Campus Activities Give CPS
Graduate "Building Blocks for Life"
As a student leader at St. John's, Thomas J. Heaney '10CPS found
that hard work and discipline usually win big rewards.
But when he applied as a junior to the University’s elite
President’s Society, T.J. originally warned himself not to set his
hopes too high.
“I’d had a strong record in academics, service, getting involved,"
said Thomas, whose friends call him T.J. "But I’d heard
stories about some truly exceptional students who didn’t make
it.”
So T.J. “was in disbelief” when he received the letter saying he
had been accepted. “At first, I wondered if it was a bad April
Fool’s joke. But my parents called to tell me they also received a
letter. We were thrilled.”
The President's Society capped T.J.'s four years of success
at St. John's. Majoring in Sport Management at the Staten
Island campus, he made time to get involved on campus while
succeeding academically.
In the summer before his first semester, he took part in one of
St. John's popular service "plunges," helping prepare schools in
Germantown, PA, for fall. He wrote for Stormfront, the student
newspaper, and served on the Multicultural Advisory Committee.
T.J. also gravitated toward Campus Ministry, joining "Midnight
Runs" and contributing to University Service Day. His most
memorable experience was in New Orleans, helping to restore homes
ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
"These experience have definitely prepared me for anything I do
after St. John's," he observed. "They're building blocks for
life."
Read T.J.'s full story