On Friday, February 3, thirty-three alumni came home to Grand and Warren to participate in Career Day. The Offices of Alumni Relations, Student Life, and Guidance & College Counseling coordinated to relaunch this annual tradition. “Since the start of my career at Prep, I’d often hear stories about successful Career Day fairs from the ’80s and ’90s,” said Mike Murcia, ’08, Prep’s Director of Alumni Relations. “My hope is that the success of this year’s fair can be the start of a wonderful tradition for our alumni and students.”
The presenters represented a variety of careers and fields, including law, aviation, marketing, finance, public service, education, entertainment, technology, engineering, and government. They gathered for lunch with Prep President Dr. Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91, Vice President for Planning and Principal Giving Jim Horan, ’70, and members of the Advancement Staff, then headed to the gym for a keynote speech by fellow Career Day speaker and former Prep trustee Brian Archer, ’86. Brian addressed the entire Prep student body, sharing stories of his time as a Prep student, the relationships he formed (and continues to strengthen) with his classmates, and the ways they impacted his growth as a professional. Receiving roaring applause from the students, it was clear that Brian made a memorable mark, giving the juniors and seniors the right mindset before heading to their Career Fair sessions.
Prep’s participating alumni hosted their own workshops, filling up every available classroom in Hogan, Shalloe, and Mulry Halls and the Moriarty Science Center. Each 30-minute workshop provided an opportunity for students to hear how the alumni found a career path following graduation from Prep, the highs and lows of their careers, and ways our students can network and grow in their respective fields. Each session concluded with a Q&A between the students and the presenter. Both groups offered feedback stating how meaningful and helpful the dialogue was.
Mike Kowalski, DPM, ’79 reflected on the impact made on the alumni: “It was so satisfying to interact with the students and see how the times and student life have changed […] Yet each and every one of them was a true gentleman, showing interest and respect for the time we gave up to be with them. Every student in the hallways and classrooms represented themselves and The Prep in the best way possible.”
Rich Dwyer, ’77, P’14 remarked, “Though my workshop partner, Greg McLain, ’77, and I have a combined 70+ years in the utility industry [ConEd and PSE&G, respectively], we are still enthusiastic about our chosen paths because of the compassionate counsel we were blessed to receive at Prep.”
“Our favorite question in each session was, ‘What message did you learn at Prep that helped you in your career?’” he added. “There was one prevailing reply from us: ‘Learn how to learn.’ In support of this premise, it was appropriate for the alumni photo to be at the new statue of Saint Peter as a young man ‘whose future is yet to be written.’ Even though we left Prep decades ago, the ‘Learn how to learn’ theme is a guide for each of the alumni to continue on a journey whose future is still yet to be written.”