Making Himself at Home at Hilbert Jason Luna was among the first to receive a four-year degree from Hilbert. He went on to law school, started his own highly successful firm and has become a respected leader in his community. But in some ways, it’s like he never left college. And in truth, he really hasn’t. As a student, Luna immersed himself in college life, playing on the Hawks' baseball team, participating in student government and joining clubs such as the Phi Beta Lambda business fraternity and the Criminal Justice Association, while working as an Admissions Ambassador. At the 1996 Commencement ceremony, he was named Hilbert’s Man of the Year. But that wasn’t the end of his association with the college. Since then, he’s been an Alumni Association board member, established an endowed scholarship for Hilbert students, worked as an adjunct instructor in criminal justice and, most recently, was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees. The overall atmosphere of daily life on campus had such an impact on Luna he hasn’t wanted to leave it behind. “I truly felt at home on campus during my first visit to the college and knew at that
moment this was the place for me,” he said. “During my time as a student and as an adjunct that feeling never went away, which explains why I have always stayed involved.” He is grateful for both the training he received at Hilbert and the mentors who guided him. “John Kissel was my mentor,” he said. Luna also cites Ed Qualey, Pat Heraty, Dan Roland, Sister Edmunette and Sister Adrienne specifically for helping him along the way. “I use the skills, perspectives and knowledge I gathered at Hilbert every day,” he said. “Since the field I’m in is adversarial in nature, the only true way to get ahead is ensure that I’m always several steps ahead of my adversary. This involves thoroughly investigating my cases by implementing many of the techniques I learned as a CJ student at Hilbert. The business courses that I took gave me a strong foundation for operating my own business.” After graduating from UB Law School, Luna began his career as an assistant district attorney. By 2005, he opened his own personal injury law firm: Jason C. Luna, PLLC. He is also involved as a volunteer with a number of civic groups, including the Valley Community
Jason Luna was appointed to Hilbert's Board of Trustees this past May. Association, a not-for-profit organization in Buffalo’s Old First Ward that organizes events such as River Fest and the city’s original St. Patrick’s Day parade. When he’s not working, Luna enjoys sports, a good cigar, and spending time with his son Jason Jr. (4) and daughter Maya (2). - HC
Science and Serendipity Clearly, Jonathan Rajewski ’04 has made the most of his opportunities. He spent just two years at Hilbert, but the experiences he had at the College helped to shape Rajewski into a high profile expert in the area of digital forensics. An assistant professor at Vermont’s Champlain College, Rajewski oversees the Senator Patrick Leahy Center for Digital Investigation at Champlain, works as a digital forensic examiner for the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and is a frequent presenter, media expert and private and government consultant in topics dealing with electronic investigations, cyber security and identity theft. In the past year alone, Rajewski has achieved notoriety for his work as both an investigator and a teacher. He blogged for The Huffington Post about the Manti Te’o “catfishing” affair and was named the top digital forensics professor and one of the best 300 professors in the nation overall by The Princeton Review. Not bad for someone who had no idea what kind of career he wanted until he discovered Hilbert’s Computer Security and Information Assurance program. “My dream was to be in a technology area, but I didn’t want to program computers
on a daily basis,” Rajewski said. “[This] was something that appealed to my inner passion – investigating technology. I was a transfer student from Erie Community College and was given an opportunity to prove myself. Without the college’s support and encouragement, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” At Hilbert, Rajewski thrived under the tutelage of James Domres and Sandy Augustine. “Both of them were committed to their fields and demonstrated what it took to be a professional,” he said. “I try to live up to their expectations still today.” And his success in the classroom led to an internship with the New York State Attorney General’s Office. Rajewski believes that internship was the serendipitous event that helped him to land his first post-college job as a consultant with Protiviti. That experience then led him to Champlain, where he brought his private sector perspective to the department and helped to rewrite the curriculum. “Hilbert College is an excellent school with small class sizes that focuses on professional education,” Rajewski said. “This is a rare breed in higher education, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to attend such a great school.”
Jonathan Rajewski is a 2004 graduate of Hilbert College. Rajewski earned a master’s in managing innovation and information technology from Champlain in 2009. He is married and enjoys spending spare time with his wife, son and pug. He also tends to a collection of more than 20 bonsai trees and is an avid runner. - HC
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