My OUS Story: Alison Nieto

Junior Alison Nieto, from Poughquag, New York, claims that she does not need a legacy, instead she wishes to empower others to continue to help one another. Her time at Villanova has expanded her sense of obligation to her community that extends to her position as secretary in the Villanova Voices, as a writer for the Odyssey Community at Villanova University, as the Culture Editor of the Villanovan, as a Tour Time Captain Blue Key, as the West Campus Events Coordinator for Inter-Hall Council, as a member in the Student Alumni Association, and as the initiator of the Puerto Rico Benefit Concerts.

She is a Communications and Spanish Double Major with a Double Concentration in Rhetorical Studies and Public Relations. Like most Liberal Arts students, she came in undecided as a freshman, thinking about both History and Psychology, until she took a Communications course.

She said, “I fell in love with the discipline. I loved thinking about how we use words to make the world around us, how we translate events into language and communicate what that means. I declared Communications because we use language no matter what we do. How we communicate and how we understand how that works and how to use it as a tool is so interesting, because we literally see it everywhere.”

She declared Spanish as a second major due to her heritage, for her father is Puerto Rican and her Grandmother is from there, and also due to her passion for language. “Selfishly, I want to learn as many languages as possible in order to communicate with as many people as possible, because I think it is so close-minded to only talk to one group of people. I want to talk to everybody. Languages connect so many people, and I feel like we need that. We need to be connected.”

Last summer, she worked as an intern Blue Vista 725, a Media Marketing and Promotions Company in Midtown Manhattan, a position that she found through Handshake. There, she fell more in love with New York City and is now determined to work there someday. She admits that she was thrown into the position and had to learn about it as she did it.

“I had no idea what I was doing the first week, but then, I fell in love with it,” she said. “I worked hands on with clients, emailing celebrities like Woody Harrelson, figuring out new angles to market from, and writing Press Releases before I knew what they were. Now I think I want to work in Public Relations or in journalism, at least somewhere in the news cycle. Working there showed me how you can use Public Relations to influence what people think about brands through your words. It is the first perception that you have of the world around you.”

Back during her sophomore year, after witnessing the after-effects of the devastation of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico on Day of Service, including how it destroyed her grandmother’s hometown, Alison knew that she had to act.

She told me that she it sent her on a spiral of thoughts. “I thought about the people on campus from Puerto Rico, people whose family is from Puerto Rico, and no one was talking about it, they weren’t recognizing that it happened and that it’s a catastrophe. So I felt that if the school or the government wasn’t going to say anything, then I would. For me the inspiration was Villanova and how we care about our community on campus and outward. I wanted to take that sense of community and charity and extend it. To tell the people suffering in Puerto Rico that we might not be there experiencing that devastation, but we are here for you. ”

From that moment, Alison was determined to begin the Puerto Rico Benefit Concert. She began by emailing Kate Szumanski from OUS, who she had prior worked with at Kate’s resume workshops, professional development workshops, and who she had made multiple appointments with to improve her career potential. Kate sent her a list of names of people to talk to to get it arranged as fast as possible.

She recalls that “Everyone was really helpful in getting it off the ground from an idea to a tangible event that I was printing flyers for. I also contacted my friends in acapella, asking them to be a part of it, and they immediately said that they were there for me. It was such a relief for me to not worry about it since I had so many people out there helping me and having my back. I felt that sense of community that we talk about over and over again, and it got to the point where other on-campus groups were reaching out because they were motivated by our cause, like the Superlatives and Baila Latino. That for me was the most moving thing that ever happened.”

Her hard work paid off. The first concert raised $2,346, which was all donated to Unidos Por Puerto Rico. That hard work translated into another concert last October that raised $3,000, which is now in the process of being donated to the Hispanic Federation. For that concert, she almost had Lin Manuel Miranda speak, but unfortunately, he was shooting in London at the time. She had found his managers’ contact information at her position at Blue Vista 725, where she had proceeded to email everyone, including booking manager, his publicist, and his father. Those efforts resulted in a personal email from Lin Manuel’s father, and his managers sending over a signed “Hamilton: The Revolution” book to be raffled off at the concert.  

Her main hope, after all of her efforts at Villanova that impacted many lives in Puerto Rico, is that it will be continued in many different forms. “It was really good to see the difference that we can make and how I got people passionate about what I was passionate about that let me affect change. It is great to leave a legacy and be known as someone who did this, but I think for me, I’d much rather my legacy be about the change I created and about the things I did to help people. I want to be successful, but at the end of the day I’m going to measure my life as successful by how many people I was able to help and how much good I was able to do. With that being said, I don’t need a legacy here. It would be great if people remembered, but I want people to feel empowered to do what makes them passionate, to help others, and to be the person that you needed when you were growing up.”

She also told me that she is currently working to get an organization off the ground at Villanova that will be for students like her who want to host charity events for any cause that they are passionate about.

Now, she continues to hope that her work will continue to be reflected on Villanova’s campus. “It is so important that if I can make one person feel empowered to make a change, I think I have done my part. One person really can make a difference, and we made over $5,000 worth of difference. I don’t think I’m special for this, I just want to show others that they can do it.”

My OUS Story: Michael Bigley

Senior Michael Bigley, from Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, while playing the trumpet for the Villanova Band, has always made sure to take advantage of any opportunity that has crossed his path. 

His love for mathematics, which began in high school, led him to declare a double major in Math and Economics accompanied with a minor in Statistics and a Certificate in Information Technology. He’s noted that many other students do not know about the Certificate program and told me that, “It’s an easy program designed for people of all majors that requires just four classes involved with IT. I decided to get a certificate since it would match well with the rest of my majors and diversify myself for potential employers.” 

Similarly, he commented on the advantages that a Villanova Education has provided him. “Villanova really helps you out in applying your courses to multiple different aspects, so that I was able to look into all the disciplines I wanted to study and manage my time well. Because of this, I have gained a well-rounded curriculum that I love, which will help me achieve the career that I want someday.”  

Michael got a head start when he began at Villanova as a freshman. “When I first came to Villanova, I had the opportunity to move in early with Early Arrival Band Camp. It made my transition to college easier, since I had the chance to make friendships early on with other freshmen who also didn’t know anyone else. Joining the Villanova Band was a great way for me to continue my interest in music, which when I was applying to college, I didn’t really think about. I had been too focused on what I wanted to study, but when I saw the opportunity to be in the band, I had to pursue it to maintain my love of music.”

Now, you can find him during Villanova’s Basketball games playing along with his trumpet to his personal favorite song that they perform, “Birdland.” He also serves as Webmaster and Newsletter Editor for the Band, for which he maintains the website and creates their newsletters.

His internship search began during his first semester of his junior year. Open to any opportunity for a potential internship, he created a Handshake account for himself and spent his semester applying throughout Philadelphia, New York, and near his hometown in New Jersey, knowing that he wanted an internship that involved Math and Economics. 

December 2017 came around, and he decided to make an appointment with OUS’ Kate Szumanski during the very chaotic time of finals. He made this appointment because he was stressed not only about finals, but about the effectiveness of his resume. 

He recalls that “Kate had another meeting at the time. I think she had accidentally overbooked, but she put her other meeting aside to meet with me, a student, during that stressful time. Because of that, I saw the dedication she has to her students and how she will help us no matter her own schedule. She sat down with me, looked at my resume, gave me a few pointers, and boosted my confidence as well by telling me what was great and what I should expand on. She also provided me with comfort, letting me know that I will get an internship, I will get a job someday, and to keep working, but not beat myself up about it.” 

Finally, in April of his junior year, an opportunity arose with Celgene Corporation, a pharmaceutical company whose headquarters are located in Summit, New Jersey. He was hired to work as an intern in the Commercial IT Division in Hematology and Oncology, where he helped with project organization and management for the company’s upcoming 2019 projects. He also worked with other interns in redesigning the knowledge portal website for onboarding employees. 

His biggest takeaway from Celgene was the educational aspect of his position. His manager ensured that he was learning about all the different aspects of the company and its internal functioning. Every week the company would have “Lunch and Learns” where speakers would come in to talk to the interns. 

I asked him if he remembered one significant speaker that left an impression upon him. “Someone in the company talked to us about ‘CAR-T’ which is a rather new innovative immunotherapy for patients with blood cancer that extracts a patient’s T-cells, alters them to make them stronger, and puts them back in their body to fight the cancer. We later had the chance to tour the facility where they conducted this therapy, and it was really eye-opening to see that while we were working in the IT department, the company as a whole is fighting cancer and other diseases. Listening to this talk about the process and going on the tour reminded us of the company’s mission.”

As for his post graduate plans, he is currently applying to receive a Master’s degree here at Villanova in Applied Statistics. Ideally, he would also like to have a full-time position in Philadelphia or the Villanova area while he pursues his Master’s degree. 

He left the interview with a few pieces of advice for anyone else still searching for their career path. “I would say, take advantage of all the opportunities and resources that are at Villanova. Make sure that you’re checking out the Career Center, OUS, and most of all, make an appointment with Kate Szumanski. Really make sure that you’re making the most of your college experience. Get out there, leave the classroom, participate in extracurricular activities, search for your career opportunities, and make sure that you’re always looking ahead.” 

Exploring Sacred Spaces with Sister Helen David Brancato

Art enlivens the human condition, illuminating the vast depth of human potential whilst simultaneously granting pent angst license to evoke a palette of emotions. Sometimes the end goal is a more forward one; to convey the importance of humble simplicity and the happiness found therein. This is the genesis of an art exhibition assembled by Villanova’s own Sister Helen David Brancato, which itself is inspired by her book (coauthored with Evelyn Mattern) Ordinary Places, Sacred Spaces.

Ordinary Places, Sacred Spaces is a celebration of grace inherent in our surroundings, told through poetry, art, and prose. The art exhibit it inspired (installed at Doylestown Presbyterian Church) takes the form of twenty five paintings, ordered to evoke feelings of thoughtful awareness. “Attitude can convert the humblest of places” Sister Helen informed me. “This is a very autobiographical show for me. People that know me will see the beats of my life in the show’s meaning, and those who don’t yet know me, will.”

The opening painting in particular holds special meaning for Sister Helen. It depicts a tree which was struck by lightning, yet manages to endure and thrive. This image of perseverance in the face of hardship is representative of her time spent at the Southwest Center (14 years), organizing “quilting parties” for the poor. This simple, yet inclusive activity worked to build both a sense of community and sense of self worth for those taking part.

More than anything, Sister Helen hopes that students will visit the exhibit so they can “explore the theme and realize that the simplest space can be a meaningful part of their lives”. Her exhibit is located at Doylestown Presbyterian Church, 127 E. Court St. Doylestown, PA 18901, and runs through December 29th.

If you have questions, contact sister Helen at helen.brancato@villanova.edu or visit her office located at SAC 221.