ciocca center – Page 5 – Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society Blog

March 31, 2022

Alumn Shares Path from History Major to Tech Sales

Brendan Sullivan ’86 took the time to answer some questions regarding his experiences on the hill and career upon graduation. Brendan was first introduced to Holy Cross by his grandfather, Bill Brennan ’30, and uncle, Jeff Brennan ’60, who both attended Holy Cross as student-athletes. Brendan really wanted to attend an institution with a strong academic reputation and was looking for a college that stood out upon other colleges and universities. His trip to campus, hosted by the football team, solidified his decision to attend Holy Cross due to the experience that he had upon his visit.

“I think studying history and just the entire experience at HC helped me become a much better communicator and gave me insight on what joining the business world would require to be successful” Continue reading “Alumn Shares Path from History Major to Tech Sales”

December 7, 2021

Jack Dennehy ’21 Interview by JP Cunninhgam ’23

Jack Dennehy ’21, Student at UVA McIntire School of Commerce
Holy Cross Studies: Political Science Major, Finance & Banking Certificate
Interviewed by JP Cunninhgam ’23

JPC: How was your experience as a student at HC pursuing one of the business certificates?

JD: I enjoyed my experience pursuing this certificate—the Fullbridge Program especially gave me good experience in being able to research a company and present on it. Additionally, the Finance Boot Camp was particularly helpful in terms of networking and learning more about different banks and specific roles there.

JPC: Was there one workshop, class, professor, club, activity, etc. that has influenced your perspective on the professional world to the greatest extent?

JD: The Finance Boot Camp definitely did. I gained valuable insight into the financial services world by getting the opportunity to see what the average day looks like in this field across many different companies. Additionally, visiting these different banks and learning more about them was a very unique experience that I valued greatly.

JPC: During interviews, how did the certificate help you to land your first job or internship? Continue reading “Jack Dennehy ’21 Interview by JP Cunninhgam ’23”

November 22, 2021

Susan Killilea Coburn ‘92 P24 Advice for Business Career

“The ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and apply a strong work ethic are really key skills when you’re thinking about a career in business.” – Susan Killilea Coburn ‘92 P24

Graduating from Holy Cross in 1992, Susan Coburn recently took the time to reflect on her years before, during, and after her time on the Hill. Due to her initial interest in law and history, she was drawn to the College because it checked all of her boxes, including being a strong liberal arts school, allowing her to major in History and minor in Spanish while also exploring a wide range of subject matter. She is very appreciative of the holistic education Holy Cross provides for students as well as the strong foundation on how to think critically and communicate effectively–two skills that will go a long way in the business world. Susan appreciates the strong alumni network the College has, helping her easily stay in touch with her classmates to this day. She found that the College’s social justice mission has greatly impacted her life and allowed her to gain new perspectives on pressing issues in the world today. Her husband Ed Coburn ‘93 is a JVC alum and an attorney practicing municipal law. She stays in contact with her HC friends, most recently through a group started by her classmates in the Class of ‘92, which acts as a grassroots anti-racism alliance.The group now has over 90 members and focuses on dialogue, understanding and action. She and Ed have two daughters, with their eldest now attending Holy Cross in the Class of 2024.

“I was at Holy Cross for four years, which was an amazing experience, but I would say my connection with Holy Cross since then has been far richer.” Continue reading “Susan Killilea Coburn ‘92 P24 Advice for Business Career”

November 10, 2021

Pothos Project Expands

The fall 2021 Pothos Project was another collaboration with the Sustainability Office at the College. The second iteration of the program boasts one faculty member, two teacher’s assistants, four Worcester businesses, six alumni, and 18 students!

New this time around was a career session held by three alumni at Mercer, a consulting firm focused on healthcare, to help students explore opportunities, understand the application process and recruiting timelines.

In addition, students were partnered with local Worcester businesses including TidePool Bookstore, Glazy Susan Donuts, K Sense Co., and the Holy Cross Athletics Office.

Esmeralda Garcia ’24 shares her experience with the Pothos Project on the Sustainability Blog.

October 29, 2021

Business Certificate Presentation Tips and Tricks

Mackenzie Madden ’22 pursuing the Business Fundamentals Certificate through the Ciocca Center for Business, ethics, and Society at the College, shares how her workshop experience has provided her with countless opportunities to practice presenting in front of an audience. Read on to learn her tricks to a successful presentation!

From the Fullbridge Program to Marketing Communications & Sales to the Global Supply Chain workshop, I’ve had different audiences and presentation goals, worked with different teams, and created a variety of different presentations, all while keeping the same tips in mind. Continue reading “Business Certificate Presentation Tips and Tricks”

October 22, 2021

College Street Journal Launches Student Business Newspaper

In the fall of 2021, the College Street Journal was born. “I set out to start CSJ as a platform for all things business here at Holy Cross” shares Robert Posillico ’23, founder and editor in chief. “We cover current news and internship opportunities as well as offer a space for career development advice, alumni interviews, and professor editorials.”

The College has a few newspapers in circulation, namely the Spire, Fenwick Review, and History on the Hill, making the College Street Journal an all-in-one news source for students seeking to learn more about business and better position themselves for these career opportunities.

Posillico shares his thoughts on the project in the Letter from the Editor section on the front page of the first edition. Continue reading “College Street Journal Launches Student Business Newspaper”

October 10, 2021

Ciocca Intern: JP Cunningham ’23

My name is JP Cunningham ‘23 and I am a junior at Holy Cross majoring in International Studies, with a thematic focus of International Political Economy and a regional focus of Europe. I am also in the process of pursuing my Certificate in Business Fundamentals, having completed the Excel Tutorial and the Fullbridge Program and Global Supply Chain Management (GSCM) workshop. So far, my experience with the Ciocca Center has been very enlightening in helping me gain real-world business experience. For example, the Fullbridge Professional Edge Program was a very exciting, fast-paced workshop that allowed me to put myself in a realistic office-like environment and work with a team on a growth opportunity for a specific company. In addition, the GSCM workshop provided an in-depth look at the many components of the global supply chain as well as the opportunities to meet with different supply chain managers, including a site visit to the Polar Beverages manufacturing warehouse right here in Worcester. This workshop was very interesting given the many complexities and relevant issues within the supply chain in today’s post-pandemic climate.

Through the Academic Internship Program, I am taking the course Sports Marketing & Sponsorship with Dr. Robert Prior while I am interning in the Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, & Society for the internship requirement. Throughout the semester, I will be conducting interviews with alumni to shed light on their various career paths and stories throughout their professional careers while tying the liberal arts to the business world. I think this will be a great opportunity for me to explore different fields of business and expand on different skills. I am hoping to get my foot in the door of the business and finance world in the coming months and am excited to see where this unique opportunity takes me.

JP Cunningham ’23 interviewed several alumni for the internship:

September 21, 2021

Experiential Learning at Holy Cross

My name is Mackenzie Madden and I am a senior economics and psychology double major participating in the Business Fundamentals Certificate Program here at Holy Cross. Through my time at Holy Cross and through the Ciocca Center, I have felt the power of a liberal arts education while understanding the ways this type of education prepares students for business roles. I am actively searching for jobs within finance and consulting before graduating this spring. I am confident that I will be ready to work these jobs after the preparation the Ciocca Center has provided for me. From Fullbridge to the Global Supply Chain workshop to job shadowing and internship opportunities, the Ciocca Center has ensured that all students are exposed to business industries early on in their college career and gain exposure to the alumni network. Continue reading “Experiential Learning at Holy Cross”

August 17, 2021

Summer Internship Series: Alumni Connections in the Workplace

Last week my PepsiCo summer internship came to a close. After spending ten weeks cultivating a sales growth strategy plan for Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, I had the opportunity to present my recommendations to an audience of senior leaders at both PepsiCo and Bundaberg. It was honestly such a blast to show off my knowledge of the brand and my newly developed sales skills! While I’m confident that I added value to the Allied Brands Team with my project work, I wanted to use this blog post to reflect on the impact this internship had on me. More specifically, I want to highlight some of my key takeaways about business, sales, and PepsiCo. Continue reading “Summer Internship Series: Alumni Connections in the Workplace”

July 7, 2021

Summer Internship Series: Reflecting on Certificate Experience

Caroline Quinn ’22 is pursuing the Certificate in Business Fundamentals and is checking off the internship requirement this summer. Follow along as she reflects on her experience, lessons learned, and how her liberal arts education and Holy Cross network are helping her along the way.

Summer Series: Part One

I’m in the midst of my ten-week-long internship as a Sales Strategist with PepsiCo, and I’m happy to say that my experience thus far has been extremely captivating and enriching despite it being 100% virtual. For starters, I’m working on the Allied Brands Team which focuses on PepsiCo’s partners (like Ocean Spray and Voss Water) who independently produce/manufacture their products and then distribute/sell through PepsiCo. This is a symbiotic relationship with this arrangement because the Allied Brands benefit from PepsiCo’s nationwide presence and reach, and PepsiCo benefits from selling products that it doesn’t produce or typically sell. My particular project is oriented around an Allied Brand called Bundaberg Brewed Drinks. Before PepsiCo partnered with Bundaberg in 2017, it had never sold a craft soda. But now, PepsiCo is highly competitive in that market because of this partnership. Bundaberg’s top-selling product is ginger beer which is a premium, non-alcoholic, craft soda that is commonly used as a mixer. Regarding my project, I’ve been tasked with creating a feasible strategy to grow Bundaberg sales by 4X in the US. While this is a tall order, I am confident that I am putting together a really great pitch that I’ll present at the end of my internship. Much of my confidence can be attributed to the Ciocca Center and Holy Cross as a whole. Continue reading “Summer Internship Series: Reflecting on Certificate Experience”