OT student Daniela Naclerio assists preschoolers and Sisters with an intergenerational arts and crafts activity.

Students in the Occupational Therapy Program have been working with Dominican Sisters at the Convent in Blauvelt as part of their Level I fieldwork. Two of the students, Alyana Pomerantz and Daniela Naclerio created an intergenerational program which involved preschoolers from St. Catharine’s Early Childhood Center playing and doing arts and crafts with  Sisters from the Infirmary on Friday, November 3.

Michael Pizzi, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy, said,  “So the students are creating right now a more interactive thing between the Sisters and the preschoolers and if you observe, the Sisters are smiling.  They are engaged.  When they are sitting in their rooms, there is nothing else going on and they sleep.”

Other activities that the OT students have used to engage the Sisters include gardening, cooking, and painting, as well as socialization and memory activities.

Student Deset Seyoum, a recent L.I.F.E. scholarship winner, is shown here on the Dominican College campus,

Social Work student Deset Seyoum has been awarded a scholarship from the Lupus Inspiration Foundation for Excellence (L.I.F.E.).  L.I.F.E.’s mission is to promote lupus awareness and award merit-based scholarships to college students diagnosed with the disease.  The foundation also offers support to the students. 

“It’s my dream come true, “ said Deset. “I feel that there’s someone who can understand me and help me so it means a lot to me.”

Deset is a native of Ethiopia and after moving here to be with her husband in 2014, became very ill with joint pain and rashes. When she was finally diagnosed with lupus, one of her kidneys was nearly failing and she had to take about 15 medications daily. Today, Deset said she is almost in remission and she takes just four medications.   

Deset discovered the L.I.F.E. scholarship application while she was surfing the web for information about lupus. She credits Debra Moniz, Director of the Academic Success Center (ASC), and Sr. Ursula McGovern, O.P.,  a professional tutor at the ASC, with assisting her with the scholarship application.

Freshmen moved into Hertel Residence Hall on Thursday, August 24.

The 2017-2018 school year has begun with the arrival of the Class of 2021.  Freshmen moved into Hertel Residence Hall on Thursday, August 24, 2017, with the help of Orientation Leaders and athletes. From Thursday evening through Saturday, all freshmen participate in Orientation activities which help them become familiar with the College and make new friends.   

“New Student Orientation is an exciting and important time.  Our Charger family grows and our student leaders show the best of Dominican College. As we welcome new students, we endeavor to teach them Dominican values and principles, and share the spirit of our founders, which will serve them in the pursuit of a fulfilling career and life, “  said Christine Dilts, Assistant Dean for Student Development.

The Fall Semester gets underway on Monday, August 28.  Most freshmen (35.6 percent) plan to study Nursing. Other popular majors include Athletic Training, Biology, and Criminal Justice. 

Raymond J. McGuire, J.D, Citi’s Global Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, delivered the Commencement Address at Dominican College’s Graduation Ceremony on May 21, 2017.

More than 530 Dominican College students received their diplomas on Sunday, May 21, 2017, during the 63^rd Annual Commencement Exercises at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. The Class of 2017 included the first seven students to earn the newly-offered Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

Raymond J. McGuire, J.D., Citi’s Global Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, delivered the Commencement Address. The graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Law School worked his way up to the top of the Investment Banking field from modest beginnings in inner city Dayton, Ohio, where he was raised by his mother, a social worker. McGuire has advised on numerous transactions valued at well over $600 billion, including advising Time Warner on its $108 billion transaction with AT&T, the fifth largest merger and acquisition transaction of all time.

During his address, McGuire gave the students advice on how to live their lives. “Gain respect through how well you perform and admiration through the deeds that you do.  Trust is the most hallowed bond in any relationship.  Treat it as you would the most heartfelt prayer,” he said.  “Be slow.  Be slow to give your word.  Never, ever compromise it.  Ignore the odds.  Neither you nor I would be here if we had listened to them.” He concluded by urging the students to become leaders, to make a difference, and stressed that their moral compass is non-negotiable. 

At the Commencement, McGuire was presented with an honorary degree, Doctor of Humanities. Mary P. Leahy, M.D., CEO, Bon Secours Charity Health System received the honorary degree of Doctor of Science. Other honorees included Jill A. Warner, LCSW, Executive Director/CEO, Jawonio, who received the Veritas Medal, and Amy Pitiger Noelle, ’96, who received the Badami Outstanding Alumna Award. 

The Class of 2017 included 370 students who earned undergraduate degrees and 167 students who earned advanced degrees.

Click here to view photographs

2017 COMMENCEMENT by Dominican College on Exposure

Senior Joseph Key, shown above, took part in an interactive workshop to promote the inclusion of diverse voices in the entertainment industry.

Senior Joseph Key was one of just 31 students chosen statewide to participate in Pitch NY – a  program for aspiring filmmakers, producers, and writers. During the day-long interactive workshop, the students heard from industry leaders, pitched their ideas, and got advice.  The workshop took place at NBCUniversal’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza studios. 

While Joseph is a Nursing major, he explains that he has two passions in life – nursing, which he finds very fulfilling, and filmmaking, which allows him to express his creativity. Before attending Dominican College, he spent one year at the New York Film Academy. In his free time, he produces videos and short films and shares them on the internet. 

Joseph is very grateful that he was given the opportunity to participate in this workshop. “I  didn’t realize the stakes until I actually got there and they told us that they received hundreds of applications, “  he said. 

The event, hosted by the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development and NBCUniversal Studios, in collaboration with the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, is the latest State initiative to promote the inclusion of diverse voices in the entertainment industry.

Students ate blindfolded at the Dining in the Dark event sponsored by the new club Equal Access for All so they could experience how it feels to be blind or visually impaired.

A new Student Activities Club called Equal Access for All caught the attention of Dominican College students with its first event – Dining in the Dark. During the event, students and a few administrators ate dinner while blindfolded to understand the challenges faced by people who are blind or visually impaired. 

The President of the fledgling club, Jose Del Orden, is blind himself and said he hoped the event was both interesting and memorable. “The goal of this club is to spread awareness of disabilities in ways that are new and not only educational, but also entertaining, “  he said. 

Freshman Alayna Heegan was among those in attendance and spoke as she struggled to eat her salad.   “I feel like it’s all over the table,” she said.  “I’m getting of better understanding of how blind people feel and definitely will try to help them out.”

About 50 people attended the event  on Thursday, November 3, 2016, in the Lawrence Room of Rosary Hall.