Darius Penikas, who holds two degrees from St. John’s University, will be recognized as a Leaders in Education Awards Dinner (LEAD) honoree by the School of Education on April 16 at the Stewart Manor Country Club in Stewart Manor, New York.
Penikas currently serves as principal of Archbishop Molloy High School, a role he has held for 11 years. The school enrolls about 1,500 students from Queens, Brooklyn, Nassau County, and Manhattan. He described his workplace as “an incredible place where I work with an extremely talented faculty, incredible students, and a top-notch administrative team.” Prior to this position, Penikas was Assistant Principal for Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Activities at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip. He began his career teaching social studies at West Hempstead High School and spent over ten years at St. John’s Prep in Astoria. Additionally, he is an adjunct assistant professor at Molloy University’s Graduate School of Education and previously taught as an adjunct at St. John’s University.
Reflecting on receiving the award, Penikas said: “Thank you! It is a great honor! I am very humbled and grateful to have been considered for and then selected for this award. I have such great respect and admiration for St. John’s and the Vincentian Mission so it one of the highest honors of my professional career. It also has provided me with an opportunity to reflect on my career and all the wonderful students, colleagues, and friends I have had the pleasure of working with along the way. I feel truly blessed.”
He credits his education at St. John’s University with preparing him for leadership roles in education: “My degrees from TSOE have provided me with the knowledge and confidence necessary to take on difficult challenges and the drive to work to create programs and initiatives to provide students with better and more effective educational experiences. The combination of tremendous academic knowledge with real-world experiences and great professional relationships provided me both the inspiration to become an educational leader and the support system necessary to achieve success.”
Penikas also acknowledged professors Barbara Cozza and Rene Parmar as influential figures during his time at The School of Education: “Absolutely, Barbara Cozza, Ph.D., and Rene Parmar, Ph.D., were very influential, not just through their teaching but also (and perhaps even more importantly) their counsel, encouragement and support.”
Discussing his memories as a student while working professionally, Penikas noted: “During the entirety of my career as a student at SJU I was a working professional, and I feel this provided me with a unique experience. What comes to mind are the relationships and discussions with colleagues and the ability to be a part of an educational community in which you explore a topic in the evening and then directly apply it the next morning. It was a great opportunity to be able to melt academic research with daily educational practice. SJU also provided a community where I could bring my questions and challenges and always get great advice.”
For future educators among alumni he offered this perspective: “Working in education is truly a blessing. The days can be long and there are certainly plenty of challenges but the opportunity to help a young person learn, grow, and develop will provide you with a sense of meaning and accomplishment that is unmatched. I would also encourage future educators to embrace innovation and joy in their work and always remember that, at its heart, education is about relationships.”
St. John’s University operates campuses in Queens and Manhattan along with international locations including Rome, Paris, and Limerick according to its official website. The university supports multicultural initiatives through various centers focused on local as well as global efforts (source). As an institution affiliated with both Catholic tradition and the Vincentian Community (source), St. John’s offers over 100 undergraduate majors across six schools (source). Rev. Brian J. Shanley has served as president of St. John’s University (source).
