Jason Curtis, Kevin Ferguson, Susan Goethals, and Dan Porter challenged me and encouraged me to pursue my dreams aggressively and passionately.

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1 In appreciation of all that our faculty and staff do to help make our school great, we asked alumni to share with us who influenced them while they were students at Cardinal Gibbons. Here s a sampling of their responses. Jason Curtis, Kevin Ferguson, Susan Goethals, and Dan Porter challenged me and encouraged me to pursue my dreams aggressively and passionately." Mike Curatolo and Becky Dason both had strong influences on me. Mr. Curatolo always and continues to watch out for me and make sure that I am doing well. He always encouraged me to work hard for what I wanted and made sure that he was there to help if I needed it. Mrs. Dason always listened to what I had to say. Also, she treated me as an adult. I would often present my project ideas to her as if I were presenting ideas to an employer. I really appreciated that. Nancy Beale taught me for two years of Spanish and I never felt like I learned so much. She was engaging and passionate about seeing everyone learn. Her class and teaching style is what inspired me to go for my minor in Spanish. "Delores Hodge taught me in two different math classes and always gave 100% to make sure that someone understood the material. Incredible teach and incredible person" Jason Curtis and Dan Jukic have been wonderful mentors and role models for me through college and my first years in the working world. Diane Ripollone s outstanding dedication to her students in the classroom and outside of the classroom was quite inspirational. She is very dedicated to her students and willing to go the extra mile to make things happen.

2 Sr. Laura's passion for teaching and openness for questions about the Catholic faith really changed my perspective on the church as well as theology teachers. She is without a doubt one of the best teachers at the school as well as an awesome friend and mentor to many students she interacts with." Michael Friedman always asked how I was doing, gave me good advice, and I didn't even take a class Dr. John Sprague and Sister Janet both strongly influenced me in my high school years. They challenged me and motivated me to pursue high personal and academic ambitions. They both definitely helped me get where I am today, and I am very grateful for their influence. Karen Scharf is a very good Spanish teacher." "Taylor Blanton was my APUSH teacher as well as my Kairos group leader. He always had really good advice for school and life. Pam Heyl was a powerful presence who showed me the value of hard work and dedication. Joey Hoying taught me how to have fun. Dan Jukic helped me discover journalism. Angie Melcher really cares about her students and helped me get the concepts down so that I could succeed in Physics at UNC." "Pat Gallagher was a wonderful teacher and person all around. Plus we were from the same area in PA. Miguel Casas always had an incredibly positive attitude, would always spend extra time talking with me and was truly interested in getting to know me as a person. Jason Curtis was always challenging and pushing me to think about things deeper than just on the surface and was always there for me when I needed advice or help. Mike Rogosich and Mike Curatolo were also an incredible influence on me. You could tell they cared about their students and would always go above and beyond. Catherine Sokash taught me the importance of reading critically, as well as the importance of using language figuratively and literally to convey ideas. Susan Goethals, as my debate coach, taught me the importance of supporting my arguments with applicable evidence, as well as the importance of organization. Mary Ellen Krull and Alberto Munoz taught me the importance of the Spanish language in my life and the lives of others, as well as the fact that it's not as daunting to learn as some would lead you to believe.

3 Pam Heyl taught me the importance of being an informed citizen, as well as the importance of participating in the political system. "David Bierlein was my Computer Science and Cisco Networking Academy teacher. He did an excellent job not just in teaching the material, but allowing me to experiment with real world applications. I now own a software development company and one of the reasons I started it was because of the interest in computer science that I gained in his classes. Michael Friedman was my English teacher. His class not only completely prepared me for college English, but left me with a much deeper appreciation of literature." Susan Goethals helped me with confidence in public speaking, taught me some awesome science, and opened my eyes to how diverse our country is through the domestic exchange program Joleen Smith was always so excited about teaching chemistry, she was encouraging, and she made the subject interesting. She took a special interest in students and talked about things going on outside of the classroom. Mrs. Smith was the first person to reach out to me to talk about my long-term career goals. She recognized my love for helping others and tutoring/teaching. Mrs. Smith helped me begin thinking about education as a career. I now work in the field of education. Though many factors went into the formation of my career goals, it was Mrs. Smith who planted the first seed. I will be forever grateful that she cared enough about me as a person to take the time to talk to me about topics other than chemistry. "Michael Freidman helped me with my writing and comprehensive skills. Kathleen Kozak, Pat Gallagher, and Sr. Laura, all helped me grow in faith and provided me with great friendships. Christopher Poisella made me work hard." Susan Goethals and Sr. Janet both inspired me to continue pursuing the sciences throughout my undergraduate and hopefully graduate careers. Dan Jukic was one of the most influential and fantastic people I have ever met. He was incredibly intelligent, very kind, and such a great person to work with. In the classroom, Mr. Jukic taught me how to answer the most important question one can find in any job scenario: so what? This question is something I ask myself every day when sending s to executives, reports, and even preparing my resume. On retreats, Mr. Jukic was very spiritual, influential, and highly motivating. He helped me get over a big fear of speaking in public, which I now do on a daily basis at work and is a big reason for my success. Mr. Jukic helped me discover myself and my values in addition to my own talents as an analyst. I can say that I am as successful as I am in great part due to Mr. Jukic. I can't be more thankful for us to have crossed paths during my most influential times of self-discovery. Emily Turgeon was both my JV basketball coach and Sociology teacher. I enjoyed being around her as I felt like she really believed in her students and genuinely cared.

4 Mike Curatolo helped me out a lot in life in general." Dan Porter encouraged me to explore my interest in physical science and helped motivate my career choices. Agnes Penny was always so supportive and inspirational. Susan Goethals was just great all around!" "Mike Rogosich gave me all the energy and motivation I ever needed, and more, just from passing him in the hallway. Joey Hoying is pretty much the coolest school related person I have met. Mike Friedman, who I never had as a teacher, gave me a different perspective on life through a retreat and his album. Marque Carrington made (and still makes) me want to lift weights every day of my life. Agnes Penny brightened my day every time I saw her beautiful smile. Mike Curatolo kept me in line and very, very, humble. John Ferris makes me smile whenever I see him. He is a great guy and, personally, inspirational. Marianne McCarty made me feel well-needed and helpful to the community. Michael Friedman - there just aren't enough kind words I can say about him. He not only came to my high school graduation party but my college one too! Dan Porter was amazing, brilliant man and great mentor. Susan Goethals had a major impact on my future because she made me love biology, my current major. It helped lead me in the direction I wanted to go with my life. Nancy Beale and Dan Jukic were mentors to me throughout my Gibbons experience. Michael Sheehan was a mentor and coach. Nick Mangum was a coach and trusted friend. Sister Laura made me who I am." Dan Porter and Chris Poisella were both amazing teachers who really care about their students. Dan Jukic was a great newspaper supervisor and mentor during and afterhigh school. "Rebecca Dason was a really key person in guiding me toward the future. She gave me great advice about career opportunities and goals to have when applying to college. She wrote me an excellent

5 recommendation to Georgia Tech. Because of the way the art program was structured, I was also able to participate in critiques and analysis that helped prepare me for the real world. The art critiques that we participated in helped us learn how to take criticism and grow from it--you NEED that skill in business and I have worked with a lot of people who never learned it. Susan Goethals made biology fun and interesting and helped create an atmosphere of learning that helped me with my science classes in college." Joan Troy had a great influence on me from helping me get through Geometry to mentoring me and being the moderator for Quiz Bowl. She had a great perspective on things. Jim Liebler was a very good teacher and even better baseball coach. Kathleen Kozak was a great lady who always was happy in class. Marque Carrington demanded near perfection as basketball coach, and that taught me the discipline necessary to succeed in college. Senora Krull is still one of the best Spanish teachers I've ever had. I had her in middle school as well, so I have known her for a long time. Michael Friedman was just a fun, positive guy who always encouraged you to chase your dreams. Mark De La Rosa influenced my spiritual life. Joey Hoying was a positive role model." Sr. Janet influenced me to become Chemistry major. Mike Curatolo was a friend to everyone and helped a lot of kids through some really tough times. He became a life-long friend of my family and coached my younger brother in lacrosse. Michael Friedman taught me how to write. I am now a news producer and write for a living. Without the technical skills he taught me, I would not have my job. Michael Rogosich pulled me out of class and drove me to my grandmother's house the day she died. I went into the house to see my grandmother before the funeral home took her away, and Rogo led my family in prayer over my grandmother. It is a life moment I will never forget. It also shows how important each student is to Rogo; because I know he would have done it for anyone." Catherine Sokash taught me the ability to write and write effectively, which has paid dividends in both college and career. For as much as I cursed just about every grade she ever gave me on a writing assignment, her challenging views of my writing forced me to be better. I can honestly say that many grades in college and numerous career successes can be attributed to the emphasis on being a strong writer that Mrs. Sokash instilled in me in 9th and 11th grade.

6 "Susan Goethals increased my passion for the sciences, especially the research process, which has helped me significantly as a Zoology student at NCSU. Rick Martin inspired me to look more into the philosophical areas of life, which has helped me a lot both in my business and science classes, along with everyday life. "David Bierlein and Joan Troy were good instructors, supportive of side projects, and gave generally good advice for life. Susan Goethals taught us that we all have the opportunity to succeed in life, we just have to take it! Chris Kemple taught me Photoshop, which turned me into a Graphic Designer! Mike Sheehan taught me strong work ethic, drive, and how to bring school work to life. Jennifer Cipriano was the best math teacher I've ever had. "Dan Jukic played a large part in both my education and personal life. He was always there to be a helping hand and had a way of teaching that inspired me to always learn more. Sister Janet had a profound impact on my choice of a college major. Her class helped me find my passion in chemistry and she taught me how to be a committed student." Angie Melcher introduced me to physics and was so enthusiastic about the subject and I loved the class and am currently taking more physics in college because of it. Dr. John Sprague, Angie Melcher, and Pat Gallagher prepared me very well for college and had very enjoyable classes. Michael Friedman is just a great guy. He was always helpful and a very genuine person. Sister Laura and Rick Martin: They were always willing to listen when I was stressed or upset, and their classes taught me about issues and concepts that have remained relevant to my college courses. Joan Troy was extremely passionate about her job. She demanded respect in a kind way and treated her students with kindness and respect. Fr. Scott was influential in my development and was funny. Jen Cipriano 04 was a great math teacher and truly cared about her students. Miguel Casas made me love Spanish and want to continue with it. It's difficult to narrow down the number of teachers that had an influence on me. As a transfer student the transformation was even more dramatic because I was encouraged to align my values more closely with those of CGHS and my family as opposed to my old school. Mike Curatolo, Mike Rogosich, and Jason Curtis demonstrated how much you can love students, while still being a professional and not sacrificing discipline (truly how to be a leader in an organization); Sister Janet taught me to pursue

7 academic excellence and reevaluate how I study when for the first time academics were tough. The entire school in action showed me how beautiful Catholicism can be, focusing on community and inclusion just as much as the catechism. CGHS gave me a solid foundation (academically and morally) for college and allowed me to explore my faith in a positive way so I was prepared and confident in a more secular environment. Michael Rogosich made English entertaining and unpredictable and made reading different novels fun and easy to learn from.