Alumni Spotlight
Many thanks to nine alumni who responded to our call in a recent issue of Building the Legacy for mentors for Hudson Catholic students as part of the support they receive from the Student/Partner Alliance. They are Andrew Baginski ’03, Ray Bugarin ’90, Bennett Christian ’91, Brian Garcia ’79, Joshua Gochiz ’08, Curtiss Korn ’12, Anthony Romano ’04, Robert Hennigar '94, and Tom Mullarney '73. These men are living the LaSallian value of leading a life in service to others. Please reach out and wish them well as they pursue their mentoring opportunities with current Hawks. THANK YOU!
Hudson Catholic’s rich basketball legacy continues. On Sunday, March 28th, legendary Hawk and TV broadcaster, Jim Spanarkel ’75, called a national TV game in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen round pitting UCLA against an Alabama team that featured Jahvon Quinerly ’18.
Guy Piserchia ’74, appointed Mayor of Long Hill Township by the Town Council
Brian Garcia ’79, in Silver Springs. MD, is General Manager of Cyber US, a part of the Intelligence and Communications division of Ultra, a holding company on the London Stock Exchange, for which Brian has worked for 25 years in legal and business roles. He is a member of the Maryland State bar, the U.S. District Court of Maryland, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the Maryland State Bar Association.
Ed Moran ’83, landed a supporting role in I’m Not Him, a new film seen on Amazon Prime. The film was shot last August, as one of the first productions to get going during the pandemic.
Bergen Magazine featured Ryan Knapp ‘99, former Hawk Hockey denizen https://www.healthandlifemags.com/cool-as-ice/ for building a home ice rink for his son, Brayden, 7.
Quickie Quiz, courtesy of Peter Morales '74 (answer at end of this section): Name four men in the annals of Hudson Catholic basketball who have scored points in the NBA.
Where are they now?
Among our ‘Pioneer Girls’ of 2009……………
Jary Carvajal ’10 received a degree in Biology from St. Peter's University and is currently back in school for Nursing. She has been an assistant manager for an orthodontist office since graduating from Hudson. Jary is engaged to her high school sweetheart, Rashid Moore ’10 (now that may be a first!) and they are to be married in June.
Cynthia Rodriguez ’10 received a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science from the University of Tennessee, worked for several years at the management level for a Physical Therapy company, then completely changed gears, to move into property management for GreyStar, where she is an Assistant Community Manager, and obtained her real estate license. Cynthia still plays for an adult Softball league each summer and fall. And she is thrilled to be participating in Jary Caraval’s wedding!
Alyson Montalvo ’10 attended Seton Hall University and graduated in 2014 with a major in Sociology. While at Seton Hall, she pledged and became a sister of Lambda Tau Omega Sorority and remains very active to this day. She became the first Latina Police Officer for Fairview, NJ, and is currently on patrol and looking forward to the next 30 years of her career! May God bless her and keep her safe always. Alyson is engaged to be married on 2/22/22.
Marissa Monteiro ’11 received an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies and a Bachelors in Legal Studies in 2014, then started law school in the evening division while working full time as a paralegal, graduating in 2019. After taking the Bar Exam, she clerked for a Criminal Judge in Essex County, when the pandemic hit, enabling her to play an integral part in organizing virtual court for motions and detention hearings. Licensed to practice law in NJ and NY, she is presently an Assistant Deputy Public Defender for the Office of the Public Defender in NJ, working within the Mental Health Unit, advocating for residents. A true Hawk, being of service to others, Marissa is a mentor for Bar Takers, and a National Advisor for the Northeast Region Black Law Students Association.
Jade Gomez ’13 lost her job due to Covid-19, but considers the work she had been doing was pretty cool. She moved to Beltsville, MD to work for the US Department of Agriculture at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center as a Dietetic Technician, where she ran Human Nutrition Studies to see the causes and effects different foods and diets had on participants’ health. Sounds like a great guest speaker for our Medical Arts Program!
Remembrances
Jary Caravajal: “Being among the first females to graduate from Hudson has been one of my best accomplishments! Even though my time was short at Hudson, it shaped who I am and what my life looks like right now!”
Cynthia Rodriguez: “I cherish the bond that I have with a group of Hudson’s female pioneers. I recall the transition from St. Joseph's of the Palisades to Hudson as being very difficult for all of the female transfers, but I view that experience as our bond in sisterhood.”
C'mon, ladies, keep sharing those updates and we'll print more in a later edition and make sure you are keeping up with each other! Send to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org.
……….and soon to be alum, basketball great Zania Jones ’21 is Villanova-bound on a Division I scholarship, She will be the first girls basketball player from Hudson County to play in the Big East in 14 years. The pandemic eliminated this year's post-season but that did not stop Zania from becoming the Girls’ all-time leading scorer at 1,388, surpassing Haylee Ramirez ’19 who is currently playing at Felician University. Zania holds career, season and single game school records in Scoring, and the single season Assist mark. She was recently named All-State Third Team for the second consecutive year!
Quiz Answer: Three alums and a coach -- Louis King ’19, Michael O’Koren ’76, Jim Spanarkel ’75, and George Blaney.
