Three Iona College Alumnae Recognized for Excellence in Teaching
Gina Tomaj ’16, a first-grade teacher in an integrated co-teaching classroom, with students from SA Harlem 6. (Photo taken last year prior to COVID-19.)
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Three Iona College alumnae have been recognized for their exceptional talent and commitment as teachers. Chloe Walker ’16, Gabrielle Fox ’15, and Gina Tomaj ’16 were named 2020 Success Academy Excellence Award winners in recognition of their outstanding work to help close the opportunity gap in some of New York’s most underserved neighborhoods.
Gabrielle Fox ’15 is a kindergarten lead teacher at SA Far Rockaway. She won an Excellence Award for Growth, which recognizes educators who have exhibited the most significant progress in achieving excellence. Fox majored in Speech Language Pathology and credits her success to her Iona professors. “I had so many professors who helped me fall in love with education,” she said. “I can think of many who supported me and showed me how I can better the lives of children. I’m so grateful for my time at Iona.”
Chloe Walker ’16 is a first-grade teacher in an integrated co-teaching classroom at SA Bronx 4, where at least one-third of her students receive special education services. Walker won an Excellence Award for ETHOS, which recognizes school staff members who exemplify SA’s values of Excellence, Teamwork, Humor, Ownership, and always putting Scholars first.
As a Childhood Education major at Iona University, Walker credits the real-world, professional experience she gained for her success. “Iona’s education program gave me so much valuable experience in the classroom,” she said. “During my student teaching, I was partnered with a teacher who I learned so much from.”
Gina Tomaj ’16 is first-grade teacher in an integrated co-teaching classroom at SA Harlem 6. She won the Excellence Award for Rookie of the Year, which recognizes first-year teachers who have embraced the challenge of teaching and demonstrated significant growth in their practice. Tomaj majored in Economics, saying that “economics at Iona helped me strengthen my ability to analyze, which has been so helpful for studying assessments and strategically planning. I was also allowed the flexibility of including psychology courses in my major, which improved my understanding of the human mind and human behavior. I know that many SA teachers have majors outside of Education, and I love that those with other professional backgrounds can use their skills to be amazing teachers.”
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 national list of “The Best 390 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.