Terrier Volume 76, Number 1 - Spring 2012 | Page 16

Hispanic Leadership – Ready To Lead

Terrier Sports

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do. You’ll be taking
or Michael Conenna ’06, coming back
responsibility for your
to St. Francis College to talk to high
own actions.”
school students about their futures felt
“Stay focused,” she
like coming home.
advised. “Have fun,
On Dec. 10, 2011, the College welcomed
but stay focused.”
nearly 200 high school students from New
York City and surrounding areas, along with
Jamaal Womack
approximately 30 St. Francis alumni, current
’09 was President
students and guests who participated in the
of the Student
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s
Government
national Ready to Lead (R2L) program.
Association at
Hispanic Caucus member Congresswoman
St. Francis and is
Nydia Velazquez began the day telling the
now the College’s
students about R2L. The program helps to
Resident Director.
prepare students for college with interactive,
Although he origidaylong workshops on leadership and college
nally planned to study
Actor Wilmer Valderrama and singer Kat DeLuna with participating students.
planning, and programs that enable the
law, he later shifted
students to network with mentors and
his major to political
Institute. In addition to Congresswomen
community leaders.
science. He told a group of students to
Velazquez, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke
This was the first time St. Francis College
keep an open mind and to experiment with
also addressed the students.
hosted the R2L program, said Ruben
different interests.
“Jobs are very important in the current
“You’ll see when you get to college that
Gonzalez ’04, assistant director of student
economic time, and accessing higher educaother things will catch your eye,” said
activities. During the program’s “mentoring
Womack, who captained the St. Francis Men’s tion is just as important,” said Clarke, who
power hour,” volunteers made their way
spoke at the end of the mentoring session.
Basketball team his senior year and went on
around the Genovesi Center, meeting with
“I’m relying on you to be successful, to
to play professional ball
groups of students in
persevere and show the best of who you can
in Europe. “The most
speed-dating style to
important thing is to get be,” she said. “We are so proud of you, and
share experiences and
your success is our success.”
to school … once you’re
answer questions that
Director of Athletics Irma Garcia ’80
in, there’re always
ranged from navigating
welcomed the students at the day’s beginning,
opportunities.”
the college application
sharing her St. Francis College experience
process to obtaining
Robert Calhoun ’13, a
financial aid and developjunior at St. Francis who (she earned a scholarship) and recounting
how she turned her background as a student
ing effective study habits.
is majoring in Sociology
athlete into a career that enabled her to move
“There was a very
and Psychology, said
up the ranks of the athletic department at
drastic variation in their
he hopes to become an
Xavier Gonzales ’12 with Ruben Gonzalez ’04.
St. Francis. Garcia emphasized the imporideas of what college is.
academic advisor and
tance of finding mentors, telling the group,
Some had a plan, and others had no idea
career counselor. The mentoring event gave
what they wanted to do and are still figuring
him an opportunity to share what he’s learned “You now have me as your mentor.”
At the end of the power hour, Womack
it out,” said Conenna, who is now a science
with the younger students.
said the experience meant as much to the
and night school teacher at Abraham Lincoln
“In high school, nobody told me anything
volunteers as the students.
High School in Coney Island. “It was great
about college,” he said. “It’s good to give
“It benefits both sides, but the mentoring
for them to talk to someone who has done
your background to the students, to tell them
is something that’s almost more valuable for
what they’re trying to do.”
about where you went to college and why.”
the mentors,” Womack noted. “When you see
He said the main message he wanted to
In addition to helping them prepare for
the future right in front of you and how bright
impart was: “I went to college on a scholartheir futures, some of the attendees said the
it is, you see that you’re going the right way.”
ship and there are scholarships for you.”
program gave them skills they can start
Several mentors stressed that success after
applying in high school.
Michael Conenna ’06
high school will require hard work and
“I’m the president of the Christian
personal responsibility. In response to a
Club at my school and I wanted to get
question about how to seek out scholarships,
a better understanding of how to lead
and get things done,” said Geneviva
Bryant Nolasco ’09 advised a group of
Dodoo, a Bronx high school senior.
students to call the schools in which they are
The event included presentations
interested and ask about financial aid and
from actor and R2L spokesman
work-study opportunities.
Wilmer Valderrama, singer
“It’s all up to you,” Elizabeth Cortes ’04
Kat DeLuna and representatives
told a table of students. “There won’t be
teachers everyday telling you what you have to from Banco Popular and the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
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Terriers Men’s Basketball Coach Glenn Braica
Named NEC Coach of the Year

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erriers’ head coach Glenn Braica was named the 2011-12 Jim Phelan Northeast
Conference Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year. In addition, the National Association
of Basketball Coaches (NABC) named Braica the Division I Co-District 18 Coach of
the Year along with former LIU Brooklyn head coach Jim Ferry and Robert Morris’ Andrew
Toole. In just his second year at the helm of the St. Francis (NY) program, Braica has transformed the Terriers into NEC contenders, perhaps more quickly than many expected. The
Terriers were picked 11th in the preseason coaches’ poll and finished the year as the No. 4 seed
in the Northeast Conference Tournament. After a slow, injury-filled start of the 2011-12 season,
the Terriers picked up steam after New Years winning nine of 10 games to vault into the upper
tier of the Northeast Conference standings. By the season’s end, St. Francis had won 12 league
contests, the most for the program since 2003-04. The Terriers hosted their first NEC playoff
game since 1997 this past March.

Freshman Jalen Cannon
Named to the NEC’s
All-Rookie Squad

Freshman Swimmer
Gareth Livingstone Sets Six
School Records

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ne of the key elements to St. Francis’ (NY) surprise season
was the emergence of Jalen Cannon ’15. The 6-foot 6-inch
Allentown, PA native was a dominant force on the glass for
the Terriers. His work under the basket helped the Terriers improve
from 10th in the conference in rebound margin a year ago to fourth in
2011-12. “In addition to being an outstanding player, Jalen is an
outstanding person and is a pleasure to coach,” said Terriers’ head
coach Glenn Braica. “We are very proud of him and he’s without
question the best rebounder that I have ever coached. Jalen can be one
of the best players in the league and we look forward to him being the
cornerstone of our team for the next three years.” The power forward
was the nation’s second-leading freshman rebounder and ranked
fourth overall in the NEC with
8.8 per game. He posted games of
19 and 20 rebounds over a 10-day
span in February with the
20-board outing against FDU this
past Saturday tying for the NEC
single-game season-high. The
monster efforts on the glass were
also the two most prolific rebound
performances by an NEC
freshman since 2001. Cannon also
was named Choice Hotels NEC
Rookie of the Week on Jan. 16.
Jalen Cannon ’15

reshman swimmer Gareth Livingstone ’15 made quite an
impact in his first season as a Terrier. The Johannesburg, South
African native had a hand in six St. Francis College records,
three as a member of a relay squad at the 2012 Metropolitan
Championships. Livingstone established a new standard in the 100
Butterfly with a time of 51.44, placing seventh overall. In addition, he
broke a new school mark in the 100 Freestyle with a time of 46.76 and
also the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:44.4, a record which was held
for 28 years on Remsen Street. Livingstone also was a key member of
the Terriers’ 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, and 400 Medley Relay
teams that inked new school marks. He was just a hair shy of setting a
new standard in the 500 Freestyle, missing the mark by 1.9 seconds.
“He helped
change the
culture of the
team and I
expect him to
continue in his
growth and
become a
leader in the
future,” said
Terriers’ head
coach Brian
Guidera.
Gareth Livingstone ’15
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