July 23, 2012
Stanyell Bruce ’99SVC, ’03GEd knows how to get the most out of
college.
This dedicated double alumna and former St. John’s
administrator never wasted a minute of her student days, taking on
time-consuming leadership roles in a number of prominent campus
organizations She served as President of Haraya, the Pan-African
Students’ Coalition, worked as an Orientation Leader and
participated in the on-campus Alpha Mentoring Program.
These activities ultimately helped Bruce realize that she loved
academia and had no desire to leave. After graduating, she worked
at St. John’s in Campus Activities before transitioning to a
Student Development role at Columbia University. She currently
serves as Director of Alumni Relations at the University of
Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
“Working in a collegiate environment keeps me young at heart,”
Bruce explained. “And I got that foundation at St. John’s. In fact,
it’s precisely because of my involvement on campus that I realized
how much I love the academic setting. It’s totally unique, allowing
employees to mold young students while simultaneously satisfying
their own intellectual curiosity.”
In her current position, Bruce reaches out to UMBC’s over 57,000
alumni, organizing events to keep them connected. But though she’s
now living nearly 200 miles from Queens, she never forgets her St.
John’s roots and often visits her friends and former colleagues on
campus.
“When I come back to Queens, I step onto campus and my jaw hits the
ground,” she said. “Back when I left the University in 2003, we
didn’t have the new D’Angelo Center and we were just beginning to
build the dorms. The changes are incredible, and alumni like myself
are floored by all the improvements.”
Perhaps the most important part of Bruce’s St. John’s education was
how it broadened her horizons, expanding her views of culture and
service. These are all valuable attributes that she believes shaped
who she is today.
“I didn’t know what it meant to attend a ‘Vincentian’ institution
back when I was an incoming freshman,” she explained. “But now,
looking back, I can say confidently that there is no other school
in New York like St. John’s. I tried Indian and Caribbean food for
the first time here on the Queens campus. I met classmates from all
over the globe. This university gives its students an incredible
life foundation.”
In a recent trip back to campus, Bruce met with a current member of
Haraya and discussed with him the changes that have gone on at St.
John’s in the past 10 years. And although the University has
certainly changed, Bruce was glad to hear that the extracurricular
activities on campus were still having a profound impact on today’s
students.
“What I learned as a student leader on campus, I still carry with
me today,” she noted. “The University will always hold a special
place in my heart, and I’m sure that other alumni – in addition to
future alumni – have similar stories.”
Bruce’s love for St. John’s makes her a natural in her current
position at UMBC. She loves speaking with alumni from all
universities, trading stories about college and discussing her love
for academia.
“People I work with often tell me, ‘Wow, you’re very good at this
job!’” Bruce said. “And I always reply, ‘The adult that I am today,
I became at St. John’s.’ There’s no better way to put it: the
University is an incredible place.”