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.

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 St. Thomas Aquinas High School. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University in Connecticut, followed by her Masters degree from Seton Hall University.

Maysoon Awwad, P’23 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. 

Alsion Gorab joined the Saint Peter’s Prep community as part of the guidance team in 2021. Before starting at Prep, Ms. Gorab 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.

Ms. Gorab grew up in Fairfield, CT and has lived in Manhattan since college. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, explore new neighborhoods and restaurants in Manhattan, and play with her westie, Bella. 

Edward “Ted” McGuinness joined the guidance faculty at Saint Peter’s Prep in 2022. Previously, he served as a personal and college guidance counselor at Archbishop Molloy High School, taught English at Saint Agnes Boys High School, and was an instructor in Communications and Education Practice at The University of Michigan.

Ted received his Bachelors from Saint John’s University, and his Masters Degrees in Social Work and Education from The University of Michigan. 

For the past 18 years, 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 both St. Peter’s Parish (formerly located adjacent to Prep) and at 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.

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. 

Kristen Harris joined Saint Peter’s Prep in August of 2021.  She is a graduate of Northwestern University with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Theater Arts. Prior to working at Prep, she worked as a Production Stage Manager on Broadway plays and musicals and is grateful to now be a part of the Prep community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially her 13-year-old son.