When it was time for Nick Legakis ’97SVC, ’07MPS to attend
college, the choice of where to spend the next four years was an
easy one. His family had just moved to New Jersey, and
Legakis was looking for a local college with an exceptional
Communications curriculum. After seeing what St. John’s
University had to offer, he stopped looking.
“St. John’s had the best Communications program, including great
affiliations with so many professional media outlets in the New
York area,” he said. “I knew that I wanted to do internships
in journalism or television, and so St. John’s was the ideal place
for me.”
Legakis was an involved student, honing his writing skills while
working on the campus newspaper and yearbook. During the
summer between his junior and senior year, he secured the
internship he wanted at the local cable television facility on
Staten Island, and was soon offered a paid position as a freelance
camera operator. In March of his senior year, his freelance
position became full-time. “I had a job waiting for me even
before I graduated,” he said. “Everything that I hoped to
achieve when I decided to attend
St. John’s had come true. The University gave me the
opportunity to learn all aspects of the Communications field, and
that really prepared me for my first career.”
In addition to camera and production work, Legakis was soon offered
an opportunity to do some on-air work as a sportscaster. “In
1998 I became the Sports Anchor for the local cable news show,
doing play-by-play for a variety of high school and college sports
events on Staten Island. I still do it free-lance whenever I
get the chance.”
Legakis’ return to St. John’s began in 2000 when a former professor
called and asked him to teach a course in television production
off-site at a professional studio on Staten Island. He was
happy for the chance to come back to alma mater, and the course
went so well that he soon became a regular adjunct instructor,
teaching two courses each semester. Always an active alumnus,
he became even more involved with his fellow graduates, attending
many events and serving on a variety of alumni committees.
When he was offered the position of Advancement Coordinator on the
Staten Island campus, he was quick to accept. He was named
Director, Institutional Advancement, Staten Island in 2009.
“I love wearing both hats of Development and Alumni Relations,” he
said. “I get to plan events, meet the alumni and hear all of
their stories from years ago. It’s wonderful to meet so many
interesting people who have succeeded because of St. John’s.
For me, that reinforces my own St. John’s diploma, when I see how
so many other people have excelled in life because of their
connection to the University, and because of the Vincentian values
that mean so much to us all.”
Those values are pivotal for Legakis and his wife, the former Cathi
Guglielmo ’98SVC, ’06GEd, even more today than during their student
days. “To have the opportunity to live in the Vincentian way,
to spend some time realizing what it is to be Vincentian throughout
the day is something we really appreciate. As part of the St.
John’s family, living our Vincentian values isn’t an obligation,
it’s an honor, and we totally endorse it.”
Legakis looks forward to even greater involvement with Staten
Island campus alumni in the future. “Over the last few years
we’ve really strengthened our Staten Island Alumni Association,” he
noted happily. “The events are consistently well attended and
our alumni are interested and excited about coming back to St.
John’s. That’s telling me that as long as we can continue to
respond to the needs and interests of every segment of our alumni
population, we’ll be able to do an even better job in the
future.”