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Alumni Blog

The Resolve: 4 New Year's Resolutions for College Seniors

Posted by Aaron Seckar on Mon, Jan 12, 2015 @ 09:01 AM

Spoiler alert: No, I am not sitting next to you right now. But I do know that there have been two or three "resolutions" that have crossed your mind leading up to 2015, about which by now, mid-January, you've told yourself..."I guess I really don't need to change that" or "it's too cold/hot/busy/empty/far/close/early/late to go to the gym/workout/eat better." It happens to the best of us, and I know at least for me that it happens every year.

For college students, change is always constant, whether it is planned or not: new friends, new classes, new assignments, and before you know it, you've graduated and you're at a new place with a new job working for a new boss and new coworkers. It can all move pretty quickly, so here are four new year's resolutions applicable for any college student, but specifically for college seniors, to make your last semester everything that it should be while also easing the transition from college life to the real world.

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Topics: alumni advice, Aaron Seckar

Giving Thanks Beyond Thanksgiving

Posted by Aaron Seckar on Mon, Nov 24, 2014 @ 11:11 AM

 Tis the season! And no, contrary to the Christmas songs that have snuck in to the mall's music playlist and wintery decorations that have already made their way out in all the retail stores, the season to which I am referring is Thanksgiving. Often a time of family gathering, good food, naps, and if your Thanksgiving is like mine, another round of good food.

Sadly though, as with other holidays such as Veterans' Day, Memorial Day, or the Fourth of July, the true meaning and intent of the holiday is fully embraced for the day and far too often forgotten the next. We remember those less fortunate than us and say a prayer of thanksgiving for those whom we are blessed to have in our lives, only to fall into our normal routines the following day.

That is one amazing aspect of the Saint Vincent community: that there are always ways to give thanks and to be the source of the smile on a total stranger's face... no matter what season it may be.

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Topics: Aaron Seckar, saving money, Thanksgiving

Man Plans, God Laughs

Posted by Aaron Seckar on Mon, Sep 8, 2014 @ 09:09 AM

Ok so I'll admit it...I'm not the world's best planner. Sure, I keep my tasks organized and get my bills paid on time and hate to be late for anything, but you know those last minute sales on Christmas Eve? Yep...those are for me. That whole call to schedule your doctor's appointment two months in advance? Nah, I'll give him a call and see if he has any open slots tomorrow. I'm a walk in to get my haircut kinda guy. I slowly start planning birthday gifts weeks in advance but don't actually go out and buy them until the week before and I didn't have a final plan for how I would propose until the week before it happened. And even then I realized that I had no back up plans if it rained that day (fortunately for me, it didn't!). I didn't plan on becoming an interface analyst at UPMC my freshman year at Saint Vincent. Actually, I didn't even plan on majoring in bioinformatics. My goal graduating high school was to get a physical therapy degree and go into a sports science or sports medicine field. But man how things change. 

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Topics: alumni advice, Aaron Seckar

No Pressure

Posted by Aaron Seckar on Wed, Jul 30, 2014 @ 08:07 AM

Growing up (and even still today) when I'm feeling overworked or overwhelmed, my dad always tells me, "Remember Aaron, pressure makes diamonds." Even though at the time, I may not always want to hear such simplistic and optimistic advice when I'm so busy that I forget to eat, it's true...you can't have the hardest mineral known to man (or the most beautiful stone known to woman) without a ton of pressure. As quite the involved student athlete with a crammed academic schedule, I'd be lying if I said that college was no sweat and that there weren't nights that I questioned my sanity (as illustrated in the picture below from a finals week one year). I may not have emerged a sparkling diamond when I graduated Saint Vincent, but it was those times when I was ready to throw in the towel that truly prepared me for life after college and taught me some important lessons. 

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Topics: alumni advice, Aaron Seckar

They Grow Up So Fast

Posted by Aaron Seckar on Wed, Jul 9, 2014 @ 14:07 PM

Most people have seen the scene from Adam Sandler's movie Billy Madison where Billy comes back to the elementary school and tells the third grade kids how "great" high school is. "Gee," announces one of the third graders, "I can't wait to get to high school." Billy's face turns serious and he grabs the pudgy kid's cheeks and shakes him repeatedly while telling him "Don't you say that. Don't you ever say that. Stay here. Stay here as long as you can. For the love of God, cherish it. You gotta cherish it." (If you haven't seen the movie, or you are like me and still laugh every time you see it, see the clip below)

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Topics: alumni advice, Aaron Seckar

Our Mother and Our Guide

Posted by Aaron Seckar on Tue, Jul 1, 2014 @ 11:07 AM

Without going into a full blown discussion over alternative realities and butterfly effect theories, sometimes I wonder how many different opportunities have been presented to me throughout my short 24 years of living that could have changed who and where I am at this moment today.

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Topics: alumni advice, Career Center, Aaron Seckar, Campus Life

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Posted by Aaron Seckar on Wed, Jun 25, 2014 @ 11:06 AM
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Topics: alumni advice, Aaron Seckar

About the Alumni Blog

On our alumni blog, young graduates of Saint Vincent College share their thoughts, stories and tips on life after graduation.

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About the Authors

Jessica Kennedy

My name is Jessica Kennedy. I graduated from SVC in 2012 with a dual major in accounting and business management with a minor in international business. While at SVC I was on the swim team as well as being involved in SGA and SAAC. I am currently the Assistant Director of Business Affairs at the Naval Academy Athletic Association in Annapolis, Maryland, where I reside with my dog, Zoey. I also own my own photography company, KennedyPhotographyCo, where i display and sell my prints on Etsy. I still swim and have also taken up running and have ran over six half marathons in the last three years. 

Elizabeth Sosko

My name is Elizabeth Susko, and I am a 2015 graduate of Saint Vincent College (mathematics major with a secondary education certification). After Saint Vincent, I moved away and became a high school Math teacher in the Northern VA area. I couldnt imagine being where I am today and I hold some of that journey to being a Bearcat.  Cant wait to share my daily adult life (post-undergrad) experiences with you!

Megan DePrimio

Hello there! My name is Megan DePrimio, and I am a 2013 graduate of Saint Vincent College (communication major and English minor). I also have a master’s degree in sports management from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. After grad school, I became an athletics marketing intern at the University of Notre Dame and I now work in Development. Every day I am amazed at the path I have been on since I was a young Bearcat. Even the planner in me couldn’t have forecasted this journey! Happy to be here. 

 

Allyson Lambert graduated from Saint Vincent in December 2013 with a degree in finance. She currently works in the Financial Leadership Development (FLD) Program at PPG Industries in Reno, Nevada.