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Meet Alum Brandon Brito ’20, Assistant Director of Equity and Inclusion

Name: Brandon Brito 

Class Year: 2020

Title: Assistant Director of Equity and Inclusion

Organization Name: Meadowbrook School of Weston 

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

My role is difficult to capture in one sentence, but essentially, I serve with our Director of Equity and Inclusion in implementing all equity and inclusion initiatives and programming. I work with all of our affinity group leaders which include our Meadowbrook Students of Color (MSOC), ETC. (our LGBTQIA+ affinity group,) and our Jewish Affinity Group (Kehillah.) Furthermore, I take a lead role in planning and implementing AWARE (All Working at Racial Equity) curriculum for our Junior Kindergarten to 8th grade. Finally, I also serve on our Admission Committee to help recruit and retain our students. 

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you? 

I couldn’t have landed where I am without the incredible support at Holy Cross. From my professors like Ginny Ryan, Kendy Hess, and Danielle Poché to the Center for Career Development and mentors like Chris Holguin, Kasey Catlet, and Amit Taneja. Covid had just hit as well and so I was doing a lot of this work at home but I knew I had a team in my corner ready to support me. I remember hopping on numerous zoom calls with Ben Cannon as he mitigated my many fears and anxiety. He was the one that reminded me that it’ll all fall into place… and it did. I started in higher ed and realized quickly, I wanted to work with a k-12 population. 3 years later, I couldn’t be happier than to be in my current role supporting students, faculty, families, and alumni. 

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

At Holy Cross, I was a first-year RA, an orientation leader, a member of ACT, LASO, and worked with the Chaplains, the Office of Student Involvement, Coolbeans, and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a double major in English and Theatre. I always knew I wanted to get into education and originally, I wanted to become a Drama teacher. While that didn’t happen, I found other areas of passion in education. 

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Asking for help! This one took me years to finally grasp. It was in my senior year that I finally realized the impact asking for help had. Holy Cross has such a great network and I’ve been able to utilize it as a resource. In my role, I’ve learned the power of saying, “I don’t know” and reaching out to colleagues for support. 

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

I’ll tell you what many folks told me: Everything will fall into place! It may not feel that way at the moment, but it will. You might not get that job you wanted, or internship, or grade… but it all works out. This still rings true for me as I navigate this professional world. Just recently, I worked so hard to get this job I thought I wanted, and got it but ended up hating it. I was there for 41 days and then found this amazing role that I love so much. What’s meant to be yours…will be yours.
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Meet Alumna Maureen Lamb ’07, Dean of Academic Technology and Innovative Pedagogy

Name: Maureen Gassert Lamb

Class Year: 2007

Title: Dean of Academic Technology and Innovative Pedagogy, Latin Teacher

Organization Name: Ethel Walker School

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I teach Latin and support faculty in their effective use of academic technology and brainstorm ideas for implementing innovative pedagogy.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

My first employer got my name through Holy Cross connections, and that job opportunity springboarded me to the many jobs I have had since. I appreciate the alumni network that helped support me.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

So many things! I did choir and chamber choir all fours years, cantored at mass, dabbled in theater, ballroom dance, and marching band, refounded the Classics honors society, worked for the Classics department, worked in the writing center, participated in the First Year Program and Honors Program, did a silent retreat, and copy edited for the newspaper. I loved going to the many musical programs and lectures on campus. There was always so much to do!

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a double major in Classics and Music and participated in the Honors and Business program. I wanted to teach Latin and continue performing music. I ended up becoming a high school Latin teacher right after graduation, and I continued playing clarinet in community bands, singing in choirs, and cantoring at masses. I also completed my M.Ed. in Latin, and I teach graduate courses in Latin and Instructional Technology.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

I learned so much about problem solving from my work as an office assistant for the Classics department. That really helped prepare me both for being a teacher and an instructional coach. I also took four years of music theory as a Music major, which is something I found very challenging, but I’m so glad I found the resilience to keep trying something that I found difficult rather than opt for something easy.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Take advantage of the many connections that Holy Cross has to offer. It has a wonderful and dedicated alumni network that is willing and eager to help Holy Cross grads.
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Meet Alum Dr. Marco Clark ’89, President at Holy Cross College at Notre Dame

Name: Marco Clark

Class Year: 1989

Title: President

Organization Name: Holy Cross College at Notre Dame

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

President and CEO in Catholic higher education

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

With an interest in education, Dean Joe Maguire assisted me to take education classes at other colleges in the Worcester consortium. He also aided me to get an internship in the Auburn and Oxford public school system working with at risk youth in a program called Project JOBS/Project COFFEE. As well, since I played football at Holy Cross, I had an interest in coaching. Between my desire to coach and the work I did with at-risk youth, I was offered a position as a guidance counselor and coach following graduation. It was a great fit for me. One thing I recognized through my interview process is that I would have great mentors to learn from in my early career. After spending the past 34+ years in Catholic education, I often reflect on how it all began. I really just wanted to be a high school or college football coach. God clearly had other plans, and for that I am thankful.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

Football, intramurals, SPUD

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

Psychology. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with the degree until I did an internship working 1:1 with at-risk youth (see above).

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Writing/communication skills, public speaking, critical thinking, viewing everything through a lens of equity and justice.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Take it all in. The days can be long, but the years go fast. Also, find a mentor and don’t hesitate to reach out for guidance and direction, including possible spiritual direction. As you seek to discover more about your interests and career path, think with a vocation mindset, pray, and discern what God is calling you to. The spiritual writer Frederick Buechner stated, “Vocation is when your deep gladness meets with the deep needs of the world.” Be in search of that deep gladness and have the competence to see and the courage to act on the deep needs of the world and you will have found your vocation.
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Meet Alum Brian Ricca ’96, Superintendent of Schools

Name: Brian G. Ricca

Class Year: 1996

Title: Superintendent of Schools

Organization Name: East Greenwich (RI) Public Schools

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

It is my job to ensure all students feel safe, welcomed, and included when they come to school so that they can learn to their fullest potential.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

Upon graduation, I joined Inner City Teaching Corps, a Chicago-based volunteer program. It was modeled after the Jesuit Volunteer Corps but was exclusively for teachers. I spent two summers as a part of the Mexico Immersion Program with Kim McElaney, and that’s when I knew I wanted to be a teacher.

I loved teaching from that first summer after graduation and have grown in leadership roles since being a classroom teacher.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

Pax Christi, RICH (Residents for Improved Campus Housing), Mexico Immersion Program, Liturgical Ministry

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a Religious Studies major with an emphasis on Liberation Theology. The Jesuit mission of living one’s life in the service of others was a through-line in my studies. The notion that our liberation is directly tied to those who are most marginalized is validated by the gospel stories of Jesus in the New Testament. I wanted to start my teaching career where I was most needed.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

The professors at Holy Cross taught me to analyze and think critically, to look at ideas from multiple perspectives, and to be articulate in my rationale. I was a part of the “first” First Year Program at Holy Cross, and that experience of reading a shared text across multiple disciplines was invaluable.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Strive for the “grey” in our world. There is far too much instant polarization. We have knee-jerk reactions to those whose political ideology does not match ours. Be solid in your values and what you know to be true and good, and be open to the intrinsic value of those who disagree. Be the one willing to have the hard conversation with someone who thinks about the world differently than you do.
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Meet Alum Eric Butler ’06, Director of Development at 2U / edX

Name: Eric Butler

Class Year: 2006

Title: Director of Development

Organization Name: 2U / edX

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I work with directly with partners interested in fueling innovation and increasing accessibility on a global scale as it relates to the future of education and workforce development.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you? 

Over the years, I have worked in education (secondary education and higher education), but also received my MBA in graduate school. In many ways, my work at 2U/edX, as a global education technology company, combines my passion for education with my interest in business and corporate strategy and engagement. My first job out of college was actually in the Holy Cross Development Office as a Research Analyst where I worked for Holy Cross alumna, Roseann Fitzerald ’78. In this role I was able to work with the Holy Cross Fund staff, major gift officers, planned giving and parent giving team members and the President’s Office. It was a great crash course in advancement work in higher education.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was an Admissions Tour Guide, active with Fenwick Theatre and Alternate College Theatre (ACT), and I was a member of the Honors Program and Alpha Sigma Nu. I also was involved with some of Campus Ministry’s retreats and service programs.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a double major in Psychology and Theater. I think the liberal arts in general help make you a more thoughtful, well-rounded, empathetic leader and manager. Also, I expanded my love and knowledge of theater at Holy Cross. To this day, I have stayed involved with the arts by directing local theater, investing and producing commercial Broadway and international shows (An American in Paris, Kinky Boots, On Your Feet, Moulin Rouge), and founding Broadway in Worcester, an initiative that brings A-List Broadway talent to Central MA to perform and work with local students and arts educators.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Critical thinking. It was a skill that was required through out the curriculum and a skill that is used every day across every professional scenario.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Take advantage of the opportunities you have through Holy Cross and the career network. Use this time to explore interests on campus and through internships.
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Meet Alum Declan Foley ’15, High School Counselor, St. John’s Preparatory School

Name: Declan Foley

Class Year: 2015

Title: High School Counselor; Track and Rugby Coach

Organization Name: St. John’s Preparatory School (Danvers, MA)

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I support students both with navigating their adolescent worlds and realizing growth by intentionally getting to know the individual over four years across life-related, academic, and college application domains.

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

After senior year of Holy Cross, I attended Boston College for two years of grad school, and through networking found my first counseling job which I did for one year before going to my current position (also counseling). It was one flavor of personal relationship that got me in the door to education (something I never thought I’d do), and it was realizing that I loved fostering intentional relationships that have since kept me there. Though I knew I wanted to generally go into something psych-related, I didn’t know what, certainly not education, and it was the first year of work where I 1) learned an incredible amount and 2) realized this was one way of fulfilling the insatiable feeling of ‘wanting to serve others.’

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

Many good things with even better people! I spent a good amount of time in SPUD, ending my HC tenure as a SPUD Intern with Marty Kelly’s guidance. I was on the SGA Senate, played rugby my freshman year, conducted psychology research with Prof. Richard Schmidt, and was the Alpha Sigma Nu President among other things. That said, I treasure most the moments spent with my friends, from Cool Beans coffee trips to the average night’s hang in Carlin 216.

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

Knowing I wanted to ‘help people’ (like so many of us!), but not really knowing how to aim toward that end, I ended up being a double major in Psychology and Sociology. This was, in my mind, the perfect complimentary conversation between two disciplines that interrogate the human experience in ostensibly different ways. Emerging from HC, I knew I wanted to commit to grad school to focus this interest, but what actually informed my career decision the most was retroactively looking back on what kind of involvement fulfilled me over my time at HC (i.e – mentoring experiences), and finding a position that centered on the ability to be in right relationship with others.

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

It may sound corny, but the Liberal Arts knack for encouraging thought from diverse perspectives, as well as the emphasis on what you should give attention to stands out when I need to address a novel situation that requires quickly and succinctly coming to a conclusion involving many stakeholders. Additionally, the Jesuit concept of presupposition – where you assume the very best and most charitable interpretation of someone’s message / perspective – affords the ability to remain patient, humble, and understanding of others’ opinions in efforts to find a compromise, critical in counseling.

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

When it comes to career discernment, it’s a simultaneously simple and yet wildly complicated Jesuit concept: find what you are good at, what brings you joy or fulfillment, and consider how you can serve the world with this joy. Honestly, even more important in the short-term, when it comes to life on the Hill, make the most of spending time with the people you love and care about and don’t ever let that fall to the wayside, because it’s those memories that are the ones you’ll cherish and remember when you come home from that fulfilling job, looking for energy.
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Meet Alumna Cassie Lo ’08, Assistant Professor of Education at St. Thomas Aquinas College
Portraits of GCU Assistant Professor of Education Cassie Lo taken on May 14, 2019 at the campus in Lakewood. / Russ DeSantis Photography and Video, LLC

Name: Cassie Lo

Class Year: 2008

Title: Assistant Professor of Education

Organization Name: St. Thomas Aquinas College

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I am a professor on the tenure track, so I teach four classes per semester, advise students at both the master’s and undergraduate level, serve on committees, and conduct research.

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

I had always wanted to be a high school Journalism teacher, but I wanted to have some experience in the field of journalism first. I was lucky enough to intern at Good Morning America in Washington, D.C. thanks to Holy Cross’ Washington program, and that led to an internship at CosmoGIRL! magazine in New York City the summer after my junior year at HC. Upon graduation, I had planned to return to that magazine, but I graduated into the recession and many magazines and newspapers shut down. I started freelancing and eventually decided that moving into education would be a better fit for me. I was hired as an English and Journalism teacher in February 2009 and was lucky enough to stay in that role until I started my doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in 2014. I love working with students at both the high school and college level because every day is full of exciting and rewarding challenges.

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was the Features Editor of the newspaper, a Resident Assistant for three years, a big sister at the Boys and Girls Club, I worked as a tutor at the Writing Center, and I founded an on-campus journal called The Advocate. As an ALANA student, I was also involved with many ALANA events on campus.

 

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

 I was an English major and I was in the Teacher Education Program. The TEP allowed me to become a certified teacher, which set me up for a successful career in education. After my experience in the Teacher Education program at Holy Cross, I knew I wanted to work in a similar program at a university one day. That goal eventually led me to pursue my doctorate after teaching at a high school for six years.

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

 Holy Cross taught me to be empathetic and open-minded. I am an advocate and support system for my students because of the kind and supportive faculty members I worked with at Holy Cross.

 

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

 Try to step out of your comfort zone and take a chance. If you want to be a part of a club or organization that is not yet on campus, start it yourself! Holy Cross is a great place to get involved and really discover what you want to pursue in the future. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to alumni who are in careers that interest you. My friends and I were connected with amazing HC alumni over the years who have been so helpful with everything from work to health advice. Our network is full of proud alums who are happy to help!
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Meet Alum Anthony Russo ’14, Assistant Dean @ Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

Name: Anthony Russo

Class Year: 2014

Title: Assistant Dean, Graduate Enrollment Management

Organization Name: Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

In my role, I oversee admissions and marketing for the School of Theology and Ministry, a graduate school of Boston College.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

The very short version: I never would have guessed when I graduated that I’d be doing what I’m doing now, though looking back, it all makes sense! During my senior year, I felt a tug to pursue post-graduate service, which led me to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. I then enrolled at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development for a master’s in higher education administration. During this program, I also led a few undergraduate campus ministry programs at BC, which helped me decide to pursue a master’s in theology and ministry at BC. Upon graduating, I was hired into my current role, which is a perfect fusion of both administration and ministry. I am able to utilize both my operational and strategic strengths, as well as support the discernment of folks committed to using their gifts in service to the world. What could be better!

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was a member of the varsity swim team, Co-Director of Athletics for SGA, Program Coordinator for Gateways Orientation, and a Manresa retreat leader.

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

Political Science. I entered Holy Cross thinking I wanted to go into a career in government; while that turned out to not be the case, my political science major stilled played a significant role in my vocational discernment and career decisions. I remain very interested in questions of power, social structures, and how to form citizens oriented toward the common good. My major continues to shapes the lens through which I make decisions and view my current work.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

A skill that stands out, drawn significantly from a liberal arts education, is the ability to think in interdisciplinary and integrated ways about complex problems. Holy Cross helped me develop a capacity for critical thinking that is essential to my work on a daily basis. In a related way, my Holy Cross education also really enhanced my imagination – intellectually, socially, and spiritually. I learned to think beyond what’s in front of me, and also importantly, how to communicate these thoughts (which particularly helps the marketing side of my role!). With this imagination, I am equipped with both hope and vision to work toward a world more in line with the values instilled by a Jesuit education at Holy Cross.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Be open to the unexpected! I love a good plan as much as anyone, but don’t limit yourself to pressures to have to stick to plans you or others have set for you. It can be scary to “divert” (though I don’t think our vocational path ever truly follows a straight line), but as in my case, this can often lead us toward something that brings us into greater harmony with who we most authentically are.

 
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Meet Alum Antonio Willis-Berry ’13, Director of Residence Life @ Merrimack

Name: Antonio Willis-Berry ’13
Title: Director of Residence Life
Organization Name: Merrimack College

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail? 

I am responsible for all students living on campus and ensuring they are having a safe, engaging, supportive, and caring experience.

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

When I was a student at Holy Cross, I discovered somewhere between the summer of my sophomore and the summer of my junior year that I wanted to work in Student Affairs. I had an opportunity to go to a few different conferences and kept meeting and networking with professionals (both working at Holy Cross and within the New England region). An unplanned event happened at the conclusion of my sophomore year, when I wasn’t selected to be a returning RA and I thought my career was over. I was quite angry, but it was a great learning moment for me and one that I’m thankful that I had. I needed to refocus my energy more on school (because I wouldn’t be where I am today if I had flunked out) and the other opportunities that I cared more about. The care the ResLife and Student Affairs Division showed me during this learning moment helped me to decide that this career path would be a great fit for me. They cared about me and I knew that’s what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be for others. My career has not been rainbows and sunshines, but I always come back to that moment of why I started doing this in the first place and that makes the headaches that much easier to navigate.
 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

Too many things! I was an RA, an OL, Minister of Music for the Protestant Community, in the MAGIS program, a Student Co-Chair of NJSLC, multiple roles in SGA, multiple roles in BSU, Music Director of an A Capella group, a Hogan Student Manager, Co-Chair of WCHC Sports, a dedicated member of CAB, member of the Jazz Ensemble, and I’m sure there was more.

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

Music and it didn’t really affect my career decision. However, they taught me the value of individuality and exposed me to different ways of creating and supporting a team. I learned a great deal about leadership in my conducting course with Prof. Culver and how to improv and be adaptable from my course on Jazz with Prof. Monaghan.

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

I do a lot of reflecting and thinking about the things I am grateful for. I went on the Spiritual Exercises as a student and that really taught me the value of stopping, listening, and being in the moment. I remind myself to do this daily and it really helps to recenter me.

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Find the communities that bring you joy and add value to your life. For me, it was my a cappella group. I did not tell them enough how impactful they were to my experience as a student and I regret that. I miss them daily and while we are in different parts of the world during different things, I know that we are still connected because of our love of music. So find your place and if you don’t have one, then create it. I was one of the founding members of our group and it had a tremendous impact on me. Holy Cross has the capacity to have a tremendous impact on you and for you to impact it, if you’re willing to listen, push back, and ask the tough questions.
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Meet Alumna Melissa Howland ’15, Senior Program Coordinator for Off-Campus Programs, Boston University

Name: Melissa Howland

Class Year: 2015

Title: Senior Program Coordinator for Off-Campus Programs

Organization Name: Boston University, School of Social Work

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail? 

My job entails coordinating events, class schedules, faculty assignments, student services and advising to Masters of Social Work students across our four Off-Campus satellite locations around the state.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

Right out of college I thought I wanted to work in emergency management and was offered a position with FEMA, but due to some health issues I was not able to take the position. I then started thinking about education since right out of high school I thought I wanted to become a teacher. I applied to work with an organization called College Possible at their Philadelphia office to work with high school students. I was offered a position in their St. Paul office working with college students. Although it was not what I thought I originally wanted, I accepted and that decision has helped shape my career in higher education and non-profits since.

I learned that I enjoyed working with college students, especially in an advising capacity and working with them through the transition from high school to college. I quickly learned that I was not destined to be a classroom teacher and I really appreciated working with students one-on-one. I now work in a bit of a different capacity where I get to develop and administer a program to continually enhance the student-experience.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

When I was a student, I was involved with the Student Advisory Committee for the Sociology & Anthropology department, I studied abroad in La Coruna, Spain and I worked in lower Kimball.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was an Anthropology major and completed a concentration in Latin American & Latino Studies. The biggest takeaway for me from this major was that I enjoyed learning about people and hearing their stories. This became evident when I started advising students because I was able to build relationships with them that allowed us to develop plans for them to reach their own academic or personal goals.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Some major skills I developed at Holy Cross were my time management and organizational skills. Especially the few semester I was taking 5 classes, I had to stay on top of my readings and assignments or I would quickly fall behind. When I was managing caseloads of between 80-150 students it was critical to keep on top of my workload and now managing four satellite campuses, it is critical I stay organized to deliver an equitable program across all sites and stay on task for the many different deadlines throughout the academic year.

I also learned how to say yes to a lot of opportunities while at Holy Cross which is something I have carried with me. I said yes to many events on campus that led me to meeting many people, trying out classes I otherwise would not have signed up for and attending events put on by all different clubs. This has continued in how I have made career choices, from applying for jobs outside of my comfort zone to moving across the country for different opportunities. It has even guided me back to school, as I am now a Master’s in Business Administration candidate with a focus on Social Impact.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

I would encourage students to take advantage of the many opportunities around campus to try out new experiences and build their resume. I was involved in a few things but really regret not doing more. I would also encourage students to reach out to alumni or others in their network to learn about all types of jobs. Mostly, be willing to step outside your comfort zone, try something new and maybe take a chance on something even if it not exactly what you think you want. It could be the best choice you ever make!