CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE - 3/16/2020:
All face-to-face learning at the College is suspended for the remainder of the semester, and ALL CLASSES WILL BE TAUGHT ONLINE. There are no cases of COVID-19 among our staff and student body, however, out of an abundance of caution, there will be no in-person instruction of any kind — no tutoring, no library use, no mentoring, no labs. This decision is in accord with the recent announcement from Rockland County Executive Ed Day. Please continue to monitor this page and keep informed via our latest updates.
Title
Admissions Team
MEET THE ENTIRE ADMISSIONS TEAM
Samantha Bazile, '07
Director of Admissions
Hometown: West Nyack, NY
College Major: Social Science
Samantha’s favorite movie is “The Wizard of Oz.” And although there’s no place like home, she vows there’s no place like STAC, either. As admissions director, Samantha oversees the college’s recruitment and admission operations. She says there’s nothing more rewarding than meeting a student at a college fair, watching them become a part of STAC, and seeing them walk across the stage at graduation. She also says she could live on chicken wings, gummy bears, and peanut M&Ms. That sounds pretty rewarding, too.
Thomas Sapienza
Associate Director Of Admissions
Hometown: Ardsley, NY
College Major: Music Industry
Tommy says if Hollywood makes a movie about his life, Jonah Hill will get the starring role. A self-professed “pop-culture nerd,” Thomas loves all things Marvel, movies and comic books (which includes his cats, Boba Fett and Harley Quinn). Tommy’s favorite vacation spot is Disney World. It’s no wonder that he appreciates the close-knit, welcoming community at STAC, which we think is the second “happiest place on earth” next to Disney!
Kaitlyn Healy
Assistant Director, Transfer & Graduate Coordinator, International Programs
Hometown: Fair Lawn, NJ
College Major: Communications
Kaitlyn’s favorite vacation spot is Ireland. In fact, her father was born there, and much of her family still lives there. But she’s also a fan of tropical locations, and she’s been to 15 countries in total. When she’s not traveling abroad, she’s traveling to Long Island, Staten Island and Queens on recruiting trips. She says she enjoys meeting prospective students and introducing them to the benefits of STAC. She also enjoys hiking, kayaking and candy corn.
Ryan Gasser, '17
Regional Admissions Coordinator
Hometown: Staten Island, NY
College Major: Sport Management
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Ryan’s favorite cartoon character, of course! When he’s not enjoying the antics of SpongeBob, singing karaoke or making his famous pancakes, Ryan travels New Jersey in search of STAC’s next freshman class. As a 2017 STAC alumnus and former Mr. Spartan, Ryan knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a successful STAC student. Look for him at a guidance office near you!
Casey Ramos
Regional Admissions Counselor
Hometown: Hawthorne, NJ
College Major: B.S., Psychology, M.S., Business Administration/Management
Casey Ramos is the newest member of St. Thomas Aquinas College’s Admissions team. She loves country music so much that she travels as frequently as twice a month to places like Red Rocks, Colorado, and Charleston, South Carolina to see her favorite performers live in concert. Six-time Grammy Award-winner Kacey Musgraves is her favorite, and others include Caitlyn Smith and Eric Church whose song “Talladega” inspired the name for her rescue pup, a mutt Casey calls “Tally” for short.
Music and performing have always been a big part of Casey’s life—she’s played piano since she was seven and also acted on the children’s show “Sesame Street”—and she’s been surrounded by music in her family. Her brother was a top 30 contestant on the first American Idol and her uncle is the famous salsa artist Marc Anthony.
As the Regional Admissions Counselor, she travels to college fairs around Westchester County to introduce high school students to STAC, answer questions, and facilitate the admissions process.
“I love that I’m able to help students take the next step in their educational journeys,” she says. “It’s such a pivotal point in their lives. I want to be accessible and to find those students who will do well at STAC. I want to be the person who sets them up in their new home.”
Higher education has always been important to the New Jersey native who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Ramapo College and a master’s in business administration and management at Stevens Institute of Technology. She pursued the advanced degree as a step toward a longer-term goal of teaching at the college level as an adjunct professor someday.
During her own college years, Casey wrote a research paper that was published in the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research and also served as a graduate teaching assistant, working with first-year, transfer, adult, and international students. Before she joined STAC, she was an academic advisor at Bergen Community College and a social skills group facilitator for children with autism. “I have experience working with diverse populations, Casey says. “These experiences give me a unique perspective that I think could be valuable to the students and families I work with now.”
When she’s not chasing her favorite country artists around the country, Casey enjoys spending time with family, being outdoors, and watching true crime movies.
