Ram Reunion Weekend 2024
FSC Alumni Honored for Contributions to Campus Life and Beyond
Farmingdale State College (FSC) recently hosted its annual Ram Reunion Weekend featuring three days of alumni-focused events, including campus tours, a BBQ lunch in FSC’s Amphitheater, the “Dream Big” exhibit in the Memorial Art Gallery in Hale Hall, and FSC’s annual Ram Run 5K at Nold Athletic Complex.
The weekend culminated with a formal reunion dinner, which honored the class of 1974 and was hosted by FSC President John S. Nader, PhD, in the Campus Center Ballroom. “Class reunions are always a significant milestone and this year I am delighted to celebrate and honor not only the class of 1974 on the special occasion of their 50th Reunion, but many alumni from a range of class years in the 1980s,” said Michelle Johnson, FSC director of alumni engagement and stewardship.
Among the reunion dinner’s many highlights, nine alumni were inducted into FSC’s prestigious Golden Ram Society and two exceptional FSC alumni received coveted awards. Dr. Denice Evans-Sheppard, ’86, received FSC’s 2024 Outstanding Alumna Award in recognition of her exceptional accomplishments in her field and for bringing honor and prestige to FSC and her fellow alumni. Carlos Surpris, ’87, received FSC’s 2024 Centurion Award in recognition of his stellar representation of FSC’s values and mission, and was designated as a Top 100 Alumni of FSC’s first 100 years of cultivating innovation.
“As we reminisce about many cherished memories from long ago, we will also induct our honored guests into the Farmingdale Golden Ram Society as a way to acknowledge their successful journey to this moment in time, 50 years after their graduation from this incredible institution. In addition to this special tradition, we are also excited to celebrate two outstanding alumni who will receive recognition for their achievements beyond graduation from FSC,” added Johnson.
Evans-Sheppard is currently the executive director of the Oyster Bay Historical Society and the CEO & founder of Whispering Spirit Cultural Tours LLC. In 2017 she retired from the Nassau County Department of Probation/Nassau County Juvenile Detention Center after 30 years of public service working with incarcerated youth. Most recently, Denice received her EdD in education for diverse learning communities from Molloy University. She also earned a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and public administration from Long Island University Post. Evans-Sheppard, who received an Associate of Science degree in early childhood education from FSC, has authored two books and won a New York Emmy Award in 2022 for her contributions to WABC’s historical family segment, “The David Carll Story.”
Surpris, received an associate degree in business administration from FSC, which he utilized in the managerial field of credit analytics at Merck in Hawthrone, New York. Over the past few decades, he has served as a community advocate and entrepreneur in the restaurant and real estate industries. Surpris, who now owns a catering business in Atlanta, Georgia, has served as the lead coordinator for the Farmingdale Aggies 1984-1987 class diversity cohort since 1984.
“Mr. Surpris has truly kept the alumni cohort family in contact and together through all of life’s challenges, from the beginning of college to present,” his peers wrote in the 2024 Ram Reunion Journal. “The group exists, and each member has thrived in their own way due to Carlos’s insightful vision, passionate commitment, unwavering strength and belief in unity and collective progress of all inclusive of underrepresented groups. He is truly a leader, servant, and community advocate, and it is with the utmost pride that we celebrate [him].”
For more information, please visit the Office of Alumni Engagement webpage.
