Mother/Daughter Team to Graduate Together from C.W. Post

Gina (left) and Ilene LoCastro

May 5, 2003 - No matter what, Mother’s Day is a special day. But this year, for the LoCastro family of East Meadow, the day has a unique significance.

Mom Ilene will graduate from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville with a master’s degree in school counseling while daughter Gina will be awarded a bachelor of science in elementary education when the university celebrates Commencement on Mother's Day, May 11, 2003.

Ilene earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from SUNY Old Westbury in the spring of 1999 and started attending graduate school at C.W. Post in the fall of that year. Gina joined her in the fall of 2001 after earning an associate’s degree from Nassau Community College and a brief stint at Marist College. "Mom said so many positive things about the campus," Gina says. Ilene says that she was impressed with the assistance of everyone, from the administrative staff to the professors. "I was happy with the professionalism of those in the counseling department and I told Gina that," says Ilene. "They were supportive of me being an adult student working full time."

Ilene, a single mom, works in the corporate offices of Nathan’s Famous. She started her college education in 1989. "I’ve been pursuing this degree for a while," she says. "There were times when it was difficult but I was in pursuit of a goal and wasn’t about to stop." She will graduate with a 3.93 grade point average and was inducted into Chi Sigma Iota International Honor Society for Professional Counselors in April 2002. She also volunteers at the Long Island Crisis Center in Bellmore.

The dynamic in the LoCastro household was interesting. "We were going through the same steps," says Gina. "We supported each other. There were nights we spent together at the library studying and doing papers." Mother and daughter formed a new bond. "There were times when one of us would get discouraged," Ilene says. "But the other one was always there to pull her through."

"I think Mother’s Day will be a very special day for my mom this year," says Gina. "Her daughter is graduating college and so is she. We are both very much looking forward to the day."

Ilene and Gina LoCastro will be among the more than 1,600 students who will don their caps and gowns on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 11, 2003 for 45th annual commencement exercises of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. The campus has awarded more than 85,000 degrees in its 49-year history, through a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs. For additional information, call the Office of Public Relations at (516) 299-2333.