Guidance & College Counseling

Giuseppe “Joe” Giglio, ’87 is excited to be at his alma mater, serving the Prep community as Director of Guidance & College Counseling. Mr. Giglio credits the late Fr. Ray Balduf, S.J. with developing his lifelong interest in college admission and counseling. 

Mr. Giglio previously served as Executive Director of Admission and Enrollment Marketing at St. Peter’s College (now Saint Peter’s University).

Mr. Giglio had a 19 year career in college admission. He has been on the Admission team at Fordham University and Stevens Institute of Technology. He served a term as chair of the Council of Jesuit Admission Directors (CJAD) and is an active participant in regional and national professional organizations. Joe “got his start” as the student body elected representative on the Admission Committee at the College of the Holy Cross (MA).

A Hudson County native, Mr. Giglio resides in Maplewood with his wife and young son, who, since the age of three, can sing all the verses of “Pride & Glory” as well as the Prep fight song.

Mary Durante was a College Counselor in Prep’s Guidance Department from 2005 to 2008. She returned to Guidance after a seven-year tenure as Vice Principal for Academics. Mary will counsel sophomores, juniors, and seniors.  She will also serve as Director of Student Services, overseeing the school’s support programs for students with specific academic or health needs. 

Mary is a graduate of Fordham University, with degrees from Thomas More College, the Graduate School of Education, and the School of Law.  Prior to coming to Prep, she taught middle and high school students in New York City, worked for the British Open University, practiced law, and served as Director of Guidance and Curriculum at Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi. Mary has two adult children who navigated the college search process successfully and, for the most part, happily. They taught her that not every parent-child communication in junior year need be about applying to college, and that a distance of 3000 miles between college and home does not weaken the bonds between parent and child.

Sarah Morissette is dedicated to providing guidance to students as they navigate complex issues such as academic planning and preparing for college. Sarah is a member of the American School Counselor Association, NACAC and holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and School Counseling for grades K-12. Sarah is a secondary school representative for NJACAC. She is passionate about helping students who are transitioning to a new phase in their academic careers.

One of Sarah’s more valuable assets is her professional experience in college admissions. A former admissions counselor at Paul Smith’s College and Saint Peter’s University, she understands the college application process from the perspective of a college admissions officer. An unique position of offering meaningful, practical advice for Prep students and families.

Sarah received her undergraduate degree in sociology from Saint Joseph’s University and her Master’s degree from West Chester University. When Sarah is not working with her Prep families, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son.

Maysoon Awwad, P’22 graduated from NJCU with a Bachelors degree in Business Management and worked for a financial institution for the past ten years while she continued working on her Masters degree in School Counseling. She will earn her Masters in December 2020.  She is very passionate about students’ mental health and wellness.  

She lived in Jersey City for almost 15 years, then moved to Union. She has two sons and is a Prep Mom as well as a Mom to her two rescue cats, Frankie and Milo, who rule the house. She enjoys spending her weekends at their restaurant where they have live music and delicious food. 

Jim Dondero, ’66, P’00 received his Master’s Degree in Student Personnel Services at Montclair State University in 1975 and holds a BS in Mathematics from Saint Peter’s University. In his 28th year as a counselor, he has been in education for 39 years, 11 of which he spent teaching Math and Computer Science. He returned to Prep in 1988 and has served as Director of Guidance and as a teacher of Precalculus and AP Statistics. He has also served at the College Board Testing Director for 28 years. Mr. Dondero also taught at Dickinson HS, Saint Joseph of the Palisades, Oak Knoll School and worked for 4 years as a programmer analyst at Morgan Guaranty Trust Company and Caswell Massey, Ltd. He is also an adjunct professor of mathematics at Saint Peter’s University.

M. Grace Morris joined the Prep Guidance Department in 2011 as a Freshman/Sophomore level Counselor. Prior to joining The Prep Faculty, she worked as a School Counselor at Immaculate Conception High School, Marist High School and Bishop George Ahr High School. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University in Connecticut, followed by her Masters degree from Seton Hall University.

Sophomore/Junior/ Senior Counselor
GorabA@spprep.org
201-547-6408

Ms. Alison Gorab has recently joined the Saint Peter’s Prep community (2021) as part of the guidance team. Before starting at Prep, Alison worked as a school counselor at Staples High School in Westport, CT and interned at Xavier High School in Manhattan. She received her Master’s in K-12 School Counseling from New York University and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Gettysburg College. She majored in both Psychology and Education, and was captain of the Gettysburg Women’s Lacrosse two-time National Championship team. She traveled abroad to South Africa, where she studied at the University of Cape Town and explored new places, food, culture, and wildlife. Alison grew up in Fairfield, CT and has lived in Manhattan since college. In her free time, Alison loves to spend time with her family and friends, explore new neighborhoods and restaurants in Manhattan, and play with her westie, Bella. 

For the past 17 years, Fr. John Mullin, S.J. has assisted freshmen as they navigate the ups and downs of transition to high school life at Prep. His goal has been to help freshmen find the balance between working to their full potential academically and getting involved in the many co-curricular activities that Prep has to offer. 

Fr. Mullin brings a varied background to his work with freshmen. He taught Biology at Prep in the ‘70s and was Chaplain in the ‘80s. He served as a parish priest at both St. Peter’s Parish and St. Francis Xavier Parish in New York City and, after earning a degree in Pastoral Counseling at Loyola University of Maryland, he worked in Campus Ministry both at St. Peter’s University and Fordham University.One of Fr. Mullin’s greatest joys is to be the guidance counselor for some of the many sons of Prep alumni that he taught or accompanied on Emmaus Retreats in the past. Fr. Mullin is moderator of SPPAC, the Performing Arts Club.

Jessica Nordstrom joined the Saint Peter’s Prep community in the 2013-14 school year. She is passionate about helping students develop both personally and in the classroom, as well as preparing them for their future endeavors. Before coming to Prep, Jessica served for five years as the Assistant to the Director of College Guidance at Loyola School in New York. She received her Master of Education degree from Teachers College, Columbia University and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Villanova University. Jessica grew up in Queens and Long Island, New York but now calls Hoboken her home. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, listening to live music, exploring the greater New York City area, and spending time with family and friends.

Mr. Anthony Rodriguez

Anthony Rodriguez is a graduate of Saint Peter’s College where he earned his Bachelors of Arts in History and Saint Peter’s University where he received his Masters of Education with a concentration in School Counseling. He joined Saint Peter’s Prep in the 2021-22 school year and previously worked at Paramus Catholic High School. Prior to becoming a school counselor, Anthony worked as the Associate Director of Admission at Saint Peter’s University. As an Admission Counselor, he was able to counsel students on the college application process and review scholarship/financial aid information. His motto has always been “changing lives” and looks to continue that here at Saint Peter’s Prep.