobelli ’82.

Recipients of this award have made a significant contribution to the Marist community and show promise as loyal and supportive members of the Alumni Association. Nominations are made by Marist alumni currently working at the College.

Since coming the Marist from Colorado, Harper Anne has immersed herself in volunteer opportunities such as the Liberty Partnership Program, the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie, and Marist Children’s Theatre. In Marist Theatre, she rose from director of marketing to vice president to, ultimately, president. She simultaneously held the role of vice president of the Marist Advertising Association.

Harper was enrolled in the 5-year integrated marketing communication program at Marist where she obtained a Master’s degree. Upon graduation, she plans to merge her love of theatre with advertising and hopes to work for Broadway shows.

Tenzin, an international student from Nepal, graduated with a dual degree in business administration and philosophy.

Tenzin’s commitment to service has shown through his roles as president of ARCO, president of Marian Hall Council, vice president of academic affairs in SGA, and most recently as student body president. As the College emerged from the pandemic restrictions, he strove to bring back the Red Fox Spirit by focusing on student engagement, well-being, and collaboration.

He has also served on the Middle States Reaccreditation Steering Committee and interned in wealth management with Morgan Stanley. He hopes to work in finance and use that knowledge to help nonprofits in developing countries.

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Marist Fashion Program Dazzles at Silver Needle Runway Show
by Anthony Proia

Hard work, dedication, and creativity were intricately woven into the many garments that were on display as the 36th Marist College Silver Needle Runway (SNR) Show lit up McCann Arena on May 6. Marist Fashion Program students showcased garments designed and realized in a runway setting with a large, cheering crowd in attendance.

SNR is the largest event production presented by Marist and features concepts brought to life by talented designers & future fashion leaders. Produced entirely by students of the School of Communications and the Arts, the presentation closes out the academic year with a community-wide celebration.

Held for the first time in McCann Arena with some 1,700 witnessing in person and thousands more tuning in virtually, this year’s SNR show’s event theme was Dream, meant to evoke a release from social stressors and give an opportunity to explore opportunities beyond current reality.

From the event stage, Marist College Fashion Program Director John Bartlett made reference to the extraordinary effort of the students and their focus on the important tenets of the program.

“These students are thinking about the world around them, from sustainability to body positivity from diversity, equity and inclusion and belonging to gender identity,” said Bartlett. “These young people are approaching the fashion industry through the lens of social justice and I find that incredibly inspiring and comforting.”

Twenty-four student designers participated, with more than three dozen Fashion Show Production class students involved in the stunning production. The Marist College Dance Ensemble and the Marist College Orchestra also performed.

“The Fashion Program is a true gem here at Marist College,” said President Weinman. “Our students leave here prepared to thrive in the Fashion industry for two reasons. First, they pour themselves into their design and merchandising classes, internships and projects, learning from the very best. Secondly, they do so within the context of the liberal arts, developing critical thinking skills that will make them well-rounded professionals.”

Jennifer Finn, Fashion Program Department Chair at Marist, added that the program has received a number of significant recent recognitions. “The Marist Fashion Program has much to be proud of this year. Despite challenges faced from the pandemic, our enrollment remains strong,” she said. “It’s been an exciting year, as our Fashion Program students have seen success in significant national competitions.”

Ava Grand ’22 took the award for Designer of the Year. Her collection, Retreat, brings awareness to sustainability by reusing bags from the fast-fashion brand Shein and from knits destined for the landfill. Ava has also explored using platforms such as TikTok to build a community with her followers and share her message.

“Making this journey, starting four years ago, coming to Marist, I sat in this gym,” said Ava reflecting back upon receiving the award. “I wanted this to be my future and here I am today and so proud of everyone I’ve worked with to make this happen,” she said.

Ava says she is proud of taking on the sustainability issue by reusing the bags in a practical way. “Not only does it speak a message to change the concept of repurposing, but it does it in a fashionable light,” she said. “Having a voice socially made this easier to get my message out there.”

Each of Ava’s looks incorporated three to ten Shein bags. Technically, each Shein bag is made of two plastic bags, which provided “a lot more square-footage than imaginable,” she says. “I had a no-waste mentality. Therefore, I used each part of the bag and saved each scrap to add in patchwork statements, also known as bojagi. Within my four looks, each comes with an accessory handbag that easily showcases about twenty (Shein) bags.”

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Student Donated Hundreds of Pounds of Fresh Produce through Marist Community Garden Project

Through Marist’s Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership, Jessica Hawkins ’22 has donated hundreds of pounds of fresh produce from the Marist Community Garden and is working to ensure the garden continues to give back.

After receiving the position of Summer Associate through AmeriCorps for Summer 2021, Jessica began planting and harvesting fresh produce from the Marist Community Garden, resulting in hundreds of pounds of produce donated to the local community.

As a Summer Associate for AmeriCorps, Jessica aimed to alleviate a critical national issue outlined by AmeriCorps. They have identified food insecurity as a significant issue across the nation and awarded Marist the opportunity to have a fully-funded position tackling food insecurity in the local community.

Established in 2016 by former honors students, the Marist Community Garden focuses on giving back to the local community. Stipulated by the founding students, 50% of all produce grown in the garden must be donated to the local community, something Jessica met and exceeded throughout summer 2021. With the help of local organizations such as Dutchess Outreach, a local community-based organization helping feed people in need, she was able to ensure produce is placed in the hands of local residents. Last summer, she and Professor Campisi donated 380 pounds of produce to the local community.

Throughout the 2021-2022, Jessica worked to increase student engagement in the Community Garden in many ways, hoping to extend the garden's longevity long after her time at Marist concludes. “We're trying to increase community engagement, and we're trying to get organizations that are already established in the garden,” she said.

Through the Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership, Jessica taught students the in’s and out’s of the Community Garden and “to get their hands dirty.” She’s also created almanacs that include the difference between plants and weeds, how to grow different food and germination period, how much water plants like, the soil they grow best in, and much more to ensure other planet bed owners can have the best yield possible.

Additionally, Jessica created recipes based on the produce grown in the garden. “I compiled probably around 100 recipes based off of all of the foods that are growable in this climate,” she said.

A short video highlighting Jessica’s success can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-TtEBw9PGA.

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Sports Comm: ESPN Producer Chris Riviezzo '96 Named Interim Director of Marist’s Center for Sports Communication and Bob Costas Given Lifetime Excellence Award
by Anthony Proia

Marist College has named long-time ESPN producer Chris Riviezzo '96 as the Interim Director of the College’s Center for Sports Communication. Riviezzo, who is a Marist alumnus and Dutchess County native, has been a highly regarded studio producer at ESPN for more than two decades, working on productions of some of the biggest events in sports.

Since his arrival at ESPN in 2001, Chris has been involved in studio productions for the network’s National Football League coverage, the FIFA Men’s and Women’s World Cup, the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the NCAA Women’s Final Four, Major League Soccer and will continue to be a part of ESPN's College Football coverage in the fall. He now brings his world class experience from ESPN to the Center for Sports Communication at Marist, a program which has become a global leader in the study of sports journalism, information and experiential learning.

“I have been fortunate enough to work on some of the highest stakes productions in sports during my career,” says Chris. “I look forward to the opportunity to take much of what I’ve learned over these many years to enhance the experience of Marist students in the Center for Sports Communication.”

A graduate of the Marist Class of 1996, Chris has stayed close to his Marist roots, working as an adjunct professor since 2019, where he teaches a sports broadcasting class. While he has worked at ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut, for more than twenty years, Marist has always been top of mind for him.

Earlier this year, Marist College’s Center for Sports Communication honored legendary journalist Bob Costas with its Lifetime Excellence in Sports Communication Award. Long the face of NBC and HBO Sports and a continued presence in national sports media, Costas received the award in front of a room filled with long-time colleagues and friends, along with Marist staff, faculty, alumni and Sports Communication students on April 29 at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. Established in 2015, the award raises funds to support the Marist College Center for Sports Communication.

“This has a distinct place among the various tips of the cap that come your way when you’re just around long enough and in the right place at the right time long enough and you get some of the benefit of that,” said Costas from the event stage. “It’s distinctive because the emphasis is journalism and journalism is not the only thing I’ve done but I’m happy that it’s among the things that I’ve done,” he said.

Costas joined Marist Center for Sports Communication Director at the time Jane McManus for a panel discussion, which was a wide-ranging talk on his career, featuring stories about memorable interviews throughout the years and his approach to them. ESPN Radio host and Marist adjunct professor Freddie Coleman served as master of ceremonies for the event.

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New Season of Marist Connections Featuring Red Fox Athletes who Went Pro

Water Polo: Amanda Amorosa '17 and Coach Chris Vidale
Amanda made the junior national Canadian team in 2014 and participated in the Junior World Championship in Triste, Italy. She played at Marist College from 2013 through 2017. After college. Amanda went to Lille, France to play professionally for two years. While there, she partook in the European world championship tournament and won the French championship both years.

In 2019 she returned to Canada to prepare for the 2020 Olympics. Now she is playing professionally in Greece for the club of Rethymno.

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Basketball Isaiah Lamb '19
Isaiah graduated from Marist in 2019 with a degree in business administration. He has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice. He was a four-year starter as a forward on the Marist Men’s basketball team. After graduating, Isaiah went on to play professional basketball in Yerevan, Armenia, while completing a certification in personal training.

When COVID hit, Isaiah returned home to run Lo-Lamb Company, an online fitness-based company that sells activewear and home exercise equipment that he had started in 2018 while attending Marist.

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Lacrosse: Brian Corrigan '18 and J.D. Recor '17
Brian played goalie for the men’s lacrosse team and was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Year twice. After graduating, he played for the New York Lizards Lacrosse Team from 2018 to 2020. He now works in New York City as an Underwriter for Chubb Insurance.

J.D. played attack for the men’s lacrosse team and was named to all MAAC team four times. He holds the record for all-time career assists. After graduating, J.D. played professionally for the Charlotte Hounds and the New York Lizards. He also coached Marist Lacrosse from 2018 to 2019

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Sports Round-Up

Track Athlete Finishes in 7th Place at USATF U20 Championships
Rising sophomore Marissa Sciotto concluded the USATF U20 Championships at the University of Oregon. Sciotto finished in seventh place in the 10k racewalk and crossed the finish line with a time of 56:74.98.

"I am extremely proud of how Marissa competed in her first USA National Championship race. She really raced very consistent and strong throughout," said Coach Chuck Williams. "For her time at the 10k distance she really raced very smart and bodes well for the future as this is just the first of many national meets to come."

Swim Records Broken at ECAC Championships; Grace Reeves wins Gold.
Christopher Dauser, Ahmed Sallam, Ethan McCormac, and Devin White broke the 200 free relay school record, taking home second place at ECAC. The men's 200 medley relay team also broke a school record with a time of 1:29:36, which was good for second place in the event. Ahmed made history in the 100-free, placing in first for the event and setting a new ECAC record. The 4x100 free relay team of Sallam, White, McCormac, and Dauser kept bringing in the accolades, breaking the school record with time of 2:59.39 and finishing in third place.

On the women's side, Grace Reeves won gold in the 3-meter dive.

Coach Tracz, Eight Red Foxes Win MAAC Yearly Awards
The Red Foxes had Coach Tracz, along with eight athletes earn All-MAAC honors and 17 student-athletes named to the All-MAAC Academic Team.

In his 13th season at the helm Head Coach Chris Tracz was named MAAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Tracz led the Red Foxes to a nation's-best 11 game win streak at the end of the season.

Gene Napolitano (catcher). Gavin Noriega (first baseman), Brian Hart (outfielder), and Erubiel Candelario (pitcher) were named to the all-MAAC First Team.

Marist Men’s Rowing Completes Season at IRA National Championships
The Marist Men's Rowing Team completed their season at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championship Regatta. Marist qualified for the 2022 IRA on the back of an excellent spring racing season as well as an exciting close finish with MIT at the NIRC championships in May. The team attended the regatta with three crews, the varsity eight, 2nd varsity eight and varsity four and competed against 24 other programs from around the country.

Marist placed 25th in the V4, and the V8 and 2V8 each took 21st.

Water Polo's Chris Vidale Ready to Coach at an International Level
Marist women's water polo coach Chris Vidale is heading overseas this summer to coach the Team USA Futures team. Vidale will be managing the team in Volos, Greece from July 31 to August 9.

"What an honor to be apart of these young athletes journey with the USA national team pipeline," said Coach Vidale. "Our womens team has been dominate internationally and I am excited and humbled to be apart of this process and hopefully some of these athletes will be representing the USA at an Olympics one day. What a cool experience to say I coached these young ladies in the beginning of their careers with team USA."

Vidale concluded his sixth season at the helm for Marist in 2022 where the Red Foxes had an overall record of 25-14 and an 11-4 record in conference. The Red Foxes qualified for the MAAC Tournament and were defeated in the semi-final round. In 2021, the Vidale led Marist to a MAAC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.

Marist Softball’s McDonald, Baratta Honored by ECAC
Sophomore third baseman Miah McDonald and graduate shortstop Caroline Baratta of the Marist softball team were both honored by the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC). McDonald was named to the All-ECAC Team, and Baratta earned Honorable Mention. Both were named First Team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) this season.

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