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KEANmag
editor’s note
There are quite a few boys in my family and their obsession with sneakers
baffled me for years. Birthdays, holidays, graduations—you name it—the gift
of choice was always sneakers, and rather expensive Jordans in particular. So
I confess to both excitement and relief after reading our cover story on Matt
Senna ’07 and his “Higher Learning” series of bronzed and gilded Nike Air
Jordan sneakers. Clearly, my boys were just being boys.
Matt, however, is doing much more. His unique and compelling approach
to art and expression, in every form, has captured the imagination of a
generation and the attention of the some of world’s most successful artists
and athletes. His story defines what we mean by world-class at Kean
University, and his eagerness to share his fame and insights with future
generations of Kean artists and designers only underscores the strength of
his character.
Senna is just one of a number of inspiring alumni stories in this edition of
Kean Magazine. John Turner ’92, ’97 shares the story of how hard work and
higher education helped shape his incredible success in the business world.
Adele Kenny ’70, meanwhile, stirs us with the beguiling voice of her creative
writing and poetry. Kelly Rapkin ‘14 brings art to life, literally, in the garden-
like gallery of Grounds for Sculpture located just outside of Princeton, NJ.
Like Senna, all three remain connected to the Kean community, giving back
through service on the Kean Foundation Board and the Global Business
Advisory Board, inspiring future generations of Kean writers with poetry
dedicated to her alma mater, and returning to the Kean Ocean classroom as
a teacher to pay it forward.
One of the things I love most about reading alumni profiles is that it inspires
me to think of what’s next—to look around campus at the beautiful, diverse
and determined faces of our current students and imagine what their success
story will be. Kean is a special place. I hope you feel the same when you finish
this edition.
Enjoy the read!
Audrey M. Kelly
Editor in Chief
KEAN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
Dawood Farahi, Ph.D.
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Audrey M. Kelly
MANAGING EDITOR
Katherine Roba
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Joey Moran ‘01
ART & DESIGN
Amanda Knapp
WR ITERS & CONTR IBUTORS
Jennifer Brooks
Matt Caruso ‘99
Steve Cochran
Kimberly DeRitter
Danielle Ford
Milagros “Millie” Gonzalez ‘02 ‘07
James Gurland
Justine Henderson ’12
Heather Kelley
Stella Maher
John Marchese
Margaret McCorry
Heather Mistretta
Jessica Perez ’10 ‘12
Emily Renkert
Elizabeth Scott
Seunghyun Shon
Leanne Templeton
Brian Treanor ’97 MPA
Emmanuel Vozos
John Wooten
PHOTOGRAPHY
Patti Banks
Jerry Casciano
Ricardo Fonseca
Tom Medvedich
Joey Moran ‘01
To contact Kean Magazine, send an email to:
or write to:
Editor, Kean Magazine
Office of University Relations
Kean University
1000 Morris Avenue
Union, NJ 07083
KEAN MAGAZINE
Spring 2017
volume 13, issue 2
