Students, Alumni Connect Through Saints @ Work Shadow Program
January 30, 2012
Forty Emmanuel alumni and students participated in the Saints @ Work shadow program, offered through Emmanuel's Office of Internships and Career Development (ICD). The program connects students with alumni working in their fields of interest during winter recess.
As part of the program, students shadow alumni at their jobs for a full or half day to gain an inside look at a day in the life of their careers. The program was developed in 2010 to help students gain practical work experience and make connections in the working world. The program has grown considerably since its founding, with this year marking the greatest level of participation from alumni and students alike.
"Overall, the consensus from the students and shadow volunteers was that it was a great experience," said Assistant Director of Internships and Career Development Dan Jalbert. "Most of the alumni who volunteered said they wished they had had something like this while they were here."
Alumni from across New England as well as New York volunteered to host a current student at their place of business. Volunteers represented the Class of 1976 through 2011. Students from various academic disciplines had the choice of 34 different shadow opportunities to explore, including shadowing Emmanuel alumni at organizations such as Children's Hospital Boston, Sun Life, EMC Corporation and O'Neill and Associates.
Rebecca Luongo '12 trekked to New York City to shadow Janine Ting Jansen '03, a diversity manager with Citigroup's Institutional Client Group Organization. During Luongo's stay, Jansen introduced her to her colleagues and supervisors, including the vice president of Citi Program Management and the diversity recruiting manager, whom Luongo said offered great advice. She also got to see the trading floor, which she said "looked like something out of a movie." The only downside of the experience? Missing a chance to see actor George Clooney, who was in the office the day before with his personal banker.
"It was an awesome experience and I would definitely advise another student to choose this option next year," she said.
Michael Flaherty '07, a resident physician in pediatrics at Baystate Health, hosted Samantha Duda '15 and Sarah Faulkner '15 in early January. Between Krystle North '09 and Barbara DiGirolamo '06, working as a quality improvement consultant and injury prevention specialist at Children's Hospital Boston, respectively, they hosted six students during the break, offering tours of the hospital and discussions about their various responsibilities. DiGirolamo, who studied education at the College with the intention of pursuing a career in higher education student affairs, had significant advice for her shadow students.
"I wanted them to know how important it is to keep their options open, and utilize the fantastic resources they have, such as the Saints at Work program, and the ability to connect with Emmanuel alumni," she said. "I would have loved to take part in a program such as this if it were available to me when I was a student. Aside for my internship and involvement within student activities at Emmanuel, I didn't get to experience first-hand what the work force may look like and what other options might be open to me with the degree I had. I would certainly participate in the program again in the future."
The ICD office will continue to develop the Saints @ Work shadow program in upcoming years, with hopes of expanding geographically and garnering interest from more alumni and organizations.
"The goal of this networking program is for alumni to think back on their Emmanuel experience and offer insight to the current generation of Emmanuel students," said Director of Internships and Career Development Mark Kenyon about Saints @ Work. "[For our students] it provides a mentorship component as well, and networking that can lead to future opportunities."
