ST. JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK TO HONOR ALUMNI AT ANNUAL GALA

September 22, 2025

BROOKLYN and PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – September 22, 2025 – St. Joseph’s University, New York (SJNY) will honor six distinguished alumni at its annual Esse Non Videri Gala Awards, toasting the best of St. Joseph’s and raising funds for student scholarships on Friday, October 17 at the Garden City Hotel in Garden City, New York.

“We are proud to recognize this year’s honorees for the incredible impact they are making in their communities,” said Rory Shaffer-Walsh, vice president for institutional advancement at SJNY. “These individuals are inspirational and we look forward to celebrating and congratulating them for their impressive achievements.”

This year’s honorees are:

  • President’s Esse Non Videri Award: Roger A. Delisle, Jr. ’94, MBA, managing director and commercial broker, Island Associates Real Estate, Inc. 
  • Lifetime of Leading Award: Holly O’Grady Cook ’84, Esq., senior associate executive director of the American Bar Association’s Governmental Affairs Office and the Center for Public Interest Law
  • St. Joseph’s Alumni Excellence Award: John Melandro ’17, fifth grade teacher at Tangier Smith Elementary and Milken Educator Award Winner (NY ’24)
  • Rising Star Award: Sashoy Milton ’20, associate health scientist for Stantec
  • Rising Star Award: Yesenny Fernandez ’19, associate director of data management/ECM for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media
  • Legacy of Service to Society Award: Julia Cuttino Bennett ’78, R.N. (posthumous), head nurse and nursing supervisor for Harlem Hospital Center

The event begins with a cocktail reception at 7 p.m., followed by dinner and award presentations at 8 p.m.

For more information regarding the Esse Non Videri Gala Awards Dinner, visit sjny.edu/gala, email [email protected] or call 631.687.2655. 

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK
St. Joseph’s University, New York has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the University provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility and service. Through its Brooklyn, Long Island and Online campuses, the University offers degrees in more than 100 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.