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Presented By The Senior Year Experience Committee
Since graduation, what have you found to be the most rewarding experience?
This past summer, I was afforded the opportunity to mentor twenty European students through the U.S. State Department’s Fulbright Discover America program hosted by Bentley. Three other mentors and I worked around the clock for five weeks supporting the academic and personal development of these students.
We planned tours of New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C., tutored the students in English, lived with them in Orchard South, and supported them during their first trip to America.
As student ambassadors, they shared with each other their culture, experiences, and perspectives about America, their home country, and the world. This unique program led to lasting friendships.
What things have you done since graduation that you never imagined would come across your plate?
Without any real clear career focus, I took the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Officer Exam shortly after graduation after being encouraged by my neighbor. To my surprise, I passed (barely).
I decided to entertain this idea, and the more I read and researched the more I became enthralled by the responsibilities of serving as an economic foreign service officer in an exotic foreign country. I worked diligently on preparing for my second step, which consisted of several short essay submissions.
Surprisingly, again, I passed. The last critical step involved a day-long oral assessment in Washington, D.C. with eleven other candidates. The assessment was filled with mock negotiations, case assessments, and hypothetical scenarios. I fervently prepared for this, pushing my graduate studies to the side and focusing all of my energy on the evaluation.
This time, I did not pass, and while disappointed, I know I learned more about myself from this incredibly fascinating process.
Did you end up taking a non-traditional career path from the typical Bentley student?
I knew at the end of my senior year that I needed the cushion of the Five Year Program to help focus my attention and finally decide what I wanted to do with my life post-grad.
As a graduate student, I am currently working at TJX in Community Relations. This philanthropic department is responsible for funding thousands of community organizations throughout the United States, while creating sustainable partnerships.
My experience in the Bentley Service-Learning Center really motivated me to align my career path with my personal interests to serve. I enjoy this work, and I know that it adds real value to the company’s bottom line as well as to the customers that support it.
At this point in your senior year, what kept you up at night and how would you deal with that same issue today?
The pressure to find a job was the most stressful thing senior year. It seems that all your friends know what they want to do and land the perfect job, and you are left scrambling to take what you can get.
I have come to realize that by just graduating from Bentley, I have acquired more assets than I can count. Regardless of your background, you will at least have a degree, which ought to give you confidence to walk a little bit taller and breathe a little bit easier.
Was there a specific lesson learned in your senior year that has impacted who you are today?
Plan fun things. With all of the responsibilities students have, it sounds cliché but it’s important not to just say, “I am going to have fun this weekend,” but to actually set your plans in stone in advance and make sure you tell EVERYONE who might bother you (professors, bosses, etc…). Too often have I tried to “take it easy” on a Thursday night but have been pressured by my GB401 group to meet.
Without anything actually planned, I have no legitimate reason to excuse myself, and as someone who feels too guilty to lie, I end up meeting for three hours when I thought all week that I would “take it easy” that night. I think everyone experiences this type of situation, and advanced planning has worked tremendously in creating more time with friends and motivating me to work towards the “fun weekend” finish line.
What are you doing with your leisure time?
As a cheap college student, I am trying to use the resources around me, including the library museum/aquarium passes, to explore Boston, the Bentley gym for an endorphin kick, and, now that the weather has turned, anything that gets me outside.
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