News

The approximately 780 members of the Holy Cross class of 2018, who report to campus on Aug. 30, are among the top graduates in their high school classes, engaged in community service, and have distinguished themselves in creative pursuits and athletic endeavors.

The Holy Cross community doesn’t have to wait until they arrive on campus to get to know some of them.

Stories about members of the incoming class have been appearing in hometown newspapers and media outlets across the country over the spring and summer months. Here is a look at some of those stories.

Blake Basmajian, of Corinth, N.Y., graduated as valedictorian of Corinth High School’s class of 2014, reports the Times Union. The accomplishment is all the more impressive considering Basmajian suffered a serious head injury while he was in high school. more »

Kiernan Black, of Fairfield, Conn., was named statewide winner of a citizenship award, reports the Fairfield Citizen. more »

Allyson O. Braciska, of Tewksbury, Mass., received the Student-Athlete Award from Austin Preparatory School’s class of 2014, according to the Tewksbury Advocate. more »

Cassandra Brouillard, of Hampton Falls, N.H., was among the top 10 ranking students in the Winnacunnet High School class of 2014, reports SeacoastOnline.com. more »

Katie Elia, of Erie, Pa., who served as senior class president at Mercyhurst Preparatory School and played four years of varsity tennis, penned an op-ed titled “9 tips for high school grads” for the Erie Times-News. more »

Isabel Fitzpatrick, Rockport, Mass., graduated from Pingree School in South Hamilton with a departmental honor in language, reports the Gloucester Times. more »

Yonetta Harris, of Jamaica Plain, Mass., will enter Holy Cross “on nearly a full scholarship this fall, having spent the last four years balancing rigorous academics, part-time work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the assorted demands of a stellar three-sport athlete (soccer, basketball, softball) at O’Bryant High School in Boston,” reports the Boston Globe. Harris, who was attacked by her father while still in the womb, has inspired countless people around her. more »

Caitlyn Harty, of Beverly, Mass., graduated as co-valedictorian of the Beverly High School class of 2014, reports the Beverly Citizen. Harty was a soccer team captain who brought her team to a conference title this year for the first time in a decade. She will be playing soccer at Holy Cross. more »

Brenna Kent, of Scarborough, Maine, graduated in the top 10 percent of the Scarborough High School class of 2014, reports the Scarborough Leader. more »

Keepmecurrent.com also reported the news. more »

Hayden J. Kucharski, of Bloomfield, N.J., received the Msgr. Thomas J. Tuohy Award and was recognized as a member of the National Honor Society during Seton Hall Preparatory School’s class of 2014 commencement exercises, reports NorthJersey.com. more »

Nathaniel Lombardi, of Winslow, Maine, was among Winslow High School’s top 10 seniors for 2014. He plans to major in biology and chemistry, and join the premed program, reports CentralMaine.com. more »

Erica Mendoza, of Framingham, Mass., will be the first person in her family to go to college, according to Boston’s CBS affiliate, WBZ-TV. more »

Gabrielle Muniz, of Rockport, Mass., graduated from Pingree School in South Hamilton with high distinction, reports the Gloucester Times. more »

Matt Murrer, of Aptos, Calif., who has Type 1 diabetes, was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year in his high school’s soccer league. He will play Division I soccer at Holy Cross, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. more »

Taylor Pels, of Chattanooga, Tenn., is one of six entering freshmen at Holy Cross to receive the full four-year tuition Sheehan Scholarship, reports Chattanoogan.com. Rev. Earle L. Markey, S.J., associate director of Jesuit relations in the admissions office, told the media outlet that Sheehan Scholars “exemplify the rigorous intellectual pursuit that characterizes a Holy Cross education.” more »

Connie Truong, of Boston, received a 2014 Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association college scholarship. According to the South End News, Truong “graduated from the Josiah Quincy Upper School with a 4.0 grade point average, a strong aptitude for math and science, and a desire to do medical research and develop medical devices inspired by her own father’s heart problems.”  more »

Three students from Cristo Rey school in Dorchester, Mass., will be attending Holy Cross, which the Boston Globe reports is a “top destination” for that school’s students. more »

Related Information

• Photo Gallery: Class of 2018 Gets Taste of College Life at Summer Gateways Orientation

• Fall Gateways 

The College of the Holy Cross is one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review’s annual college guide, “The Best 379 Colleges.”  Schools included in the 2015 edition of the guide—which were selected according to several criteria including academics, cost, and financial aid—represent the top 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges.

Holy Cross received an average score of 93, the highest average of the last seven years of ranking. The score comes from eight ranking categories that include green issues, academics, interest in professors and accessibility of professors.

Holy Cross also ranks no. 9 among the schools having the most accessible professors. The Princeton Review says courses are “rigorous, and the main priority of students on campus,” and the faculty and administration foster “an incredible learning environment for students.” Emphasizing that students are “more than a number in the classroom or on the field,” the guide cites the dedication and accessibility of faculty who “get to know [students] on an individual and personal level.”

The Princeton Review highlights the “countless opportunities to learn through internships, speaker series,” “strong student life,” and “small classes” as representation of the Holy Cross focus on shaping the whole student.

“Holy Cross equips their students with an intangible set of skills that not only prepares them for a job, but for life,” one student told The Princeton Review.

Holy Cross was also noted for its “tremendous sense of community,” “fantastic alumni network,” “exceptionally beautiful campus,” and superior science programs and undergraduate research opportunities.

Related News:

• Read more about what makes Holy Cross unique on our “Points of Distinction” page

 This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Cristal Steuer.

The College of the Holy Cross ranked no. 53 overall and no. 44 among private colleges on Forbes’ list of America’s Top Colleges.

Forbes partnered with the Washington, D.C.-based Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) to compile the list. According to the website: “The Forbes list of 650 schools distinguishes itself from competitors by our belief in ‘output’ over ‘input.’ Our sights are set directly on ROI: What are students getting out of college?”

The rankings are based on student satisfaction, post-graduate success, graduation rate and academic success.

• View Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges
• More information on America’s Top Colleges
• Read more about what makes Holy Cross unique on our “Points of Distinction” page.

This “Holy Cross in the News” item is by Cristal Steuer. 

Once again, the College of the Holy Cross has been included in the “Fiske Guide to Colleges.” Compiled by former New York Times education editor Edward B. Fiske, the 2015 edition of the guide is a selective and systematic look at more than 300 colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. Colleges featured in this year’s guide were selected with several principles in mind, including academic ratings, price category, and quality of student life on campus. The guide presents college-bound students, parents and guidance counselors with “best and most interesting” schools during their college search.

Holy Cross is noted for its small classes and professor accessibility, as well as the students’ commitment to the Jesuit tradition of becoming “men and women for others.” The guide also gives readers a glimpse into the College’s various academic and volunteer programs, including  the Montserrat program, community-based learning and Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD). Holy Cross is described as having a “close-knit atmosphere” and offering “students a multitude of opportunities to serve others, challenge themselves, and create lasting friendships.” One student is quoted saying, “There is an unrivaled sense of community here.”

• Read more about what makes Holy Cross unique on our “Points of Distinction” page.

This is a “Holy Cross in the News” item by Evangelia Stefanakos.

In the highly competitive landscape of the college search, most admissions counselors aren’t known for sharing tips on how to apply to just anyone. But that is exactly what happens during the summer at the College of the Holy Cross.

The Telegram & Gazette featured the College’s “July Advisory Days” program,  where Holy Cross offers any rising high school seniors—whether they are planning to apply to Holy Cross or not—the opportunity to attend free workshops. Workshops include hands-on information on completing college applications, preparing for an interview, writing a personal essay, and other essential parts of the admissions process. Led by Diane Soboski, associate director of admissions, she offered the following:  “Applications are flat. If we have a 25-minute conversation with you, we can learn a lot about you as a person.” Interviews at Holy Cross are conducted by current students, admissions counselors, or alumni and, although optional, are evaluative and considered a part of the student’s application.

Some of tips offered in the article include:

• Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early. If you’re running late, call.
• Ask questions of your interviewer, but not too many. Have some written down.
• Maintain appropriate eye contact. Don’t stare at your interviewer, but don’t stare out the window, either.
• Send a thank-you note. Handwritten is nice, but emailed notes are acceptable nowadays.

Soboski explains that interviewers understand students are nervous, but says, “We’re not trying to trip you up. It’s a conversation, not a quiz.”

• Read the full article on the T&G website.

This is a “Holy Cross in the News” item by Evangelia Stefanakos.

In a Worcester Magazine cover story, Christian Santillo, director of web communications at the College of the Holy Cross, discusses the social phenomenon of the “selfie.”

Santillo says the recent spike in selfies could be credited to two distinct technological advances. “First, the ubiquity of having a camera 24/7, whether through pocket-sized digital cameras or camera-enabled smartphones, has allowed us to record every aspect of our lives with ease,” Santillo said. “Second, the proliferation of social networking coupled with global and portable ‘always-on’ Internet access allows us to share those moments with others in real time.”

Colleges around the country – including Holy Cross – encourage students to tweet pictures of themselves holding their acceptance letters, and then schools share their favorites through institutional social media outlets. “This serves as an immediate start to the relationship between college and student. They’re able to tweet to us, we’re able to talk back to them, and it’s all instantaneous,” Santillo said. “There’s no delay, there’s no mail, there’s no phone call. It’s exciting that we’re able to have this relationship with our incoming students.”

• Read the cover story in Worcester Magazine

This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Cristal Steuer.   

Attacked by her father when still in the womb, Yonetta Harris, a member of the College of the Holy Cross class of 2018, has built a life that touches many. In an in-depth interview with the Boston Globe, Harris and her mother, Yolanda, talk about the attack and how Yonetta overcame domestic violence to become a three-sport athlete and graduate from O’Bryant High School in June.

According to the Globe: “Born Oct. 5, 1995, with her father already in jail, she “[Yonetta] recalls a day a little over five years ago when she came home to find her mother crying at the kitchen table. It was March 12, 2009, exactly 14 years after the stabbing. ‘And my mom’s like, ‘I am just glad we are alive,’ recalled Harris, who knew virtually nothing about her dad. ‘And I said, ‘What do you mean, what do you mean?'”

When she learned of the attack years later, the disclosure left Yonetta “crying, saddened, stunned about what her mother and siblings told her about what her father had done. It wasn’t until her father became ill late in his life, with cirrhosis of the liver, that Yonetta drew closer to him, during his stay at a Hyde Park rehabilitation facility.” He passed away last year.

“I thought about that a lot, when I was younger,’’ she said, asked to ponder how her father’s attack long ago could have ended differently, more tragically. “But as I got older, it’s like, why think about what could have happened when you can make a difference now?’’

• Read the entire story on the Boston Globe’s website

This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Cristal Steuer.  

Edwin Coolbaugh, assistant dean of students and director of residence life and housing, gave the Worcester Telegram & Gazette an inside look into student housing at the College of the Holy Cross. In a one-on-one interview on campus, Coolbaugh explained that Holy Cross only asks five questions when matching first-year students: gender, neatness, smoking status, sleep schedules, and home location. “We found that those basic questions are really the compatibility — that’s what we’re really looking for,” said Coolbaugh. “All the other stuff, we really want there to be some tension.” While helping students learn from their differences, Coolbaugh also talked about the lessons that come from roommate conflicts.

“The discomfort in confronting someone can sometimes be the challenge we’re looking to overcome for our students,” Coolbaugh continued. “There’s so much focus on social media and doing things in alternate routes that actually having a face-to-face conversation where I’m going to confront you and tell you how I feel, without you feeling threatened, that’s part of what we do when we go through a mediation process. We teach those skills.” Coolbaugh, who often feels like a parent to 2,500 students, offered advice to parents of students going off to college for the first time: “I’m doing this as a parent, and less as a director of residential life: My conversation with my kids is, I don’t prepare your path, I prepare you. I trust that by preparing you, you’re going to choose a good path for yourself.”

Read the entire article on the Telegram & Gazette website.

This is a “Holy Cross in the News” item by Evangelia Stefanakos.