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Meet Alumna Sarah Rocha ’24, Medical Assistant at Boston Bone and Joint Institute

Name: Sarah Rocha 

Class Year: 2024 

Title: Medical Assistant 

Organization Name: Boston Bone and Joint Institute 

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail? 

As a medical assistant in an orthopedic office, I assist with rooming patients, help providers with injections, fit durable medical equipment (DME), and perform suture removals. 

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

After graduating from Holy Cross, I planned to take two gap years before medical school to gain more clinical experience, and I wanted to find a place that would not only give me hands-on experience but also encourage growth in my knowledge of patient care and the medical field. Since orthopedic surgery is a specialty that interests me, BBJI stood out as the perfect fit. One of the biggest reasons I chose BBJI was because of Suzanne Miller, one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country. As a female aspiring to work in a heavily male-dominated field like orthopedics, having the chance to work alongside a successful female surgeon was an incredible opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. 

Another reason BBJI appealed to me was the unique dynamic among the medical assistants. Unlike most practices, where MAs often pursue it as a long-term profession, at BBJI, all the MAs have similar goals, whether it’s to become an MD, PA, or PT. Being surrounded by like-minded people who are all working toward careers in healthcare was really important to me. On top of that, the concept of rotations with different providers fosters continuous learning. Every provider has their own style, and working with each one offers new insights, whether it’s how they like injections or how they prefer their patients to be roomed. The providers are also eager to teach as long as you show interest, which creates an environment focused on learning—something I always look for.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus? 

I was involved in SPUD (Student Programs for Urban Development), where I volunteered as a Portuguese translator at a free healthcare clinic in Worcester. I was also a member of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), Science Ambassadors, XChrom, and Best Buddies. 

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a biology major, and my interest in the sciences solidified my plans to pursue a career in healthcare and eventually go to medical school. Studying biology gave me a strong foundation in understanding the human body, which directly aligns with my passion for patient care and my long-term goal of becoming a physician. The major also helped me develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that I now apply in my current role as a medical assistant. 

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work? 

One of the most valuable skills I developed at Holy Cross was learning how to stay calm when facing something new and unfamiliar, which I gained during my organic chemistry class. Rather than panicking, I learned to trust that I had the tools to figure out a solution. I use this skill all the time now as a medical assistant at BBJI, where I’m constantly faced with new situations and learning opportunities. Even if I haven’t seen a specific situation before, I know I can handle it, whether by checking my Google Drive for information or asking someone with more experience. I always feel confident that the problem can be solved. 

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today? 

My biggest piece of advice is to not be afraid of failure or making mistakes. When things don’t go as planned, you have two options: 1) you can panic, which might lead to a downward spiral and affect your future performance, or 2) you can reflect on what went wrong, use it as a learning opportunity to address a weakness, and then move forward with the motivation to improve. If you’re making mistakes, it means you’re learning, and that’s the most important part.
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Meet Alum Declan Diestel ’24, Medical / Research Assistant at Boston Bone and Joint Institute

Name: Declan Diestel

Class Year: 2024

Title: Medical / Research Assistant 

Organization Name: Boston Bone and Joint Institute

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail? 

My role as a research / medical assistant involves working closely with a shoulder replacement surgeon on several academic projects as well as helping patients and assisting providers during clinics.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

The Career Center and the resources it provides was a significant help in connecting me to my first employer after Holy Cross, Boston Bone and Joint Institute. One-on-one meetings pushed me to narrow my job search and seek my passions. I decided BBJI was a good fit for me as it provided me the opportunity for great clinical experience and exposure to medicine.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

During my time at Holy Cross, I was an Orientation Leader, Spring Break Immersion Program leader, SPUD Volunteer, Club Soccer member, and a part of some other minor involvements.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I chose Neuroscience as my major which definitely had an influence in my career decisions as it fueled my interest in the healthcare industry. I know I wanted to follow a path related to medicine that would continuously allow me to learn more about human behavior and biology.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

My time at Holy Cross helped me realize the importance of collaboration and the usefulness of working with other like-minded individuals. The closeness of the Holy Cross community inspired me to seek companionship in my coworkers as it makes everyone more motivated and successful.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

My advice for current students is to be as present as possible while being a student and enjoy all the wonderful things Holy Cross offers. Be resourceful, have as many conversations as possible, and do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone!
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Meet Alum Paul L Gaudio ’17, Client Advisor at Crestwood Advisors

Name: Paul L Gaudio

Class Year: 2017

Title: Client Advisor

Organization Name: Crestwood Advisors 

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I provide personalized, comprehensive financial advice to help individuals achieve their goals and live their lives to the fullest.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? 

During my Sophomore year at Holy Cross, I randomly stumbled upon a list of over 100 financial advisors in an issue of Boston Magazine. At the time, I didn’t know anything about financial planning, but I knew I should be looking for internship opportunities. I ripped those pages out of the magazine and emailed every advisor asking if I could work for free to gain experience. One of the advisors responded and mentioned that he had also gone to Holy Cross and would love to help me (Thank you, Tom!). This led to a paid internship the next summer, my first job out of college, and a passion for financial planning that grows stronger every day.

 

3. How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

After just a few client meetings, I realized that being an advisor is an extremely rewarding experience. When you are someone’s trusted advisor, you get to experience and share their full range of emotions. You feel the thrill of giving them the green light to retire, or go on their dream vacation, but you’re also there to guide them through the most difficult times in their lives, such as losing a loved one. At every step, you are the one providing reassurance that they are going to be ok. I knew it was a good fit for me because I was having a positive impact on people’s lives. 

 

4. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was a member of the Holy Cross Rugby team and a site manager for Working for Worcester. I also spent a semester during my senior year as an intern for the Holy Cross Investment office. 

 

5. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a Math Major, which kept me busy! In this industry, it certainly helps to be good with numbers. Does that mean you need to be a Math, Econ, Accounting, etc. major to be a successful financial advisor? Not at all. Being skilled with numbers is valuable, but more importantly, you need to be curious, empathetic, and a good listener. This industry is shaped by constant change and innovation, which keeps the work exciting and the learning never ending.

 

6. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

At Holy Cross, I truly learned to enjoy being a man for others. When you find something that you are passionate about and translate your passion into an opportunity to help others, it is incredibly powerful. If you continuously capitalize on opportunities to help others in your profession, you create value that will naturally lead to success.

 

7. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

If you think you might be interested in something, then pursue it— it could lead to a passion! In college, it is ok to feel unsure of what you want to do, but you need to put in the work to allow opportunities to present themselves. The reason I am where I am today is because I took the initiative to email 100+ advisors asking for an opportunity to learn. Take advantage of the Holy Cross community to help you find your passion and think outside of the box!
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Meet Alumna Meah Austin ’22, Development Associate at The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

Name: Meah Austin

Class Year:2022

Title: Development Associate

Organization Name: The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

As a Development Associate at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, I coordinate Direct Mail campaigns, maintain the Center’s database for reporting and strategic planning, conduct prospect donor research, and develop robust outreach initiatives.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

My first job out of college was as a Business Development Growth Manager at an influencer-marketing agency that worked on a variety of programs in the public and private sectors. The CEO is a fellow Holy Cross alum, and we connected through a Holy Cross BSU alum I met at the BSU 50th Anniversary (which took place my FIRST year). This job opportunity was quite unexpected because I never considered myself someone who was well versed in marketing and business operations. But one thing I realized is that I was equipped with the work ethic, time management, and thoughtfulness to thrive in any environment. My current role is an industry pivot – being that I work in nonprofit development. Although I am only 1 month in, I am so confident and pleased with my decision to try something new, thanks to the ability to discern I learned at Holy Cross!

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was involved in the Varsity Women’s Track & Field team, Black Student Union, Women of Color Athletes, Peer Mentor Program, Student Government Association, and Audio-Visual work study.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a Psychology and Africana Studies double-major. More than anything, I feel like both of these majors taught me how to write complex concepts in a compelling, engaging, and cohesive way. I know Holy Cross requires a ton of writing, but it truly is an invaluable skill in the workforce (and AI is NOT enough). So much communication and execution happens in writing – being able to be a good writer makes you extremely marketable.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Holy Cross developed my critical thinking and interpersonal skills.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Utilize the campus resources and alumni connection. These resources are what you pay for! Every connection is a good connection – even if it doesn’t lead to an internship or job offer. Another piece of advice I have for students today is: be patient and don’t compare! What is for you will be for you, and social media doesn’t always tell the full story. It’s a marathon, not a sprint 🙂
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Meet Alumna Shauna Conway ’04, Founder & Executive Leader at Strategic Growth and Innovation (SG+I)

Name: Shauna Conway (maiden name Crehan)

Class Year: 2004

Title: Founder & Executive Leader

Organization Name: Strategic Growth and Innovation (SG+I)

 

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I lead an advisory strategy firm that partners with organizations to navigate the complexities of digital innovation, data management, AI strategy, and cybersecurity—driving sustainable growth, mitigating risk, and achieving transformative business outcomes.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

My journey into technology and strategy was both intentional and serendipitous. During the summers in high school and my first two years of college, I worked at law firms and the Concord District Court, where I developed a strong foundation in analytical thinking and understanding complex systems. My junior year, a friend across the hall in Mulledy introduced me to an opportunity at Thomson Reuters, where I was exposed to the world of technology and data, sparking my interest in how information could drive business decisions. In my senior year, I attended a career fair and met representatives from FactSet. I was intrigued by their consulting training program, which required quick learning, critical thinking, and the ability to communicate complex solutions effectively. I joined FactSet after graduation, where the analytical rigor and client-facing nature of the role aligned with my strengths and passion for problem-solving. Throughout my career, I’ve found that roles are a good fit when they inspire learning, offer opportunities to add value, and present challenges that drive growth. This mindset has guided my journey, ultimately leading me to pursue leadership positions where I could shape strategy and drive innovation.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

While at Holy Cross, I focused on building strong community ties. In Student Government and as a Student Affairs Judicial Liaison, I played a key role in making the campus smoke-free, promoting health, and fostering good community membership. I also contributed to constructing the first on-campus student apartments, aligning closely with my work on the ‘Civitas Branching’ Mosaic—a collaboration with Worcester residents to create a lasting symbol of partnership and connection. This experience fostered cultural understanding, teamwork, and civic engagement, which are integral to my professional life today. During my senior year, we also formed the Off Campus Student Union (OCSU), creating connections between Holy Cross students, City Hall, local police, and the community. Though my time with Mock Trial was brief, it still provided invaluable experience in teamwork, quick thinking, and communication—skills that I continue to leverage.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I majored in Economics, which provided a critical framework for understanding market forces, decision-making, and problem-solving. The rigorous education in economic theory and data analysis, paired with a liberal arts approach to learning, shaped my ability to assess problems from multiple perspectives. This adaptability and strategic thinking have been crucial in how I approach technology investments and business growth throughout my career.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Holy Cross honed my analytical thinking and collaboration—skills essential to my role today as I work closely with clients to craft strategies and drive change. Balancing academics, extracurriculars, and early work experiences also taught me resilience and a strong work ethic, both vital for leadership in a constantly evolving tech landscape.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Be bold—take risks, and don’t fear failure; every mistake is an opportunity to learn. Let your values guide you, making an impact in line with Holy Cross’s mission of leadership and service. And go after what excites and challenges you—true growth happens when you step into the unknown.
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Meet Alum Josh Ryor ’10, Assistant Secretary of Energy at Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Name: Josh Ryor

Class Year: 2010

Title: Assistant Secretary of Energy

Organization Name: Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I develop and execute strategic energy policy initiatives for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with a focus on EV charging infrastructure and clean energy deployment, and provide guidance and support on energy policy and utility regulation matters to officials in the Healey-Driscoll Administration, including Governor’s Office officials and the leadership of the Commonwealth’s energy policy and utility regulation organizations.

 

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

This is a bit of a story. My first job out of Holy Cross was as a high school physics teacher at the Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest, New Jersey. Frankly, I didn’t have a plan for what to do after college. I just knew that I wanted to do something where I’d have a positive impact. I considered applying for the GE finance leadership program for a bit or applying for other positions in finance but it just didn’t feel like the right fit for me, plus I hadn’t done any finance internships while at Holy Cross. 

Second semester of my senior year two things happened. First, I started telling people that I was interested in getting into teaching, at least while I figured something else out. I’m not exactly sure who I was telling or why, but apparently that’s what I was doing because it seemed like every science major knew that that was my plan. I had been a physics tutor at Holy Cross for a couple of years and I enjoyed helping people succeed in their classes and to understand a subject I loved. One Friday evening at a party, a friend, Meg Emmich, asked if I was still looking for a teaching job. I said that I was and she connected me with the folks at Holy Angels the next week. The rest, as they say, is history.

Second, I took Energy Economics taught by Professor Matheson. I knew about halfway through the course that this was what I had been looking for: something that took the math and problem solving skills I had been learning in my physics and economics courses and applied it to tangible problems and projects. Since it was so late in the year when I realized I wanted to pursue energy issues more, I decided to give teaching a shot for a couple of years and to keep my interest in energy in the back of my mind. In my second year of teaching, I started looking at graduate programs in clean energy and energy policy. In 2011/2012 there were surprisingly few programs with a technical focus (now there are well-established programs at Yale, Michigan, Duke, MIT, etc.), so I decided to go the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, which had a program in Sustainable Energy Systems out of their School of Engineering that also had energy economics and policy courses as part of it’s curriculum. Ultimately, I took an unpaid internship in D.C. after grad school with the American Council on Renewable Energy focused on federal energy policy. After that, the policy stuff stuck.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was an extended Fall Orientation leader, I volunteered at an orphanage and tutored at a school in Worcester through SPUD, I participated in a weekly student religious and support group (I forget the name), I participated in two Spring Break service trips, I was part of the Physics National Honor society, I was an physics tutoring, and I participated in basketball and soccer intramural. There may have been more, but that’s all I can remember now. 

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a Physics and Economics double major. The analytical and problem solving skills I developed in these disciplines led me to clean energy and climate policy. As I said above, I wanted to do something that had a positive impact. Physics and Economics also helped me further develop my love for solving complex problems and honed the skills needed to solve all types of complex problems, not just the problems put before me in the specific courses that I took. Once energy and climate issues were presented as a set of problems to solve in Professor Matheson’s course, it was obvious that this was how I could use the skills I had learned in my majors to have an impact in the world. Certainly, I can’t think of a more urgent, complex, and timely problem than climate change.  

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

I’ve already mentioned problem solving in general, but I’d also add, and really can’t stress enough, that the liberal arts education Holy Cross provided has been instrumental in my success in the energy policy space. Energy policy requires a fundamental understanding of the physics, engineering, economics, finance, legal, and political aspects of various interrelated social, political, bureaucratic, and physical systems. Very rarely am I the expert on a given subject in the room; in fact, I am most frequently more like a student who is peppering others with questions to understand and dissect the key issues of a subject. Holy Cross is where I learned how to ask the right questions. 

Also, I simply wouldn’t be in my current role if I didn’t have to take courses outside of my majors like a traditional college experience. I came into Holy Cross a lazy, unorganized writer with little patience for or skill in the finer points of writing (or really any of the points). Holy Cross helped me understand the importance of both clear and persuasive writing. While I didn’t hone my craft until much later, I simply wouldn’t have been able to succeed in graduate school or after without the foundation Holy Cross gave me.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

I have three general pieces of advice:

1) Listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI;

2) Work on understanding who you are, what you value, and being comfortable and confident in the answers to those questions. The rest tends to figure itself out when you’re honest and comfortable with yourself, but it’s not a perfect system and the process is never finished; and,

3) Be careful with advice. It’s just what worked (to varying degrees) for the person giving the advice. I appreciate the irony here.

In terms of advice for a career in energy policy, an ability and/or willingness to learn new things in different disciplines and a passion for addressing climate change will go a long way.
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Meet Alumna Olivia Shamleffer ’22, Associate, Emerging Leaders Program at Fidelity Investments

Name: Olivia Shamleffer

Class Year: 2022.5 (December 2022)

Title: Associate, Emerging Leaders Program

Organization Name: Fidelity Investments 

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I’m part of an 18-month rotational program aimed at cross-unit experience building and leadership training, along with twenty other first-year associates who all have liberal arts degrees. 

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

Handshake! I also networked with current associates and alums of the program who went to Holy Cross, as well as more senior HC alums at Fidelity. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do after college, so the rotational aspect of the program really stood out to me – I’ll have on-the-desk experience in four different departments by the end of it. Learning about the historically strong connection between Holy Cross and Fidelity also especially made me want to work there

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

 I was involved with Mock Trial all four years and was co-president for the last two. I also worked in the Religious Studies Department for three years! 

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

International Studies. I wanted to major in something that increased my critical thinking skills and taught me how to write well, not geared toward specific future career paths. I went into interviews feeling extremely confident in my soft skills, even if I didn’t have a business or numbers background. 

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

The ability to think creatively. You learn how to make unique connections quickly, which is a huge benefit in the workplace. Another skill is the emphasis on being curious and asking good questions – it’s the quickest way to seem like the most engaged person in the room in my opinion. 

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Don’t be intimated that you don’t come from a traditional business school background! Lean into the unique strengths gained from having a liberal arts education instead of focusing on trying to overcome perceived deficits in technical skills. And, of course, take advantage of the HC alumni network!

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Meet Alum Dan McLaughlin ’93, Senior Writer, National Review

Name: Dan McLaughlin

Class Year: 1993

Title: Senior Writer

Organization Name: National Review

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I write arguments, analyses, and commentary on matters of politics, law, history, and culture for the nation’s flagship conservative publication.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you? 

I went straight to law school after doing a semester in DC, meeting Clarence Thomas ’71, and seeing how many lawyers were in politics. I ended up staying in legal practice for 23 years, partly because of law school debts and starting a family, and partly because the work was interesting. I started writing on the internet in 2000, doing a weekly baseball column for a website run by Bill Simmons ’92, who had been the Crusader’s chief sports columnist. After my law office in the World Trade Center was destroyed on 9/11, I got back into political writing. Eventually, I wound up bringing my writing to National Review in 2016, and left the law to take a full-time position as a writer in 2020.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was a weekly op-ed columnist for the Crusader (now the Spire), writing largely about politics. I also did work-study in Kimball, intramural softball, and competed against other schools in debate and quiz bowl.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

History. It was good preparation for law school, and I’ve returned to a lot of historical writing in my work. I’ve written a good deal about Woodrow Wilson, whose intervention in the Russian Revolution was the subject of my senior thesis.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

The discipline of a weekly column with a deadline, no assigned topic, and really nobody I answered to but myself if I didn’t write something on time was great preparation for what I do now. So was taking Constitutional Law and learning to read judicial opinions and think about how the Constitution works. 

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

One, get to know a lot of people on campus. You’ll discover at your reunions how many cool and interesting people you wish you’d gotten to know better. And you never know where people will go: it was mutual friends putting me in touch with Bill Simmons that launched my writing career. I also met my wife at HC. Two, don’t be afraid to stand for something even if it’s out of fashion. People didn’t always agree with my columns in the Crusader, and they don’t always agree with them now, but I’ve always had an audience that appreciated where I stood and how I defended my positions.
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Meet Alum Beau Lescott ’95, COO -Public Investing at Silver Point Capital

Name: Beau Lescott

Class Year: 1995

Title: COO,  Public Investing

Organization Name: Silver Point Capital 

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I help out with all facets of running a large investment organization active in global credit markets, including strategy, talent management, and operations.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

In 1995 the career services office was much less developed and pre-business did not exist. My process was self-directed and conducted primarily through the mail. My interest in banking and finance stemmed from independent reading about the field and my perception that the field would prepare me for a number of different paths. What is as true now as it was then is that HC alumni love to help. I did a number of informational interviews with alumni, and those really prepared me for the real thing. My first job was with an American outpost of a Japanese bank where the department head had also been a philosophy major. Ironically, philosophy is what got me my first job in finance. When you begin your career I believe that what matters most is whether you feel challenged and intellectually stimulated by the people around you. In that respect, I loved my work right away.    

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was involved in various service activities like SPUD. I recall working for a displaced womens’ shelter that was particularly rewarding. I was also fascinated by computers and my roommate had a job in the computer lab. I have great memories of staying up all night and connecting to the very early internet through the college’s VAX computer system. I loved theater, but I came to it late. I wish I had gotten involved earlier.  

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a philosophy major and will go to the mat insisting that unless you are pursuing a specialized engineering path, major does not matter to career path. What matters is that you develop a love of learning, and you have the best chance of doing that by choosing a subject area that genuinely interests you. Success in any field is largely a function of continuous learning and keeping an open mind.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Two of my favorite classes were logic, taught by philosophy professor Karsten Stueber, and a philosophy of mind class that was offered jointly by the philosophy and psychology departments. These classes taught me the power of a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving. As an investor, there is nothing more important than to be able to evaluate a puzzle from multiple angles. This ability grows in relative importance the further you are in your career.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

While in school, study what interests you. You will be a more interesting interviewee if you can teach your interviewer something new. After school, two things: first, work really, really hard and strive for excellence. Opportunity is the intersection of luck and preparedness, Second, invest in relationships at all stages. Lift people up when you can; there will come a time when you need people who can lift you up. 

 
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Meet Alum Jordan Forester ’08, Entrepreneur- Climate Tech Crusaders

Name: Jordan Forester

Class Year: 2008

Title: Entrepreneur (former Wall Street energy banker)

Organization Name: Climate Tech Crusaders

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I meet and support ambitious climate tech entrepreneurs battling every day on the frontlines of the climate crisis. 

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you? 

The path that led me from economics major to Wall Street banker to climate tech entrepreneur was one full of zigs and zags, a mix of planned and unplanned events, persistence, serendipity, pivots, and lucky breaks from the universe. I graduated from HC in 2008 without a job during the Great Financial Crisis. It wasn’t until March of 2010 that I received my first full time job offer to work for BofA as an analyst in the healthcare lending group. During my time on the Hill, I was interested in Wall Street finance, although I honestly didn’t know the difference between a stock or a bond. I had been turned down by every firm that gave me an interview, from Fidelity to Citigroup to Morgan Stanley to Brown Brothers and more. Although relatively painful at the time, those No’s were blessings in disguise that helped me build thicker skin and forced me to learn how to cold email, put myself out there, network, and build meaningful relationships from scratch during perhaps one of the toughest economic climates and brutal job markets in 100 years. What I viewed then as struggle (which in hindsight, after seeing real poverty in my recent journey to help entrepreneurs in Africa, LatAm, SE Asia and India last year) would eventually build my character, adaptability and ability to persist. It helped me during an eventual startup journey that involved navigating uncertainty and rejection.  

I remember feeling caught in a ridiculously frustrating Catch 22: One weakness preventing me from getting hired, I was told, was lack of experience. Come again? The only business experience on my resume is serving hors d’oeuvres at weddings for my father’s catering company! I had a binder chock full of Wall Street interview guides and possible questions that were carefully curated by HC career center staff. How did my classmate who chose to study Greek Mythology instead of economics secure that offer with Lehman Brothers? 

I imagined HC alumni and Boston Celtics basketball legend Bob Cousy himself throwing me an easy alley-oop pass and me continuously bricking it.

What was I missing? 

It didn’t help that I was attempting to break into finance during the Great Financial Recession in 2008: the worst job market in 100 years. But even if it had been a bull market, I neither knew how to tell my story nor translate the incredible privilege of a Holy Cross education into a job offer. I wanted to work in finance and was proud to have graduated, but felt I had missed the boat: stuck at the starting line and scared I’d never catch up. 

After graduation, I spent six months cold emailing companies from my childhood home in Wakefield. I applied for hundreds of jobs online without an inside connection. Crickets. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. In the fall of 2008, I caught a lucky break, and found a three-month internship at a Boston-based investment bank called America’s Growth Capital. About half-way through the internship, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, and I was not hired full time. I did some back-office temp work for JPMorgan for nine months and then, again, was not hired. I made a list of every HC alumni working in finance, entered each into an excel spreadsheet (which I still use) and started writing from the heart, asking for help and advice.

My luck changed when I met HC alumni Ted Lynch, an MD in BofA’s Restaurant Group in Boston. One of our common bonds was that we were both HC alumni interested in finance. That first short first conversation changed my life’s trajectory. Eighteen months after graduation, thanks to Ted’s kindness and generosity, I was able to land my first real job as a credit analyst at BofA. I finally had realized the true power of the HC alumni network. 

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus? 

I participated in Big Brother Big Sister, played intramural basketball, and spent lots of time throwing the frisbee on Easy Street. I also spent lots of time in Dinand Library, Cool Beans, and Kimball. I suppose I could have done more networking, but am grateful for the incredible relationships I built and friendships I have to this day.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions? 

I chose Economics because I thought it was the closest major to learn about business (other than accounting). I honestly wasn’t sure what I really wanted to do after HC, but was curious and drawn to business and Wall Street as a means of drinking from a knowledge firehose and learning from ambitious businesspeople. I had no idea how to read financial statements but had heard that the intensity of the work and hard skills I could learn (such as financial modeling or credit analysis) could provide a foundation and options that could lead to other opportunities down the road (eg MBA, working in private equity, working at another company, etc.). 

Majoring in economics gave me a shot to break into finance. Some of the fundamentals of economic theory have helped me better understand how choices are made with the backdrop of resource scarcity, and what drives prices (whether oil & gas prices, or the price of a stock, or debt security that a hedge fund is analyzing). It also helped with ice breakers with other HC alumni in finance. 

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

The most important skills I developed were 1) the ability to ask better questions to quickly learn something new / foreign and 2) connecting dots and finding the common denominators between seemingly unrelated disciplines.

I’ve worked for a decade in finance across various Wall Street firms, from JPMorgan to BofA to Webster Bank. In each situation I was forced to learn a new team and industry (eg Oil & Gas, Healthcare, Private Equity, Restaurants). When I moved into startup building with Courial to decarbonize mobility and help gig workers live better lives, I was lucky to receive support from the HC community of faculty and students who helped scale the company. I had to again learn new sectors and subjects from scratch (tech startups, entrepreneurship, venture capital, startups, and how to create a company from 0 to 1). I had to learn new languages all over again.  The Holy Cross liberal arts framework was at the heart of my ability to pivot and learn new languages quickly under pressure, and in some cases unlearn what I had learned (to quote our little green friend Yoda). 

I believe that the skill of looking for connections across different fields in a world that is changing faster than ever (thanks to advances in AI and machine learning, among other factors) is more valuable than ever. I was lucky at Holy Cross to learn a variety of subjects beyond economics, such as language (French), philosophy, fundamentals of music, computer science, global change biology, Russian Tales of Desire, and Bali Gamelan Music (my favorite) – which helped me broaden my perspective and over time bond with more people than I ever could have imagined. It was my ability to speak a little French that helped me navigate the Francophone speaking African countries, Ivory Coast and Senegal, last year. It was my course on Bali music which helped me engage in memorable conversations with entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia. They were impressed that I even had heard of the country, let alone played an instrument!

Building climate tech startups that are attempting to decarbonize every sector of the economy which means we’ll have to rethink what we previously thought was true and collaborate with people across different fields (chemistry, biology, AI, machine learning, policy, finance, energy, and academia, and more) to remix old recipes, build diverse teams. We’ll have to use a beginner’s mind and the Jesuit principles of giving for others to cook up solutions and technologies to save our planet.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Don’t be afraid to jump into new situations. Stay open minded, meet and learn from as many different people as you can, try to enjoy dancing with uncertainty, and follow your curiosities (not what your peers are doing or what’s popular), no matter how weird you think your interests might be. That is the path to unlocking your own unique superpowers. By learning and doing the things that make you feel most alive, you’ll be able to go deeper, engage in more lively conversations, and have more energy to find your own truth. It took me some time to learn that the HC alumni network is like an extended, life-long family that’s always there for you. Even though it’s so hard with so much on your plate, taking the time to network and go beyond your comfort zone is worth the investment. You don’t need to dive deep into the ocean to find buried treasure. You can find hidden gems in a conversation with anyone you meet. I’m constantly amazed by what I’m learning from both alumni and students (and sometimes random people on the street) who always have a story to tell and or a gem to share (if you know how to ask the right questions to unlock the door). 

One of my favorite quotes is from Joseph Campbell: As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think. My advice is to just jump!