Springfield College Alumni Submitted News and Notes
In this section, you will find alumni accomplishments and updates submitted May 21, 2023 through June 20, 2023. Thanks for sharing your news! Please direct any future submissions to alumni@springfieldcollege.edu.
By: Maria D'Agostino Crawford '91 and Damon Markiewicz
Please take a few minutes to watch the video at the left. One of our fellow alumni, Lonnie Burgess '81, needs our help in order to save his life. Lonnie is in need of a kidney, and friends and family have come together to put together the following video to explain how individuals can help Lonnie.
Contact information is at the end of the video.
On Sunday June 11, the Springfield College Pride Cares Triathlon Relay Team successfully completed the first ever Ironman 70.3 Western Mass. triathlon.
At left, Steffanie Accorsi '16, G'19 completed the 1.2 mile swim in the Connecticut river, Lauren Gray from the Springfield College Counseling Center covered the 13.1 mile run, and Springfield College retired Associate Professor Bob Accorsi G'80 handled the 56-mile bike ride.
Peter Gillen '04, G'07 has been named Chair of the Board of Directors for the New England League of Middle Schools. NELMS is in its 47th year and represents over 400 member institutions across New England.
Gillen has served as the West Springfield Middle School principal for nine years. Prior to this, he served as the Vice Principal for six years. Before becoming a part of the administration, Gillen was an English teacher at West Springfield High School and also at Forest Park Middle School in Springfield.
Some of Gillen’s other accomplishments/recognitions include the 2007 Harold W. Grinspoon Excellence in Teaching Award Winner, 2016 Springfield College’s 40 Under 40 Award Winner and 2019 Massachusetts School Administrators Association State Principal of the Year.
Springfield College Alumni Spotlight.....One year ago Joe Arruda '22 had just started an internship in the sports department at The Hartford Courant. Little did he know what was in store for the next 12 months. Upon completion of his internship, Arruda was hired as a full time beat writer for UConn's men's basketball and football.
One year later, Arruda has had opportunities some may never experience in a lifetime.....a trip to the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, a visit to the White House with the UConn men's championship team and a visit with Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen, who at 47, recently earned his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Connecticut. Said Allen to Arruda ""It's never too late to learn."
"I am grateful to Springfield College, specifically the COSJ program and professors Marty Dobrow and Aimee Crawford, for helping me find my passion and presenting me with opportunities to lead, develop and grow. My professors, while creating an environment that allowed me to be comfortably myself, believed in me and helped me land internships that improved my reporting and prepared me exceptionally well for the professional world," says Arruda of his time at SC.
As a student, Joe served as both Sports Editor and Editor in Chief of The Springfield Student, completed an internship at MassLive.com and was a contributing writer as part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Spalding Hoophall Classic.
Congratulations Joe Arruda on all of your accomplishments this past year and we can't wait to see what your future holds!
To read some of Joe's stories:
https://lnkd.in/e8YTRpDD
https://lnkd.in/eFfY8Dfx
https://lnkd.in/eyuJ-GAZ
At left, Springfield College graduates Elaine (Cadigan) Zumsteg '80 and Deb (Munger) Miron '95, G'97 are both members of the Treasure Coast Chapter of the LPGA Amatuers Golf Association.
Elaine had recently joined the chapter and quickly realized she was paired to play with Deb during a recent golf outing. A few holes into the round of golf, they both discovered that they are both Springfield College alumni! Ironically, the picture was taken during a rain delay.
