BC Alumni Newsletter

August 2023
 Eagles Rising
Brendan Douthit ‘20
University of Scranton, Marketing Major
My time at BC was something I will Always cherish, especially the
culture and people at BC- My favorite classes were Mr. McGinnis' US
History class and Mr. Welch's Business classes, both of which have
had strong correlation to give me as upper hand in college classes at
The University of Scranton where I am majoring in Marketing and
playing Baseball!

, This Summer I interned for Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance where I

had an incredible experience as there was a strong correlation be-
tween the culture at BC, Scranton, and Gallagher! We were challenged weekly with sales challenges
and were able to do some hands on Client Work! The Learning Environment at Gallagher allowed
for exponential success and growth over the 9 weeks! I was able to accept a full-time position upon
graduation next summer!

Madelyn St. Amand ‘20

University of Chicago, Economics Major
I think fondly of many of my Burke Catholic experiences- each formative
in their own ways from the mentors I had to the peers I sat next to in my
classes. I would say Mr. Rivas’ APUSH and AP Gov classes do stand out to
me — firstly, the classes were hard. I think that was my first experience
with a heavy workload and material that did not necessarily come intui-
tively to me. Mr. Rivas was a great teacher. He was definitely an expert in
the course material and always facilitated an open discourse environ-
ment which prepared me for college.

At UChicago, I am majoring in economics with a specialization in

business. I’ve been involved in the Trott Business Program, which allows
me to take MBA classes at the Chicago Booth School of Business. I’m a
member of The Blue Chips, which is a premiere value-investing organi-
zation at UChicago. I’ve also been very involved with our Admissions Committee where I speak on
panels and promote our Emerging Rural Leaders Initiative.

This summer, I was an investment banking summer analyst at Goldman Sachs in their Chicago office.
I sat in the Cross Markets Group, which focuses on deal flows in the consumer retail and industrial
space. We work with middle-market companies, so we execute transactions ranging in the $500 mil-
lion- $3 billion range. It was an exciting opportunity to engage with high-profile clients in the finan-
cial advisory space.
 Annie Dwyer ‘20
Salve Regina University, Anthropology & Sociology Major
My summer internship at Court Consultations alongside Burke alumni Louise
Luck, has been an invaluable learning experience, both professionally and per-
sonally. Every day, I've had the privilege to witness the art of court mitigation
under her expert guidance. I was able to work and learn from a group of sea-
soned professionals with a specialized understanding of a defendant’s social,
psychological, and personal history within the context of a criminal case and
sentence. I received hands-on experience gathering data from diverse sources
to help construct a psycho-social profile. Louise and her team will use these
profiles, formulate mitigation strategies, and create a relationship with their
clients and families in order to work toward mitigating their sentences. In my
past internship I did site work at an archeological project, this provided me the opportunity to explore an-
other side of my major.

When I think of my time at Burke, I think of family. The connections and friendships made at Burke follow
us after graduation and in my case another Burke alumni has helped me explore and develop skills as I find
my career path. Louise's mentorship has provided insights that cannot be gained from textbooks. This
office has worked on an excess of over two hundred capital cases in numerous state and federal courts. As I
reflect on my time spent with her and her team, I'm immensely grateful for the hands-on exposure, unwa-
vering support, and the friendships fostered. This internship has undoubtedly kindled a passion for legal
advocacy within me, and I'm excited to carry these lessons into my future endeavors.

Brittany Sullivan ‘20

University of Scranton, Accounting Major ,

This summer I had the opportunity to work as an audit intern

for PKF O’Connor Davies in the Newburgh Office. I found the
internship on LinkedIn and applied through there. I really en-
joyed my internship at PKFOD. It allowed me to gain real
world accounting experience and see what it would be like to
be an auditor. One of my favorite things about my internship
was that I enjoyed being able to see the firm’s culture at
PKFOD through various events such as the intern day of service, the firm day of service, and the intern day of
appreciation. At all these events, I was able to meet the interns and other staff from the different PKFOD
offices. I had a great experience at PKFOD which confirmed that I can see auditing as a future career for my-
self. Next summer, I will be returning to PKFOD to be an audit intern again. I am very excited to go back and
intern with such a great firm. After graduation in May 2024, I am attending graduate school at the University
of Scranton to get my masters in Business Administration and to complete my 150 credits to sit for the CPA
exam.
 Caleigh Costello ‘20
Kings College, Exercise Science Major
One of my favorite memories at Burke was when for one of our chemistry
labs Ms. King let us do an ice cream lab, it was our birthday. ( Jack, Bren and
I -the Costello triplets) It was so much fun and it was a total surprise! That
definitely became a core memory. Another one of my favorite memories was
being able to play basketball for Mr. Turner my freshman year. I remember
being so nervous about being a freshman on the varsity team but he be-
lieved in me so much and he became my favorite coach of all time! I am so
grateful for everything he taught he me!

,
My major is exercise science and I am really hope to peruse a career in the
medical field! I want to become a physician assistant. In order become more
familiar with this field I began shadowing my pediatrician, Dr. Barenfeld. By shadowing Dr. B I am
learning how to interact with patients and further my career in the medical field.

Nick Castro ‘20

Binghamton University
Biological Sciences Major with a Minor in
Health and Wellness

Memories at Burke –there are so many! I would have to say some of

my best would definitely be seeing everyone at graduation after not
knowing what would happen once COVID started, it was really nice
having a graduation right at the school because at the time Burke was
another home and it just felt right to finish it off where it started. I
would have to say my other best memories came from the small mo-
ments in classes like in Mr. McGinnis’s class we always had a fun time
or just passing friends in the hallway for a few minutes because we were all so close as a class.

This summer, I had the pleasure to intern at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach Florida. I al-
ways had a special place in my heart for wildlife and especially sea turtles and Loggerhead Marinelife Center
is one of the best sea turtle hospitals in the world. Every day I got to interact with our different patients and
see their personalities and enjoy watching and educating guests about all our sea turtles. My main position at
the internship was to help run our Evening Programs which included Evening Guided Tours, Turtle Walks
and Hatching Releases. Through these programs I did not only meet so many new people with great stories,
but made a new family at Loggerhead. Being able to experience something like this is unforgettable and I am
so grateful I had the chance to do it!
 ,

Jackson Hoovler ‘21

Alvernia University, Athletic Training Major

This past summer, I had the great opportunity to spend time interning
at the world-renowned Highland Course at Primland Resort in Mead-
ows of Dan, Virginia. The Highland Course is ranked #25 in Golf Di-
gest's Top 100 Greatest Golf Courses. During my time at Primland, I
served in many roles. But most of my intern responsibilities included
working in Primlands Golf Shop, dealing with highly valued guests, ce-
lebrities, and the Highland Course and Primland Resort members. I al-
so assisted in overseeing tournament operations. When not working in the Golf Shop, I had the tremen-
dous opportunity to cross-train and work with the maintenance staff overlooking the Highland Course and
the 12,000 acres Primland sits on. When not working at Primland, my summer consisted of golfing, hiking,
traveling, and exploring Southern Virginia's beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
My time at Burke was nothing short of phenomenal. The relationships and friendships I've made are some
of the best. The community that makes Burke Catholic, Burke Catholic is such a caring and love-based
group. I'm thrilled that Burke Catholic is a part of MY story!

Clare Heppes ‘22

University of Providence, Biology Major
In July, I took a trip to Guatemala with my Aunt (Suzanne
McBride Coates ‘83), Uncle and cousins. The saying that Burke
had ingrained in my mind, Non Vox Sed Votem, not words but
deeds carried me through the trip. Even though I couldn’t com-
municate with many of the local Guatemalans their actions spoke
to me louder than words could ever have spoken. And I hope my
actions left the same impression on them. On bunk bed day, the children all came running up to us to
play. Few words were spoken but so much was said. That day we put a total of 55 bunk beds up in count-
less village houses. I think my actions of putting together the bunk beds and giving the children toys will
be remembered far longer than a simple conversation. Their gracious actions: decorating their houses with
balloons and signs, huge hugs, and pure excitement made the whole trip more than worth it for me. Our
other service day consisted of playing sports with the local children and teens. A similar thing happened
while we played soccer. I wasn’t even able to say hello because they spoke the native language of their
town but I felt like words weren’t even necessary. For those 90 minutes our backgrounds didn’t matter, all
that mattered was who had the best soccer skills. I think it’s telling of my Burke Catholic education that
our days of service were actually the ones I enjoyed most on my trip.
 Eagles Giving Back

Jeannine Grillo ‘12

Advisory Business Intelligence at KPMG US

I’ve been lucky enough to have a number of wonderful mentors through-

out my career. Even back in high school I knew I wanted to be apart of a
large global organization with multiple opportunities to meet new people
and grow professionally. When I started my finance degree, I learned how
fast the industry was changing and decided to consult a professional on how to navigate internships and job
applications. I attended St. Thomas Aquinas College where I was referred to the KPMG Mentoring program.
KPMG is a global professional services firm and I was instantly matched with a caring mentor who helped me
land my first job! 7 years later, I am now the liaison between St. Thomas Aquinas College and KPMG. I help
support the continuation of the program and also mentor ambitious students who are looking to land their
first job.
My advice to students is to always seek mentoring relationships from those in the fields you wish to work in.
Mentoring opens doors for career opportunities and bridges gaps between generations as mentors/mentees
learn from each other. I personally love helping students and am always willing to support those from my al-
ma mater with career development and job application advice.

Louise Luck ‘ 72
Director, Court Consultation Services

While at Burke I felt we were presented our studies on a thoughtful and in-
tellectual basis. We were encouraged to have our own personal relationship
with our creator and to honor our values of kindness and forgiveness. An-
other very important concept was teaching us that sin is a personal offense
between ourselves and God. On a broader sense it teaches us to be non-
judgemental of others.

Over the years the love of learning and the ability to be non judgmental have
been very important to me in my work. In my capacity as a capital mitiga-
tion specialist I have worked with over four hundred men and women charged with capital murder and fac-
ing the death penalty. Most often my clients are highly traumatized and exposed to abuse and neglect.
Compassion for others and an understanding of human frailty and redemption are all qualities that were
fostered throughout my time at Burke.
 Eagle Summer Fun
Nothing better then Sun, Fun and BC Eagle Friends and Families!

Nancy Kissel

The Lakis Family The Farrell Family

Ashley (Lakis )Deck ‘06 & Brittany (Lakis )Pizzano ‘08 Gillian (Carr) Farrell ‘93, Rory ‘25 & Cate ‘28

Donna Maddalone Egan ‘83 & daughter Sydney Eagle Friends The Gesztesi’s & The Pironti’s
Michele Petrakis Pironti ‘86 & Bela Gesztesi ‘89
, The Conlon Girls
Debbie (DiGregorio) Thomson ‘85
Rose ‘23, Maeve’ 26 & Kathleen ’27

Whitney (Moss) Forsstrom ‘11 Lyndsey Moss ‘14

, Kim (DePaola) Napier ‘85
The Clinton Family
Chris Clinton ‘85

The Roesch Family

Breitfeller Family
Ellen Roesch ‘78
Lauren (Bianchetti) Breitfeller ’07
,

The Douthit Family

John ‘86, Patrick ‘17, and Brendan ‘20

Jean Brown ‘01

Patrice (Kearns) Kainrath ‘85 and Family Jill (Sinclair) Gurda ‘94 and Family
,
Jill Brennan-Myers ‘85 and Family

Mrs. Annette Petry & grandson Ryan Breitfeller

Bernadette (Murry) Costa ‘85 and husband Joe

Laura Cavvacone Ricco ‘02 & Family
 ,
Christina Morgan & Kristina Lattanzio BC Faculty Tom Weirich ‘98

The Hasbrouck Family

Stanley Buczek ‘13 Aaron BC Dean of Students

The Girls of Summer BC ‘86

Suzanne (McCabe) Dischinger, Maureen (Corcoran) Kramer, Caroline (Tyrell) Quinn, Lisa (Solomita) Landau & Margaret (Cinque) Oettinger
 The Lee Brothers

Matt Weiss ‘87 Corey ‘ 18 and Holden ‘20

Eagle Friends the Burlew’s and the Walshes

Nancy (Kissel )Burlew ‘90 & Kerre (Connolly) Walshe ‘90
 ,

The Cinque Family Larissa Compito ‘16

John ‘82, Mike ‘83, Margaret ‘86 & Maureen ‘89

The Ruiz Family

Jo, BC Director of Technology, Kayla ‘08, Meaghan ‘12. and Joseph ‘16
,

Erin Feeney McGovern ‘83 and Family

Deirdre Dennehy Hall ’96 and Family

Amanda Muscarello Testani ‘07 & husband Mike The Benzinger Family
Makaila ‘20, Liam ‘24,Mike ‘25 and Daniel ‘27
 ,

Beth (Lennon) Mires ‘98 and daughter Reagan Jeanne (Davis) Cassano ‘85

Jaclyn (Sinclair) Cicchiello ‘98 and Family

 Mardi Flores Schenoni ‘85
“The connection I have with Burke is a long lasting one. It
prepared me for an incredible journey.”

May 2021

,
Ellenjane Gonyea Susan (Dwyer) Johnson ‘87 and Family

The Curran and Geissler Families

Elizabeth (Curran) Tamm ‘99, Jack Curran ‘01, Susan Curran Geissler ‘97, Chris Geis-
sler ‘97, Meghan Geissler ‘18, Christopher Geissler ‘27 and Brendan Geissler ‘30
,

The Halpin Family

Andrew ‘00, Christine ‘00, Colin ‘24 and Shayla ‘28

Karen DeCrosta Jared Wood ‘18 and Caitlyn Tashman ‘19

,

The Juliano Family

Mary Juliano BC Board of Trustees, Katherine ‘09, Matthew ‘11, Phillip ‘13, Andrew ‘16 & James ‘18

Chris Herrlein ‘87 and Family

The Dwyer Family
Karen (Brustman) ‘85, Brendan ‘85,
Jack ‘14 and Annie ‘20
 ,

Janice Clark and Family

Katie Conroy ‘12

Jim Brannigan ‘78 & wife Maureen

“The tans will fade but the memories will last forever”
-unknown
,

Eagles SOARING
Celebrate as Alumni and the children of Alumni head to college

Debbie (Hogan) McGinty ‘85 dropping her sons

James Compito ‘23 - Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Aidan & Christian at University of Colorado Boulder

Kristen Duffy ‘91 dropping her daughter Anya Kelly ‘23 –University of Scranton

Anna at University of Delaware

,

Brenda Chapman ‘23 & Victor Giordano ‘23 Emily Grippo ‘22 -Ithaca College
University of Scranton

Clare Heppes ‘22 Providence College

Dropped off by Mom and Dad, Deborah (McBride)
Heppes and Paul Heppes ‘82 and sister Kate ‘27 Rose Conlon—’23 Penn State
,

Macaylan Midgal ‘23

Alex McCartney ‘23 - Ithaca College
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Aaron ‘21 and Caitlin ‘20 - Catholic University

Dropped off by mom, Tara (Fury) McCartney ‘89
,

Allie Gesztesi ‘22 – St. Joseph University Ann Fajardo ‘ 22 - University of Notre Dame

Matthew Chapman ‘20—Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

,

Sean Miller ‘22-SUNY ESF

Frankie DeMaro ‘21 - Jake DeMaro ‘23

Southern New Hampshire University Coastal Carolina University
,

Class of 1983 Reunion in the Books!

We took a trip back to ‘83 and it was like no time had passed. All the
years melted away with the smiles and laughter.
“Friendship is not defined by how often you are together, but by the love
you feel when you are.”
Forever grateful for our time spent at our beloved Burke!
-Erin Feeney McGovern
,
,
,
,
,

BC Alumni Reunions!
We have a few reunions in the planning stages.
You can find contact information on the next few pages and look for information
to be posted in the coming weeks on the alumni page of our website.

Calling the Class of 2003!

It will be 20 years since the class of 2003 graduated high school!

We all know what this means! Our 20 year reunion!
Please reach out to Deirdre Dillion at the email below.
Let the planning begin!

deirdredillon07@gmail.com
,

Calling the Class of 1993

Saturday, September 14, 2023
One Day, Two Great Events!

1pm-3:3o pm 4pm– 10pm

Homecoming Football Game at Orange County Distillery & Orange
Burke Catholic County Brewing Company At
Brown Barn Farms

**Gather around the Alumni Tent** 286 Maple Aveune

New Hampton, NY 10958

Important Details:
*In the event of rain the evening event will be moved to The Captains Table (547 Route 17M in Monroe)
*Brown Barn Farms opens at 12pm if you want to skip the game and start celebrating early.
*Live music 6pm-10pm, Beverage options include cocktails, beers, ciders, wines, mocktails and non –alcoholic drinks. Cash/
Credit pay as you go. Food Truck on-site. Outside food permitted (bring your own or have it delivered). Kids welcome. Dog
friendly (outside and must be leashed). Bring blankets and chairs for outdoor seating and dress accordingly. The venue will
be open to the public so it might be crowded. It is first come first serve, and we weren’t able to reserve the area.

Please share info! Send any questions to Gillian (Carr) Farrell at jfarrel@burkecatholic.org
 Class of ‘73
50 Year Reunion

Save the date Class of 1973!

There will be a 50th High School reunion for members of the class of 1973 on September 30, 2023
at Delancey’s in Goshen NY.

If you are on Facebook, there is a group to join for our class:

JS Burke Class Of ’73

Also, if you are in touch with a classmate, please share this date.

Looking forward to being together in September.

More information to follow!

We are seeking mailing and email addresses.

Please email any of the following class members with your contact information.

Peg (Dickerson) Cullen Peggycullen1@yahoo.com

Patty (Arceri) Wojehowski pwoje@yahoo.com
Bob Frederick captainbobservices@hotmail.com
Mary Kaye (Dougherty) Koch mkkoch@optonline.net
David Roach droachcmd@hotmail.com
Rita Flynn ritaflynn01@optonline.net
Mary Kay (Swanwick) Jankowski swanski55@gmail.com
 ,

Save the date Class of 1978

45th Reunion Details

Two great nights planned!

Friday, October 6
Friday Night Ice Breaker at Delancey’s in Goshen
Come have a drink if you are in town early.

Saturday, October 7
Hall of Fame of the Trotter
6pm-10pm Dinner and Dancing
Cost is $100 per person
(includes dinner, beer, wine and well drinks)

Dress to impress!

Payment due September 15th

Send checks to
Jim Brannigan
21 Sunbeam Road
Syosset, NY 11791
Or Venmo
@ James - Brannigan-4
 Class of ‘87
36 Year Reunion

Join us November 3rd and 4th

November 3rd will be drinks at Delancey's and November 4th will be dinner at
Limoncello's in Goshen.

A message from Len Pawliczk…

“Hey everyone - after visiting BCHS the other day to speak with the students
at Career Day- I felt a little nostalgic for the old days! This year is 36 years
since we graduated and 6 years from the last reunion. Against my better
judgement on organizing this (men suck at organizing - just ask my wife),
here we go!”
If you are on Facebook, there is a group to join for our class:

John S. Burke Class Of ’87

Also, if you are in touch with a classmate, please share this date.

Contact Len at Lenny@awrgroupinc.com

 The BC Connection Milestones
The BC Connection every Friday at noon. Engagements:
Joseph Ruiz ‘16 announces his engagement to
You can connect at 1110 AM or 93.5 FM
Leana Bein
Innovation. Education. Caitlin Tashman ‘19 and Jared Wood ‘18 an-
nounce their engagement.

Baby News:
Meaghan (Ruiz) Bayer ‘12 and her husband
Mike share the news they are expected a baby
March 2024

Career:
Meghan Kerr ‘13- started a new position as Sen-
ior Account Manager at Zeta Global
Brian Bohan ‘15– was promated to Global In-
dired Tax Manager at Deloite
Jake Pawliczak ‘18– started a new position as
Financial Advisor, Senior Associate at Vanguard

Interested in joining the BC Coaching Staff?

Email Adam Kless, BC Athletic Director
akless@burkecatholic.org

Many of our BC Alumni are looking for internships. If your company offers in-
ternships or mentorships please contact

Karen at kdwyer@burkecatholic.org
 Burk Catholic Golf Outing
Join us September 15 at Mansion Ridge
It is going to be a great day!

Registration - 11:00 AM (Box lunch provided)

Shotgun Start- 12:00 PM - SHARP
Cocktails/Dinner Reception - 5:30 PM

Tickets and Sponsorship Information:

2023 Burke Catholic Golf Outing

- John S. Burke Catholic High
School
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
facebook.com/burkecatholichighschool
facebook.com/BCadmissionsandadvancement
twitter.com/burkecatholichs
instagram.com/burkecatholichs