Criminal Justice Graduates Inducted into the Alumni Hall of Achievement

The Dominican College Criminal Justice Program celebrated its 10-year anniversary on Sunday, April 7, 2019 with the induction of three criminal Justice graduates into the Alumni Hall of Achievement.  The new inductees are:  Jeremy Arcaro, ’09, for Excellence; Michelle Soto, ’11, for Leadership, and Katie McLaughlin,’16, for Service.  A photo of the three inductees will hang in the lobby of the Prusmack Center with the members of the Alumni Hall of Achievement.

Jeremy Arcaro, ’09, for Excellence

Jeremy Arcaro was a lacrosse star at Dominican College, playing all four years and scoring the 3^rd highest career goals (83) in the program’s history – a record he still holds today.  He describes himself as a “troublesome” student at Dominican College, but credits the College with setting him on the right path.

“Honestly, what this experience has done for me at Dominican College was not only make me a leader on the [lacrosse] field…but also in my current profession today,” he said.

For the past three years, Arcaro has worked as a police officer in the New Windsor, NY Police Department.  He is an instructor at the Police Chief’s Association of Orange County Police Academy and a field-training officer for new police officers.  As a member of New Windsor’s Community Policing Unit, he created and delivered a number of anti-bullying presentations at elementary and middle schools.

Arcaro has received three awards for saving a person’s life. The most recent incident took place on June 10, 2017 when he performed life-saving CPR and first aid on a person who was unresponsive and not breathing.

In addition to his police duties, Arcaro is the owner/operator of Laxology and owns the New York Reign Lacrosse Club.  Laxology runs lacrosse camps and hosts clinics for players in high school, as well as younger athletes.  The aim of the program is to boost a player’s lacrosse IQ and awareness in a friendly environment to allow the players to successfully compete at the highest levels of lacrosse.

Michelle Soto, ‘11, for Leadership

Michele Soto is a management consultant and has worked for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Homeland Security.  Since graduating from Dominican College, she received a Master of Arts in Criminology, Law and Society from George Mason University.

Soto founded a nonprofit organization called Letters of Hope (letterofhope.org) which provides handwritten letters of encouragement to individuals experiencing hardships, including residents of homeless shelters, prisoners, and military families.  Soto says she has received wonderful feedback from the recipients of the letters.

The importance of giving to the community was a lesson Soto learned as a student at Dominican College.   “When I first visited Dominican College, it was like a hidden gem.  I knew as soon as I visited the College that I had to be part of this community that was so loving,” she said.

Soto was fully involved in campus life at Dominican College.  She was president of the Criminal Justice Club, president of the Debate Team, and president of the senior class.  She also volunteered to go on Alternative Spring Break trips to the Dominican Republican and to Gulfport, MS to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

Soto said Dominican College will always remain dear to her heart.  She treasures her Dominican College education and says the criminal justice degree she received launched her career because she was able to secure a position as a background investigator as soon as she graduated.

Katie McLaughlin, ’16, for Service     

Katie McLaughlin is an enthusiastic ambassador for Dominican College, speaking at admissions events to prospective students about the opportunities she has had since graduation.  She often discusses the confidence she gained as a student, which allowed her to thrive in law school and her career.

“Dominican College definitely gave me the courage and the strength to get through law school, the academic ability to make it and really push through all the hard parts – especially the bar,” she said.

McLaughlin transferred to Dominican College and found the sense of community that had been missing at her previous school.  She co-chaired the Relay for Life event, was a member of the Criminal Justice Club, and a member of four honor societies – Alpha Chi, Pi Gamma Mu, Alpha Phi Sigma, and Psi Chi.   In addition, she served as an admissions student ambassador.

After graduation, McLaughlin attended Pace University Law School on a full scholarship.  At Pace, she was a senior associate with the Pace Law Review, a Pace Criminal Justice Society member and a member of the Women’s Association of Law Students.  McLaughlin received her Juris Doctor in May 2018.  She clerked for Essex County, NJ Judge James W. Donohue, after interning with the US Attorney’s Office, the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office, and the Hillsdale Police Department.  She recently started her dream job of working as a prosecutor.