Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. President | St. John's University website

At St. John's University's annual Alumni Convocation on October 18, Anna R. Lukachik, a 1980 graduate of the School of Education, was honored with the Pietas Medal. The award is given to alumni who have shown outstanding service and achievement, reflecting the university's core values in their professional or personal lives.

Lukachik serves on The School of Education Dean’s Advisory Board at St. John’s and works as Training Director for the New York State Department of Financial Services.

Reflecting on receiving the Pietas Medal, Lukachik said, "On a personal level, the award was totally unexpected. My volunteering at various events has always been intrinsically motivated. By sharing my student story and professional career, I hope to illustrate how St. John’s shaped my career journey and personal life. My goal has always been to encourage prospective and current students to become future alums. Both the skills and knowledge I received at St. John’s through activities and academics contributed significantly to my life journey. My motivation was simply to pass that along."

She recalled being invited by Jerrold Ross, Ph.D., former Dean of The School of Education, to join the planning committee for its centennial celebration in 2005 before becoming an Advisory Board member. Lukachik recounted asking why she was chosen: "I asked him, 'Why me?' and he responded, 'You took a career path out of ‘traditional education’ and you’re an example of education outside the classic definition. Given changes to the knowledge and skills needed for future jobs, your input into what needs to be in place for ‘educators’ is a needed opinion at the table.'"

Discussing her ongoing motivation, Lukachik said, "Life is a learning journey... My goal is to help my clients solve problems that prevent or hinder them from accomplishing things on their 'to-do' lists. I don’t think of my audience as students. They are adults, and leveraging andragogy principles is key to constructing successful learning events... It’s rewarding to hear someone say, 'Your class/job-aid/tutorial/on the job assignment helped me.'"

She credited her parents as her greatest inspiration: "My parents... immigrated to the US from Germany at the end of World War II... They had to learn a fourth language (i.e., Ukrainian, Polish, German, and then English) and find jobs... For Mom and Dad, learning always came first."

Lukachik also highlighted an impactful leadership class she took with William Saunders, Ph.D., during her junior year: "The class shaped so much of my fundamental philosophy toward leadership... Leaders need to get things done through others... If you don’t [model expectations], failure is the certain outcome." She added about mistakes: "You need to embrace them versus running from opportunities that may mean a fall."

Looking back on her journey at St. John's University—whose athletic teams are now known as the Johnnies—she expressed no regrets: "Change anything? No. Every step—whether I faltered or danced—was valuable."

As she looks ahead in her career after years dedicated both professionally and as an alumna volunteer at St. John's University-New York, Lukachik plans to focus on consulting work aimed at improving adult education practices: "If I can shift that approach for a few small- and medium-sized enterprises, it’d make workplace learning way more powerful and lasting."