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Holy Cross Hosts Fourth Annual Mock Superday

The fourth annual Mock Superday, coordinated by the Finance Club through the Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society with the Center for Career Development, was held on Monday, April 29, 2019 on campus.  This event helps students prepare for the intensive interview process for internships and full-time jobs at Wall Street firms.  The evening started with dinner, followed by an alumni panel.  From there the group moved into speed interviews simulating a Wall Street Superday.

“Myself, Andrew Smith ’19 and the rest of the Finance Club Executive Board are thrilled with the success of the Mock Superday event this year. This is the fourth year the event has taken place, and we achieved the highest alumni participation to date.” said Jay Mackie ’19, Co-Chair of the Finance Club. “With this new level of engagement, we were able to expand the event beyond just the student/alumni interviews to include an alumni panel open to the broader student body, and an intimate meeting with senior bankers to discuss initiatives the school is taking to increase placements in finance. We think this year was an important step forward in creating alumni awareness around the club’s efforts to prepare students for a career in financial services. ”

This was such a successful year for the Finance Club, in fact all members of the E-board, who were interns last summer, have now secured full time analyst positions at top firms on Wall Street for after graduation.

  • Stephen D’Agostino ’19: Incoming Analyst, JP Morgan Investor Services
  • Chip (George) Doherty ’19: Incoming Analyst, Morgan Stanley Investment Management
  • Hana Ferrari ’19: Incoming Analyst, BNP Paribas Global Markets
  • Jack McCabe ’19:Incoming Analyst, Blackstone Valuations
  • Jay Mackie ’19 : Incoming Analyst, Barclays Investment Banking
  • Andrew Smith ’19: Incoming Analyst, Goldman Sachs Investment Management
  • Brianna Spencer ’19: Incoming Analyst, Barclays Investment Banking

Continue reading “Holy Cross Hosts Fourth Annual Mock Superday”
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Brittany Polanco ’12 on Culture Fit

“I think it’s important to build a culture where people feel valued as individuals, supported in their values and able to control whatever balance looks like to them.” — Brittany Polanco ‘12

Brittany Polanco ’12, current Marketing Manager at PepsiCo, was interviewed by Women in Business committee member Margaret Anderson ‘21.  She shared her path from Mount St. James to the world of business, holding prominent roles in Frontier Communications, Hilton Worldwide, and PepsiCo.

The Holy Cross PepsiCo community, from left to right: Jessica Vona ’08, Kristen Buonassisi ’12, Robert Santariello ’16, Anne Fink ’85 P17, Alexandra Schiffmann ’15 and Brittany Polanco ’12.

Why did you choose Holy Cross? Going to an all girls, Catholic high school (Mercy High School in Middletown, CT) had a huge impact on my perspective and growth as a female leader.  At my high school, you were popular if you were smart, funny and kind rather than based on looks or social status. We were still teenagers so we had our fair share of drama, but the unique environment allowed me to grow and thrive.  It was a supportive community that cultivated ambition, collaboration and academic achievement. When I visited HC, it was clear that there was something special about the school and that it was a similarly tight-knit, high achieving community.  I immediately felt at home at Holy Cross and knew it would be a place I could build strong relationships while continuing to learn and grow at a new level. Continue reading “Brittany Polanco ’12 on Culture Fit”
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Ciocca Center Intern to Interview Anne Fink ’85, P17

 

Anne Fink ’85, P17
President of Global Foodservice, PepsiCo

“One of my mentors has been a real model for servant leadership. This notion of putting others first stands out to me: just because you’re at the top of the organization, doesn’t mean that people are serving you.”

On April 1, 2019, Ciocca Center Student Intern Sarah Anderson ’20 interviewed Anne to learn about her journey in the food and beverage industry.  Anne is the President of Global Foodservice at PepsiCo and is a member of the Holy Cross Board of Trustees.

What did you want to be when you grew up?  Did you always know you wanted to work in the food and beverage industry?  I grew up in a business family.  My father and mother started a business when I was in grade school and it ended up being a family affair.  It was a company called Mats Incorporated, a commercial floor matting business. My father started it from the trunk of his car selling doormats to businesses.  Little by little, he grew the business into a pretty large and successful entity. Actually, my three brothers own the business and run it today and they have hundreds of employees.  My mother would type the invoices at night and I used to help her. So, it was very much a family business. I grew up interested in business, curious and involved. I knew I liked business and was interested in pursuing a career in it.  I had a good feeling for that pretty early on in life. Continue reading “Ciocca Center Intern to Interview Anne Fink ’85, P17”
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The Holy Cross Magazine Highlights the Ciocca Center

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOTTLE starts the Holy Cross Magazine article highlighting Art Ciocca ’59 as he pours a glass from the iconic, innovative box of Franzia.  His mindset, which led to that revolutionary box, is one he wants to encourage in future generations of transformative business leaders through the Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society at the College of the Holy Cross.

“Based upon my experience, I think Holy Cross-educated people have the potential to become highly successful leaders in business and many other areas of life, and that’s why I think it is invaluable to help those students get their careers off to a smart start,” Mr. Ciocca says. “That’s why one of the biggest focuses of our foundation is principled entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs who take their satisfaction on the basis of merit — I believe those people create real, long-term, sustainable value for society and for others.”

Read the spring 2019 Holy Cross magazine article.

Thanks for reading! Cassie

Cassie Gevry, Associate Director of Student Engagement
Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society
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Ciocca Center Intern Interviews Bill Abbott ’84

Bill Abbott ’84
President & CEO of Crown Media Family Networks

“This is where being a major in English really comes in handy.  I feel like I learned story, characters, and emotion and all the things that comprise great storytelling at Holy Cross.”

Bill Abbot Headshot

On March 29, 2019, Ciocca Center Student Intern Sarah Anderson ’20 interviewed Bill to learn about how he turned his English Major into a career in the entertainment industry.  Bill is the President and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks.

What did you want to be when you grew up?  Did you always know you wanted to work in the entertainment industry?  No, not at all. I was an English major, with a lot of political science classes mixed in there.  I was really focused more either on law school or teaching when I was at school. But, after college I felt like more school wasn’t really where I wanted to be my first year out.  So, I was fortunate enough to get a job in the media world, loved it from the beginning, and decided that’s what I would focus on. Entertainment is not something I intended on, but the liberal arts education provided me with a great backdrop for really anything I wanted to do because it teaches you and gives you a good sense of how to communicate and critically think and write.  All of those are crucial aspects to any job. Continue reading “Ciocca Center Intern Interviews Bill Abbott ’84”
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Ciocca Center Intern Interviews Bob Guillocheau ’82

Bob Guillocheau ’82
Chairman & CEO of Ascensus

“We are very much a mission based company, values driven, and a lot of that came from my learnings at Holy Cross.  The ‘men and women for others’ very much resonated with me and it’s something I bring with me everyday when I go to work.”

Bob Guillocheau headshotOn March 22, 2019, Ciocca Center Student Intern Sarah Anderson ’20 interviewed Bob Guillocheau ’82 to learn about his journey from HC into the financial services industry.  Bob was an economics and accounting major and currently serves as the Chairman & CEO of Ascensus.

Who/What inspired you to enter the business world?  I graduated Holy Cross with an economics accounting degree and, typically if you have a accounting degree, you get recruited by what was back then the big eight accounting firms.  There have been mergers and today it is the big four accounting firms. The world has changed a lot from 1982 when I graduated, but getting recruited is what got me into financial services and the business world.  I took an accounting class in high school, taught by a woman by the name of Mrs. Ellis. She made it really fun and interesting and she was a businesswoman who explained to us how the world works and how accounting and finance plays into any aspect of company. Continue reading “Ciocca Center Intern Interviews Bob Guillocheau ’82”