Letter From

The Hawk Editor:

—

The story of the class of 2021 is a turbulent but persistent one, bookended by tragedy but filled with hope in between. Our first year, we lost a friend to everyone in Mark Dombroski. Our senior year was shadowed by a pandemic that caused immense loss for the entire world.

At The Hawk, we have been chronicling that persistence, that tragedy and hope, for these past four years. This edition serves as an ending for some of us but simply a chapter in a longer history for the university.

It’s odd to think that the red envelope we received four years ago has now turned into a diploma, a certification of what we were able to accomplish in what felt like a blink of an eye. The following pages are an effort to capture that blink of an eye, an effort to recognize what makes St. Joe’s so special.

We may have eaten a Hawk Wrap, heard “walk sign is on to cross City Avenue” and pushed open the heavy glass doors of the library prepared to face the brunt of hours studying for the last times. But what will endure, what has endured even during a
pandemic and a last year we could never imagine, is the relationships that came from that life-changing decision to call St. Joe’s home. Those relationships will persevere beyond 54th Street and City Avenue.

We may be moving on from Hawk Hill, but Hawk Hill will always be home.

—Ryan Mulligan ’21

Editor in Chief,
The Hawk

Letter From the

Edition Editor:

—

Welcome to the 2021 Commencement Edition of The Hawk, and congratulations to the class of 2021.

In this special edition of The Hawk, we wanted to highlight the best of times during the past four years while also acknowledging the hardships. We cannot ignore the effects of the 2020 pandemic or the racial injustice that finally led to demonstrations all over the world last year, including here on Hawk Hill. Members of our community have struggled in various ways at various moments these past four years, and some are no longer with us.

Yet, in those times of darkness were sparks of light that we wanted to spread throughout this edition. It was important that we shine a light on our triumphs as well as our struggles. There are stories here of students adapting to overcome a year of isolation, advocating for social justice, both on and off campus, leaving the nest to explore the world abroad and excelling in their college athletic careers. The focus of reporting in this issue was to capture this important journey, to amplify diverse voices and to end the academic year on a note of hope. We wanted to showcase the essence of what it means to be a Hawk—compassionate, ethical and determined in our convictions.

We hope when you read this issue you will be as proud as we are to tell your stories. There is proof in these pages that we at St. Joe’s are resilient and that The Hawk—truly—Will Never Die.

—Domenica Pillo ’23

Editor in Chief, Hawk
Commencement Edition