August 02, 2010
Even before she entered her first class as a freshman, Kristy
Horning was committed to becoming involved with St. John’s
University on a number of levels. She was hired as a student worker
in August, 2002 in what was then known as the Office of Development
and Alumni Relations on the Staten Island campus, a position she
would hold for her entire time as an undergraduate. Little did she
know that the knowledge and experience she was acquiring during
those early years would serve her well when she returned to the
University in a professional capacity in the future.
As
is the case with many students, Horning’s decision to enroll at St.
John’s was based on a variety of factors. “I was offered a generous
academic scholarship and also received an additional Sr. Helen
Flynn Scholarship for students attending the Staten Island campus,”
she said. “St. John’s was close to home, which made for an easy
commute. Many of my friends were coming here and, most importantly,
St. John’s offered the academic programs and supportive environment
that I wanted.”
Although she began her studies as a Business major, she quickly
developed an affinity for Communications and decided to pursue that
degree in St. John’s College of Professional Studies, from which
she graduated in 2006. Not surprisingly, it was Horning’s
involvement with the University that helped her land her first job
not long after commencement.
“I actually got my first job by attending a career fair at St.
John’s,” she recalled. “I wanted to work in the medical field and
accepted a position at Sloan-Kettering in New York City as a Clinic
Administrator. I really enjoyed working with the doctors and
patients, and stayed in that position for nearly a year before Nick
Legakis [’97SVC, ’07MPS, Director, Institutional Advancement,
Staten Island] contacted me and offered me a Graduate Assistantship
at St. John’s.”
Horning left Sloan Kettering and enrolled as a full-time graduate
student, again working in the Office of Institutional Advancement,
this time as a Graduate Assistant. She was hired as Assistant
Director, Office of Alumni Relations in December, 2009 and was
awarded her Master’s degree in Psychology in January, 2010.
In her current position, she works closely with alumni constituent
groups from St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, St.
John’s College of Professional Studies and the St. John’s
University Alumnae Association. For Horning, it’s a labor of
love.
“I’m a people person, and I really love meeting our alumni and
finding out all of the interesting things that they’ve done with
their lives. They have so many great stories to tell, and they’re
so committed to St. John’s. I also love connecting our students
with the alumni, especially through specific initiatives like the
Alumni Insider’s View…Program. The connection between our students
and alumni is really important for both groups, and I’m glad to be
a part of making that happen.” Acknowledging the significance
of the Vincentian values that are so central to the University’s
mission, Horning noted that reaching out to others has been a part
of her life since her student days on campus. “The Vincentian
values are very important to me,” she said. “When I was an
undergraduate I was the Charity Chairperson for my sorority and was
also very involved with the Breast Cancer Walk. Now I’m a part of
the Vincentian Mission Program, which entails putting our values
into action through such things as preparing meals for Midnight
Runs where we bring food to the homeless of New York City. I also
find that more alumni are embracing their Vincentian values. The
younger people seem to be more vocal about it, but it’s prevalent
throughout so many of our alumni.”
She is pleased to see that more alumni are becoming involved with
the University, and is committed to doing whatever it takes to make
those connections even stronger in the future.
“The alumni are definitely taking a greater interest in St.
John’s,’ she noted, “and I’d like to see them become even more
proactive than they are now. The more feedback we get from our
alumni, the more they let us know what’s really important to them,
the better we’ll be able to serve their needs and strengthen their
connection to the University. Ideally, I would love to get so many
calls from the alumni that my phone rings off the hook.”