From the Fenway to Washington Street: Emmanuel Connection Inspires Alumni at BNY Wealth

Emmanuel students leave the College primed to take those necessary steps: and it helps that they have an expansive network of professionals from their alma mater who have helped pave the way before them.

At financial services company BNY Wealth on Washington Street, for example, there are four Emmanuel graduates all working on the same floor. In addition to being Saints, they share the valuable career preparation and foundational professional experience they received as undergraduates – practical skills, building connections, charting a career path and more.

“I would never change my choice to go to Emmanuel,” said Diana Kenneally ’94. Kenneally, a principal in private banking at BNY Wealth, remains incredibly tied to Emmanuel College and its community, having served as a member of the Alumni Association Board from 2005 to 2010, and again from 2012 until 2014, including a stint as the Board’s Vice President.

Her gratitude for the formative experience she got at Emmanuel inspires her to maintain the connection and continue to give back to current students and alumni.

“I had to pave my own path [as an undergraduate],” Kenneally said, “and Emmanuel allowed me a voice to do it. My experience there taught me to listen to my own inner confidence and a sense of security.”

These days, Kenneally said, there is so much more pressure on undergraduates to land internships, which is why having conversations early on about internships and visualizing career paths is so important.

Her internship was an important kick starter for her journey, and even though it became clear it wasn’t what she hoped to pursue as a career, Kenneally made sure to soak up as much knowledge as possible to get everything she could out of the experience. She made meaningful connections with coworkers and listened to the people around her when she was encouraged to make a leap into a new role.

Kenneally has provided similar mentorship to Emmanuel undergraduates in hopes of giving them the same tools and support she had as an undergraduate. She’s worked with students on reviewing resumes, conducting mock interviews and more – and one of those students even ended up as a direct hire at BNY Wealth.

On Kenneally’s floor, three more alumni, including Kara Mason ’07, a regulatory oversight manager and Gretchen Skarpos ’13, a client service manager, share the Emmanuel connection.

The most recent alum to join the team was Sofia Robinson ’23, who has been a client service analyst there since she graduated in December 2022. Robinson gained a foundation of professional skills and experiences from Emmanuel that she was able to build upon going into the workforce.

She credited two on campus jobs that played key roles in that regard: working the front desk of the Jean Yawkey Center – valuable practice communicating and helping people with their questions – and working as a financial manager for the Cardinal’s Nest Café, a student run and operated coffee shop found in Emmanuel’s Cardinal Cushing Library.

“Working at the Cardinal’s Nest was great for me, giving me some background experience in bookkeeping and managing finances – I think it was a huge help in securing my role at BNY,” Robinson said.

She also gained a great deal from her School of Business & Management coursework, including an investment course she took with Assistant Professor of Finance Leonard Guida, that left a huge impression on her.

“I was terrified to take it,” Robinson said, “but Professor Guida took it step by step while still pushing us outside of our comfort zone.”

Once it was time to start her job hunt, Robinson was thankful she had Emmanuel’s central location as a home base to find those opportunities – and with the help of the Leslie Ferrick McCafferty Career Center, she was able to get connected to a BNY recruiter, even though she missed the recruitment event that was held on campus. “Had I gone somewhere else, I’m not sure about whether or not I would’ve been able to find those opportunities that seamlessly,” Robinson said.

Now Robinson frequently offers her support by connecting with fellow alumni and current Emmanuel students at a variety of events - including an upcoming business alumni panel.

Emmanuel’s campus continues to act as a gateway for current and prospective students into the city of Boston and its workforce. And across generations, it remains an anchor for alumni of all ages to the foundations and values that helped get them to wherever they are today. It was a safe space for Kenneally as an undergraduate, as it is now.