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Conor O’Reilly ’18 Reflects on the Holy Cross Advantage

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Conor O’Reilly ’18 – psychology major
Account Executive, Oracle NetSuite
Interviewed by Ciocca Center intern, Conor Joslin ’23

“You have to recognize that you have an advantage.  Having gone through that major and learning all of those essential skills is a benefit that not a lot of people get to learn through their college education if they’re not going to a school like Holy Cross”. 

  • Please share a  bit about your background, where you’re from, and why you decided to attend Holy Cross?

I am from Andover, MA which is just about thirty minutes north of Boston. Growing up, Holy Cross always had a fantastic reputation. I had toured it one spring day and it was a beautiful sunny day on campus. Students were out and I just kind of felt at home there. So I applied to Holy Cross kind of knowing that was where I wanted to go. I had no idea what I wanted to study at that point in high school, but I knew that it was the place for me. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

  • Can you speak a little bit about what your major was and the impact that it had on your professional career?

Continue reading “Conor O’Reilly ’18 Reflects on the Holy Cross Advantage”
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Alumn Shares Path from History Major to Tech Sales

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Brendan Sullivan ’86 took the time to answer some questions regarding his experiences on the hill and career upon graduation. Brendan was first introduced to Holy Cross by his grandfather, Bill Brennan ’30, and uncle, Jeff Brennan ’60, who both attended Holy Cross as student-athletes. Brendan really wanted to attend an institution with a strong academic reputation and was looking for a college that stood out upon other colleges and universities. His trip to campus, hosted by the football team, solidified his decision to attend Holy Cross due to the experience that he had upon his visit.

“I think studying history and just the entire experience at HC helped me become a much better communicator and gave me insight on what joining the business world would require to be successful”  Continue reading “Alumn Shares Path from History Major to Tech Sales”
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Conor Joslin ’23 Facilitates Alumni Panel for Club Hockey 

Club Hockey Team

On Wednesday, March 30, 2022, the Holy Cross Club Hockey team hosted the first-ever Club Hockey alumni panel coordinated by Conor Joslin ’23, intern for the Ciocca Center.

We are so fortunate that Joe Darcy ‘11, economics major, and Matthew Krebs ‘11, political science major, took the time to meet with current Club Hockey players to share their Holy Cross experience and careers in business. Both alumni speakers emphasized the importance of networking and connecting with fellow Holy Cross alumni to achieve success in the business world. Darcy is currently an Investor at IDEA Fund Partners and Krebs is a Director of Operations at Garrison Investment Group. Both provided current players with valuable feedback in regards to using your liberal arts education to your advantage, as it differentiates Holy Cross students from other applicants. By attending a liberal arts education like Holy Cross, students learn to communicate, read, write, analyze, present, and critically think at a very high level that other large business school students may not learn. Furthermore, they talked about the importance of networking and utilizing the Holy Cross alumni network. Holy Cross alumni love helping current students, so it is extremely important to put yourself out there and introduce yourself to multiple alumni.   Continue reading “Conor Joslin ’23 Facilitates Alumni Panel for Club Hockey “
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Ciocca Intern: Conor Joslin ’23

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My name is Conor Joslin and I am currently a junior at Holy Cross majoring in Political Science while pursuing a Certificate in Business Fundamentals.

This semester, I am interning at the Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics and Society while taking the course Business of Sport with Doctor Robert Prior as a part of the Academic Internship Program, a requirement for the Business Certificate Program.

Throughout this semester I will be connecting and interviewing various Holy Cross alumni to learn about different career paths and how each used their liberal arts education to succeed in the business world.  Through the Business Certificate Program at Holy Cross, the multiple workshops I have completed, and the variety of clubs, there is such a vast network of successful alumni that I am eager to connect with. On a more personal level, I am very interested in the sales industry, along with some interest in real estate, which is why I am so fortunate for this opportunity to connect with so many brilliant alumni and learn about different career paths.

Take a look at these interviews by Conor! 
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Jack Dennehy ’21 Interview by JP Cunninhgam ’23

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Jack Dennehy ’21, Student at UVA McIntire School of Commerce
Holy Cross Studies: Political Science Major, Finance & Banking Certificate
Interviewed by JP Cunninhgam ’23

JPC: How was your experience as a student at HC pursuing one of the business certificates?

JD: I enjoyed my experience pursuing this certificate—the Fullbridge Program especially gave me good experience in being able to research a company and present on it. Additionally, the Finance Boot Camp was particularly helpful in terms of networking and learning more about different banks and specific roles there.

JPC: Was there one workshop, class, professor, club, activity, etc. that has influenced your perspective on the professional world to the greatest extent?

JD: The Finance Boot Camp definitely did. I gained valuable insight into the financial services world by getting the opportunity to see what the average day looks like in this field across many different companies. Additionally, visiting these different banks and learning more about them was a very unique experience that I valued greatly.

JPC: During interviews, how did the certificate help you to land your first job or internship? Continue reading “Jack Dennehy ’21 Interview by JP Cunninhgam ’23”
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Lily Droesch ’21 Interview by JP Cunningham ’23

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Lily Droesch ’21, merchandising assistant, Macy’s
Holy Cross Studies:  Sociology Major, Business Fundamentals Certificate
Interviewed by JP Cunningham ’23

JP:  How was your experience as a student at Holy Cross pursuing one of the business certificates?

LD:  I had a really good experience.  I found the requirements to be a great addition to my courses and only enhanced what I was learning in the classroom.

JP:  Was there one workshop, class, professor, club, activity, etc. that has influenced your perspective on the professional world to the greatest extent?

LD:  I think that the job shadowing program solidified my decision to pursue a career in fashion because I got to spend the day with alumni and see firsthand what goes on on a day-to-day basis. Continue reading “Lily Droesch ’21 Interview by JP Cunningham ’23”
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Business Certificate Presentation Tips and Tricks

 

Mackenzie Madden ’22 pursuing the Business Fundamentals Certificate through the Ciocca Center for Business, ethics, and Society at the College, shares how her workshop experience has provided her with countless opportunities to practice presenting in front of an audience. Read on to learn her tricks to a successful presentation! 

From the Fullbridge Program to Marketing Communications & Sales to the Global Supply Chain workshop, I’ve had different audiences and presentation goals, worked with different teams, and created a variety of different presentations, all while keeping the same tips in mind.  Continue reading “Business Certificate Presentation Tips and Tricks”
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Ciocca Intern: JP Cunningham ’23

My name is JP Cunningham ‘23 and I am a junior at Holy Cross majoring in International Studies, with a thematic focus of International Political Economy and a regional focus of Europe. I am also in the process of pursuing my Certificate in Business Fundamentals, having completed the Excel Tutorial and the Fullbridge Program and Global Supply Chain Management (GSCM) workshop.  So far, my experience with the Ciocca Center has been very enlightening in helping me gain real-world business experience. For example, the Fullbridge Professional Edge Program was a very exciting, fast-paced workshop that allowed me to put myself in a realistic office-like environment and work with a team on a growth opportunity for a specific company.  In addition, the GSCM workshop provided an in-depth look at the many components of the global supply chain as well as the opportunities to meet with different supply chain managers, including a site visit to the Polar Beverages manufacturing warehouse right here in Worcester. This workshop was very interesting given the many complexities and relevant issues within the supply chain in today’s post-pandemic climate.

Through the Academic Internship Program, I am taking the course Sports Marketing & Sponsorship with Dr. Robert Prior while I am interning in the Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, & Society for the internship requirement. Throughout the semester, I will be conducting interviews with alumni to shed light on their various career paths and stories throughout their professional careers while tying the liberal arts to the business world. I think this will be a great opportunity for me to explore different fields of business and expand on different skills. I am hoping to get my foot in the door of the business and finance world in the coming months and am excited to see where this unique opportunity takes me. 

JP Cunningham ’23 interviewed several alumni for the internship:
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Experiential Learning at Holy Cross

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My name is Mackenzie Madden and I am a senior economics and psychology double major participating in the Business Fundamentals Certificate Program here at Holy Cross. Through my time at Holy Cross and through the Ciocca Center, I have felt the power of a liberal arts education while understanding the ways this type of education prepares students for business roles. I am actively searching for jobs within finance and consulting before graduating this spring.  I am confident that I will be ready to work these jobs after the preparation the Ciocca Center has provided for me. From Fullbridge to the Global Supply Chain workshop to job shadowing and internship opportunities, the Ciocca Center has ensured that all students are exposed to business industries early on in their college career and gain exposure to the alumni network. Continue reading “Experiential Learning at Holy Cross”
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College Podcast Features Ciocca Center

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The Mission-Driven Podcast features conversations with alumni who are leveraging their Holy Cross education to make a meaningful difference in the world around them.  Produced by the Office of Alumni Relations at the College of the Holy Cross.

In this episode, modern-day Renaissance woman Yolanda Rabun ’90, recent Women in Business speaker, is joined in conversation with Holly Tente ’23, Student Diversity Liaison for the Ciocca Center. Their inspirational conversation covers a lot of ground.  With their shared passion for social justice, they speak about how Holy Cross inspires them to work hard and make change in their own communities.