By Michael Morton
For Alison Daley, a 24-year-old Auburndale resident and longtime TimesLedger editorial assistant, the road will lead to the New York Police Department, if all goes according to plan.”I'm just waiting to get called down to the academy now,” said Daley, who earned bachelor degrees in journalism and criminal justice and was recognized by the school for an internship done at the master's level that she completed recently with the Police Department. She will not be alone, as more than 100 of her classmates have also passed the application test, Police Commissioner and St. John's law alum Ray Kelly said during his commencement address at the university. He attributed the recruitment tally to the “resilience” and “deep commitment” of the students, many of whom began their St. John's careers the day before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”You, more than most, have learned that duty can call in unexpected ways,” said Kelly, who was awarded the Medal of Honor, the school's highest recognition. He said when he looked out at those earning undergraduate and graduate degrees “I see only hope and optimism.”The impact of the attacks was also acknowledged by student speaker William Herr of Staten Island, who earned a bachelor's degree and plans to pursue a master's in counseling.”Life has dramatically changed for us since that morning four years ago,” he said. He urged his fellow graduates to “continue to serve.”Other graduating students honored included Shelly Garcia and Jabou McCoy of the Bronx , who both won an Outstanding Student Achievement Medal, and Natalie Rohan of Maryland, who won the Vincentian Mission Award for service to the community.While not a graduate himself, Louis Goodman, 92, of Hollis Hills received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for his contribution to the school. For more than 25 years, he has audited two classes a semester, never missing a term.”His presence has enhanced this institution ever since,” university Provost Julia Upton said. Goodman, who started a shoe company and never got a chance to go to college earlier in his life, enrolled in the continuing education program as an auditor in 1979, sticking with it even while nursing his late wife through a battle with Alzheimer's Disease. “Education and academics is No. 1 on the list next to being a family person,” said Goodman, whose grandsons graduated last week from college.Although she did not have a class with Goodman, Daley took the message to heart. After interning at TimesLedger during the first semester of her senior year at Flushing's Francis Lewis HS through The Executive Internships Program, the Auburndale resident got a part-time job at the newspaper chain and then worked her way through college as a full-time editorial assistant.”The sky's the limit,” Kelly said of his new recruit.While graduating gave Daley the possibility to now walk the beat in the 114th Precinct in Astoria, her old neighborhood, she said the ceremony at St. John's was bittersweet.”I'm going to cry,” she said. “I miss this place already and I'm not even gone yet.”Reach reporter Michael Morton by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
