BC Alumni Newsletter

October 2022
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Eagles Abroad
Ned Debold ‘85
An interest in muscle born on the Burke track team
As a continual member of the track team at Burke (I was cut from every sport that re-
quired any skill), I began to wonder what makes one person run faster than another. I
am still asking that same question today only using fancier tools. My track coach/
brother John Debold along with Bobby Newhard fostered this interest through many
discussions after track practice that undoubtedly helped to set me on my path to be-
coming a scientist. Because of this interest sports performance, and at the suggestion of
my coach Mr. D, I received a Bachelors degree in Physical Education from Seton Hall
University.
I then moved on to obtain a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology at the University of Massachusetts. Here I refined my
question slightly to ask what enables one person to ride a bike uphill faster than another. The ability to consume a lot of
oxygen and not weight too much, for those who might be interested.
After this I wanted to know what was going on deep inside the muscles during exercise. So, I studied muscle physiology
at Marquette University where I looked at how a single muscle fiber responds to intense exercise. But of course once I got
this answer I wanted to know how the individual molecules inside the muscle were responding to fatigue. So, I studied
the nanoscale motions of single muscle molecules during my post-doctoral work at the University of Vermont. The skiing
wasn’t bad either.
Despite all this research into one question I still haven’t tired
of fatigue (or bad puns) so I built a lab at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst to continue to pursue this question.
However, I am now also interested in the more basic ques-
tions of how muscles contract and more generally how things
are moved around inside the cells of our bodies. The epicen-
ter of this area of research is, lucky enough for me and my
family, in Florence Italy. So now my family and I are spending
our sabbatical working in the Department of Physics at the
University of Florence.
My wife Stephanie is also a professor and on sabbatical from Smith College so we were able to bring our two kids Jordan
and Finn with us to Italy.

This is how far a stimulating conversation with your track coach at Burke can take you, even if you are a solid C- student.
 ,
Eagles Abroad
Jess Compito ‘20
Hello fellow alums. I am Jess
Compito, a member of the BCHS
class of 2020. Currently a junior
at Marist College, I am a Fashion
Merchandising Major with a
concentration in Product Devel-
opment. This semester, I have
the incredible opportunity to
study abroad at Marist’s sister
university, Istituto Lorenzo de
Medici located in the beautiful
city of Florence, Italy; the heart and capital of the Tuscan re-
gion. Thus far, this experience has broadened my perspective
of the fashion industry. This ancient city rich in architecture
and aesthetic beauty has been the backdrop of my daily life
since late August. Not only am I awed by my surroundings of
art and beauty but am completely immersed by the industry I
hope to serve in the future. Each day is a new, creative awak-
ening. Reflecting on the first half of this semester, I’ve ac-
quired hands-on, invaluable information about European
culture and lifestyle. Familiarity with a market which Ameri-
can students only read about.
Getting past the initial excitement of living 4,000
miles from home, becoming a resident of Italy has come with
its share of expected culture shock. For instance, dinner at
ten pm is unusual for the US but is the European norm. Sies-
tas are both a blessing and curse especially when looking for
an afternoon snack or a quick trip to the supermarket only to
find that everything is shut down for a couple of afternoon
hours each day. The daily pace here takes some getting used
to, particularly for fast paced New Yorkers. Not everything is
different though. There are many similarities to the states.
For example, there are no noticeable differences between US
students and Italian students. Education here is as heavily
weighted as it is back home.
The classes are as competitive and serious. Although,
as an abroad student, I was fortunate to choose a course load
which is true to the country. Among the several classes
which I am taking, my two favorites are Italian Product De-
velopment and Food and Wine pairing respectively.
The fashion product devel-
opment class is an in-
depth study of Italian fash-
ion brands, textiles, devel-
opment, marketing and
selling procedures which
differ from the US retail
market. The food and wine
pairing class allows me to
create different cuisines
from various regions of
Italy. The class teaches the art and science of properly
pairing wines with dishes. The Italians take this art-
form very seriously. The objective is to obtain a refined
palate and knowledge of an ageless tradition. This type
of knowledge is expected of a refined and educated
individual. Overall, my classes at LdM have added val-
ue to my education and to the pursuit of becoming
well-rounded in interests aside from solely fashion.
Since we are on the topic, Europe is one the fash-
ion hubs of the world. As a fashion major, I appreciate
living in Florence and being able to travel throughout
Europe. I have been to places which I have dreamed of
seeing. One such place is the Amalfi Coast, including
Positano, Sorrento, and Capri. I have also traveled to
Germany, Croatia, and have plans to travel to Rome,
Paris, London, and Milan. These trips have been truly
inspiring. I have experienced different fashion trends
in each country. I have created unforgettable amazing
memories with my peers and am excited to create
more before my journey here ends. I have many fond
memories, but my two favorites are camping in Mu-
nich, Germany for the Oktoberfest festival, and the
many evening walks around the Duomo in Florence,
just admiring its beauty. The culmination of these mo-
ments is all wishes that have been checked off of my
lifetime bucket list. I am fortunate and blessed. Over-
all, this experience is a gift and the knowledge ac-
quired this college semester is invaluable. I have
proudly lived the phrase “the world is a classroom” and
agree that experience is the best professor I will ever
have.
 ,
Eagle Spotlight
Sarina Howe ‘18
My time at BC– I went to St.
John’s School before attend-
ing BC, which is where I met
my best friend,Meghan. I
also met most of my life-
long friends at St. John’s,
and if I didn’t meet them
there, I met themat BC.
I acknowledge this is a very
rare experience and I feel abundantly grateful to have had
the opportunity to attend BC. Mr. McGinnis was a huge men-
tor to me in high school, along with Ms. B, who has since re-
tired. The faculty at Burke go the extra mile in every way.
They get to know you personally, how you learn, what helps
you grow, etc. I think BC is something I truly took advantage
of and didn’t realize the impact it had on me at the time.
How BC shaped my path– I want to start off with a Thank
You to Mr. Rivas. I’m not sure he still teaches at Burke, but
I’d like to give credit where it’s due. During my Senior year, I
took his Government & Economics class. I fell in LOVE with
the way the Economy worked. I know, I’m sorry, that is so
lame. But it’s true. I spent hours in that class debating my
unnamed classmates on fiscal and monetary policy. I found
something I was good at, that I enjoyed learning. With this, I
went to Pace University and studied Economics. I joined the
Fiscal Policy team. We placed 2nd in nationals two years in a
row. Thank you, Mr. Rivas!
I currently live in Hoboken, NJ with my dog and work at
Moody’s Investor Services. I am an associate analyst in rat-
ings & research on the RMBS team. RMBS is the acronym for
residential mortgage-backed securities. However, boring it
may sound, if you know anything about ‘Wall Street’ or have
watched the news once within the past few months, you’ll
know that I am very busy as of lately. A lot of long hours, and
long walks with my dog take up most of my time. I do miss
home some days and will often venture back to reset in Go-
shen. The city is fun but it’s always nice to be able to go
home and pretend like I’m a kid again. My Dad always makes
his best meals when I go home! All jokes aside, being back
home is very therapeutic to me. Becoming an adult is very
difficult, and I face adversities daily. My family and friends
hold me together and always lift me up.
As I mentioned, I met my
best friend Meghan on
the first day of school in
first grade. Back then,
there was no kindergar-
ten or Pre-K at St. John’s.
I sat with Meghan on the
school bus because we
both brought our stuffed
animals, Pokie and
Lamby. When we got to
school, her grandma was
following behind us and came to take pictures for our
first day of school. We were inseparable from that day
until college, which I seriously debated going to col-
lege with her just because I couldn’t imagine not see-
ing her every day! (Spoiler: I didn’t go to college with
her, but we’re still best friends.) Over the years, we
have grown closer with one another’s families. I think
of her family as an extension of my own. Especially
during childhood, I spent a lot of time with Meghan
and her grandparents. We spent many days after
school eating pizza bagels and peanut butter and jel-
lies before playing barbies for hours until it was time
to go home. We decorated for holidays year after year,
which Meghan’s grandma is the best at. The reason I
am writing this is because recently Meghan’s Grandpa
passed, and it has caused e to think about our child-
hood and times like the ones I’ve mentioned. I never
had grandpas of my own as they passed when I was
very young. However, I did have Meghan’s grandpa
who I loved and admired as my own. I know this is an
alumni spotlight, but I would really like to honor him
and note the most important aspect of being a BC
alumnus. I made a life-long best friend, turned family.
All three of his children went to BC, and his grandchil-
dren have graduated BC, are currently attending and
will be heading there in the next few years. He came to
all of our BC games and he was at every award ceremo-
ny and event. He is the perfect example of why I hold
Burke close to my heart. It consists of a community of
people who care for one another and have the purest
intentions always
 ,
Eagle Spotlight
Jaimie Hilfiger ‘18
I can remember sitting in those
desks in the “new wing” like it was
yesterday flipping through the pag-
es of my binders looking at all the
inspirational photos from Vogue I
tore out and decorated the insides
with. The teachers hated it and
would always remove all my fash-
ion magazine inserts. I was always
dreaming at Burke. Staring out
those windows into the woods
thinking about how life outside the
Burke Catholic Bubble would be. I
would sketch variations of the uniforms and customizable
options.
I was proud to attend BCHS because my mother was a gradu-
ate class of 1976 and she and my grandmother always spoke
so highly of Burke. It always had and still does have a very
high reputation. I was so excited to be able to choose my for-
eign language at Burke because I always had a love for France
and the French language so when I knew that French was an
option for me, I was so happy. I was and still am extremely
close with my French teacher Madame Clark who is now the
principal of Burke Catholic.
Some of my fondest memories at Burke involved traveling
the world with Madame Clark. During my freshman year we
traveled to Italy and France and during my senior year we
took an amazing trip to Quebec City, Quebec. I was always
into fashion and spotting the latest international trends so
my favorite thing to do on these trips was to shop. Maybe
even a little too much, missing Easter Sunday mass in Flor-
ence Italy because I was off shopping. Madame Clark was al-
so in charge of planning the senior class trip to Walt Disney
World in Orlando, Florida as well as the senior prom. Two
amazing memories I had while at Burke.
Of course, my
favorite subject
was French, and
I always looked
forward to the
annual Mardi
Gras celebration
held in the cafe-
teria for all
French students to attend. I was proud to be a member
of the girls’ varsity soccer team when we won section
9. Even though I wasn’t a starting player I still made
the Times Herald Record. The real reason why I truly
wanted to be on the varsity soccer team was because of
the super chic warmups that we were able to wear. I
loved dressing up on Halloween and I would always
choose to be a fashion icon even if that meant hiding
in the hallways from administration because my cou-
ture violated “Halloween Dress Code.” Looking back
even though we had uniforms, I was always violating
dress code because fashion meant a great deal to me,
and I always wanted to push the envelope to not look
like everyone else.
Today I work as a mod-
el, actress and beauty
mogul. The inner power
that comes from looking
and feeling your best
drove me to a calling to
help others cultivate
confidence through an
intentional approach to
self-care. In all my en-
deavors I strive to employ beauty, skincare, and fash-
ion to empower the mind, body, and soul. During my
career as an international model and fashion icon, I sat
happily in the seats of the best makeup artists and
skincare experts in the world. It was here, as I battled
Rosacea, I realized that there was an urgent need for
high-performance products with healthy ingredients.
So, I began to work on my own line of beauty and
skincare products, ultimately launching
The Jaimie Hilfiger Collection. Each product in the
collection was created from naturally derived ingredi-
ents and bottled in recyclable packaging. Today, in
collaboration with esteemed manufacturers, I continue
to bring brands to market that align with my mission
to pair health and wellness with undeniable glam-
our. I married my husband ,jewelry designer, Igal Da-
han in 2016. We welcomed our daughter Victoria Leva-
na in 2017 and we spilt our time between Miami Beach
and NYC.
 ,

Eagles Making a Difference

Ciara Serpa ‘17
This article was written by Taylor Ha and appeared in the Fordham

As part of her master’s thesis, Fordham graduate student Ciara Serpa is develop-
ing a phone app that anyone can use to detect eye diseases at an early stage. The
project, which recently received $100,000 in funding from the National Institutes
of Health and is being conducted with faculty member Mohammad Ruhul
Amin, Ph.D., and startup company iHealthScreen, aims to help people who are at risk of losing their eyesight, especially
those from underserved communities. “I’ve seen a lot of people go blind, including my grandmother, and there are a lot of
direct and indirect costs that patients suffer from,” said Serpa, a data science student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sci-
ences. “I want to make sure that people can see as long as possible.” The idea for the project originally came from Amin, an
assistant professor of computer and information sciences, and Alauddin Bhuiyan, Ph.D., the founder of iHealthScreen and
an associate professor at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. While searching for thesis ideas, Serpa reached out to
Amin, who then introduced her to his research with Bhuiyan. “Many middle-aged people have diabetes, including myself,”
said Amin. “They often develop eye problems, especially age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy.
These diseases spread slowly until they reach a stage where it’s difficult to recover, but if you diagnose them early, they’re
easier to manage.” Together, the three researchers are trying to build an app that uses artificial intelligence to detect these
eye diseases at an early stage.

Training Software to Recognize Disease Symptoms

Serpa began her thesis last fall with initial research and interviews with neurologists and ophthalmologists, who shared what
they thought was needed in their field. Then she visited health care facilities in the Bronx, where she recorded images of pa-
tients’ retinas with professional equipment, focusing on patients at least 55 years old and/or diabetic. The images were then
uploaded to AI software that is being trained to identify signs of AMD or diabetic retinopathy and also sent to an ophthal-
mologist for diagnosis. Later, Serpa compared the results from the software and the ophthalmologist to see if they both
agreed on a diagnosis. “The software uses machine-learning and deep learning to scan images, pixel by pixel, and search for
specific spots that indicate a person is at risk and should be seen by a professional for further referral,” said Serpa. “Basically,
we’re training the software to know what to look for in the data and to accurately diagnose patients.” So far, Serpa has rec-
orded and uploaded about 100 images. Her goal is to collect more than 500 images by the end of the study, but she says that
most of the time, the ophthalmologist and the software agree on a diagnosis. And the more images processed by the soft-
ware, the smarter it becomes. “It’s like if you were to study for an exam and take 10 practice exams. If someone else takes 20,
then that person might do better because they’ve practiced more,” said Serpa. Finally, Serpa’s team will incorporate the soft-
ware into a smartphone application in which anyone can take a photo of their eye and screen themselves for eye diseases at
little to no cost. “In the past, most researchers have used a separate camera or a removable smartphone lens instead of an
actual iPhone camera, but those can cost a lot of money. We’re trying to see how accurate we can get with an iPhone cam-
era,” said Serpa. “If people can’t afford to visit a doctor, this could be a good way to first let them know that they should see a
doctor and get real imaging done because we see something that may be dangerous.”

A Cost-Effective Form of Diagnosis

After graduating from Fordham next spring, Serpa said she hopes to work full time in the medical technology field. “A lot of
people find databases boring, but I think it’s fascinating to find patterns in the data that can be important to a business or
health care system,” said Serpa, who is originally from Monroe, New York. She said she not only enjoys working with data,
but also interacting with patients, many of whom she can personally relate to. “As someone who has had a lot of chronic ill-
nesses since I was young, I feel like I understand where they’re coming from,” said Serpa, who has asthma and has suffered
from migraines and fibromyalgia since childhood.
Although her thesis will be completed by May 2023, she said she plans to continue her research post-graduation. “In the
long run, our goal is to create a cost-effective and accurate way to know that a patient is going to lose their sight, but also
help them to retain some of it,” Serpa said. “Nothing’s going to reverse the damage; we can only slow down the process. But
hopefully we can find a better way to detect these diseases earlier.”
 Eagles Soaring
BC Eagles doing great things! Non Vox Sed Votum.

Tom Weirich ‘98

Great night in Manhattan with Tom at
the launch party for his new book,

“We Took The Risk”

We Took the Risk: The Stories Behind the Early Risk Takers in the U.S. Renewable Energy Industry and the
Leadership Traits that Made Them a Success: Weirich, Tom: 9798885046398: Amazon.com: Books

Camden Olivero ‘18

We're proud to announce we've expanded to the Re-
no / Sparks metropolitan areas of Nevada!

Our laundry community is now operating in three

states and 12 markets. The ClothesLyne laundry mar-
ketplace helps customers claw back time for family or
friends while creating a fair and equitable entrepreneurial experience for our
ClothesLyners.

Stay tuned there is more exciting news to come!

Download the ClothesLyne app on your favorite app
store.
 We are very proud of many things we are able to accomplish as a school, particularly our work with
Mary's Meals. As a school community we are able to provide support by sponsoring
Good News Elementary & Jr. High School in Bong County in Liberia.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us support programs like Mary's Meals.

Mary's Meals is a global charity providing life-changing meals to some

of the world’s poorest children.
Mary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals to children living in some of the world’s
poorest countries. The promise of a good meal attracts these hungry children into the
classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future.
 New doors for our beautiful Burke Catholic Chapel of St. Helena.
A heartlet thanks to our BC Community, BC Foundation and BC Alumni
for their generous support which allows us to constantly
upgrade our campus.
Mass held every Wednesday at 7:45am—we would love for you to join us.
,

Upcoming Events
Mark your calendars and join us on Fletcher Steet
,

Upcoming Events
Mark your calendars and join us on Fletcher Steet

Celebrate a milestone 10th Annual Christmas Boutique with us!

Over 40 artisans and vendors, food trucks, poinsettias, Christmas trees

& wreaths, and of course pictures with Santa.

Kick - off the start of the season on Fletcher Street

,

Upcoming Events
Mark your calendars and join us on Fletcher Steet
,

Upcoming Events
Mark your calendars and join us on Fletcher Steet
,

Mark Your Calendar

 The BC Connection
The BC Connection every Friday at noon.
You can connect at 1110 AM or 93.5 FM
Innovation. Education.
MILESTONES
Mary Arnstein ‘93– starting a new position
as Conference Content Manager at The Associa-
tion for Jewish Studies
Charles Gabriele ‘09 - starting a new posi-
tion as Lead Red Team Operator at The Home
Depot

Kandace Roberts ‘15- starting a new posi-

tion as Senior Digital Marketing Associate
at Dandelion Energy.

Ciara Serpa ‘17- starting a new position as

Research Assistant at iHealthScreen Inc.

Brittany Sullivan ‘20- accepted a Summer

Audit Intern position with PKF O'Connor Davies
in the Newburgh, NY

Coaching Positions
Interested in joining the BC Coaching
Yearbook Needed Staff?
Email Adam Kless, BC Athletic Director
A message from Mrs. Ruiz-
akless@burkecatholic.org

I am trying to put together the most complete set of

yearbooks for our archives. I am missing a copy of the
1957 yearbook. If anyone is willing to donate their copy
please email jruiz@burkecatholic.org

Many of our BC Alumni are looking for internships. If your compa-

ny offers internships or mentorships please contact
Karen at kdwyer@burkecatholic.org
We are compiling a list of all our BC Alumni authors and their works.
If you would like to be included please contact
kdwyer@burkecatholic.org

A writer never has a vacation.

For a writer life consists of either
writing or thinking about writing.
~Eugene Ionesco
BC Alumni Giving

ReVitalize, ReEngage, ReConnect

Office of Alumni and Advancement

Your gift will have an immediate impact on all BCHS students.

Light the way for today’s students, so that they can find their way to impact
the world.

To make your gift today, please visit

www.burkecatholic.com

To double the impact of your donation check to see if your company participates in a matching
gift program - please visit

https://doublethedonation.com/BCHS
 If you would like to be in-
cluded in the next news-
letter or have a Milestone
or story you would like to
share, contact Karen Dwyer:
kdwyer@burkecatholic.org

Contact Information
John S. Burke Catholic High School
Office of Admissions, Alumni and Advancement
80 Fletcher St, Goshen, NY 10924
(845) 294-5481 ext 132

burkecatholic.com
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