Student makes time for studies, pageants and volunteering

St. Joseph’s University student Devin Walsh had a big night last month when she was crowned Miss New York International 2025 at the Northeast International Pageants’ competition in Princeton, New Jersey.
Walsh, 20, not only took home the pageant crown, she also won awards for Best Overall Fun Fashion, Best Overall Evening Gown and Best Overall Fitness in the pageant, which was held March 2 in front of an audience that included Walsh’s family.
With the win, Walsh will be moving on to compete in the Miss International competition on July 25 in Kingsport, Tennessee.
But competing in pageants is only part of what makes Walsh so exceptional that St. Joseph’s University featured her in a recent news release.
Walsh, a sophomore, is also a Dean’s List student and someone who puts volunteering at the core of who she is.
Walsh remembers very well the first time she was introduced to the idea of volunteering.
She was 11 years old when her mother, Eileen Walsh, took her to help serve dinner to needy people at a local church.
“She thought it would be a good idea for me to go,” Walsh said.
That experience kindled a spark that shines bright for Walsh, who at age 15, started “Donate with Devin.” Walsh collected food, clothing and household items from her community and distributed them to people in need across Suffolk County.
Fast forward to today and Walsh, who is now 20 years old, is a sophomore at St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue, where she majors in psychology.
“We’ve made at least 2,000 donations in five years,” said Walsh, whose organization achieved nonprofit status in 2023 and will celebrate its fifth anniversary on May 6.
Walsh, 20, is a sophomore at St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue, where she majors in psychology. She plans to pursue both a master’s degree in psychology and a doctorate in psychology and become a psychologist focused on treating children.
Walsh also finds time to be active in a long list of campus organizations that work to make the world a better place.
“I would say she’s definitely a leader,” said Bryan Gill, executive director of student involvement, leadership and international engagement.
Father Francis Pizzarelli is an adjunct professor in social science at St. Joseph’s University. Walsh has taken three of his classes including an Introduction to Social Work class currently. Pizzarelli said he’s found Walsh to be “an extraordinary young woman who is insightful, compassionate and very thought-filled.”
Walsh thinks about her responses in class and her comments are “usually grounded in some form of empathy,” Pizzarelli said.
Among her many on campus activities, Walsh is community service coordinator for Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, which just finished a clothing drive that collected at least 10 large bags of women’s business attire that they will donate to the Town of Brookhaven’s Dress for Success program.
Walsh volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and is also president of the St. Joseph’s University chapter of Project Sunshine.
Project Sunshine is an international organization in which volunteers visit local hospitals to spend time with children undergoing medical treatment.
The Project Sunshine website says the group’s mission is to “deliver the healing power of play to children with medical needs through trained and dedicated volunteers.”
Members of the St. Joseph’s University chapter visits children at Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip and play games and do arts and crafts with them.
“It just brings an overwhelming sense of joy,” Walsh said of the experience.