Class Notes Summer 2023

SHARE your GOOD news!

St. Benedict’s welcomes any and all news about your career, education, family life and reconnecting with other alumni. Submit news via email to graybee@sbp.org.

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 ’59 

Pete Prunkl and his wife, Donna, spent two weeks in Rome and Sorrento, Italy, with their eighth grandchild, Quentin Hippert. Pete and Donna take each grandchild on a major trip when they graduate from high school. Two more trips to go. Their grandchild Marin Leslie wants Norway; Piper Hippert has chosen London. “It’s the best decision we ever made,” Pete said.

 ’70 

Stanley Ciurczak and his wife, Diana, are proud of their son, Andrew, who recently received a Master of Science degree in Cybersecurity from Rowan University. Andrew is beginning his career while Diana and Stan are starting to think about retirement.

 ’83 

From the day they walked on the Property for the Freshman Overnight in 1979, the Class of ’83 has been tight. They still are, through their participation on the Alumni Association Board and regular presence at Convocation broadcasts. To celebrate their 40th Reunion, and more than four decades of friendship, Gray Bees from ’83 reunited in Puerto Rico. Pictured below, front row, left to right: James Portee (standing), Carlton Campbell, Nicky Belmonte, Lin Darlington, George Miller, Troy Walker and Brian O’Connor. Back row, left to right: Al-Tariq Witcher, Rood Beauzile, Tim Cunniff, Jonathan Nelson, Phil Whyte, Jim Daly, Paul Eckert and Steve Wright.

More good news from the Class of 1983...Steve Wright (pictured left with his family) earned his M.B.A. from Rutgers University.

 

 

 

 

 ’86 

Detective Mark Zeno (pictured far right) was honored for his dedicated community service.

 ’92 

Sharif Muhammad, M.B.T.A., C.P.A./P.F.S., M.S.T., C.F.P., Founder and CEO of Unlimited Financial Group Inc., has expanded his enterprise by acquiring the net assets of MIRRA CPAs & Associates, a certified accounting firm located in central New Jersey. Along with a contemporaneous acquisition of the Common Interest Realty Associates (CIRA) audit department from Jilleba & Libock, CPAs in Westwood, N.J., Unlimited Financial Group has formed the largest CPA auditing firm of CIRA in New Jersey. Sharif assumes the role of President & Managing Partner and will oversee the integration of this practice into Unlimited Financial Group, with distinct business divisions focused on CPA professional services, insurance and annuity products and services, and comprehensive financial planning, investment management and financial management services.

 ’97 

Brien L. Graham was selected as a 2023 AIA Young Architect Award recipient by The American Institute of Architects.

 ’98 

Devin Carroll reported that water polo guys from the classes of ’96 and ’98 got together at the House of Que recently. He wrote, “Good times catching up with some of my St. Benedict’s Water Polo family. Thank you Hrvoje Karavanic for reaching out and giving me the chance to put this together last minute. This little gathering reminded me of homecoming and how important it is to get together with friends. My spirit is definitely filled. Can’t wait to do this again.” Below, left to right: Raymond Gantt, Dexter Lopina, Devin Carroll, Joe Harris, Darius Gwyn, Hrvoje Karavanic, Mark Epps ’96 and Matt Alban ’96.

 

 ’99 

Demond Cowins was named SEC Independence Division Coach of the Year and was inducted into the NJIT Hall of Fame.  

 ’00 

Joe Louis Ingram, Jr. is the new International Director of COGIC Gentlemen. 

 ’02 

Four-time Olympic medalist Cullen Jones will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, for Water Safety on September 29 during the ISHOF Honoree Induction weekend in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

 ’03 

Shaam Brown became a Certified Personal Trainer from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

 ’05 

Joseph C. Johnson won the Papa John’s Franchise of the Year award. He is Partner/Chief Operating Officer of Malcolm Inc. & Disrupt Franchise Co.

 ’06 

Cameron Bernard Jones is starring as Melvin Franklin in the “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations” show at the Prince Edward Theatre in London.

Ugochukwu Onyianta was honored to be a guest speaker at Empowerment Day at Computer Science High and was able to talk to the youth, share his story and help prepare them for their amazing future journeys in college and life after college. The kids loved The U-Goboy Podcast, too! 

 ’08 

Brandon Blackwell was inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame at Full Sail University.

Quadeer Porter is one of the honorees this year for the New Jersey Juneteenth Excellence Award Top 40 Under 40 for his creation of the nonprofit, “Brothers Building a Better Nation” that was designed to push on and support the young men in our communities.

 ’13 

Raheem Veal joined BET+ platform as a Manager of Brand & Marketing Strategy. 

 ’15 

Najee S. Evans earned his Ph.D. in Leadership Studies with a focus on Education from University of the Cumberlands.

 ’19 

Since transferring to Rutgers Newark in 2020, former Benedict News Editor-in-Chief Jacob Amaro has been racking up awards and honors in journalism. In 2023, he’s earned 1st Place in the Journalism Day Essay Contest, NJ Advance Media; 1st Place in Journalism Day Photo Contest and a $1,000 scholarship.

He also won the 2023 Jules L. Plangere, Jr. Summer Internship with The Star-Ledger/nj.com for eight weeks, full time. He was awarded a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which provided $3,000 to travel abroad. This summer he is a participant in the Summer Study Abroad Program studying Global Journalism in Italy. This course, hosted by the Rutgers Journalism and Media Studies Department, takes students to Bologna, Italy, for two weeks to report on a topic of their choice in the travel writing style.

Minister Jonathan Groomes has been elevated to Elder/Assistant Pastor at Grace Ministries of New Jersey.

 ’21 

Reuben Kadushin, a rising junior at Swarthmore College, is participating in the UCLA Summer Writing and Research Training Program under a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship he was awarded this summer. He will be studying the contributions of W.E.B. Du Bois to critical political economy. In June 2023, Reuben attended a conference sponsored by the Institute on Culture and Society at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, where he presented a paper for the Black Reconstruction Roundtable titled “Abolition-Democracy as a Crisis of Hegemony.”

 ’22 

Emanuel I. Locke is now a part of the United States Marine Corps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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