Meehan Students Launch Careers Before Collecting Diplomas
Successful companies see the value of a Meehan education and extend job offers before our business students complete their studies.
Fund Management Experience at Stonehill Opens KPMG Door for Finance Major
Inside the classroom and out, finance major Thomas Forde regularly found himself engaged in experiences that he knew would be valuable in competitive hiring environments and throughout his career.
“Stonehill provided me with environments where my decisions had real consequences,” said Forde, who has accepted an advisory associate position at KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms. “Whether it was managing the Mary Herlihy Opportunity Fund as portfolio manager, presenting a strategy plan to the C-suite of a regional bank, or serving as a mentor and leader as captain of my track team, Stonehill opened the door to live-stakes opportunities. These experiences bridged the gap between classroom theory and genuine experience that I can apply throughout my life.”
In addition to mentors such as finance professors Elif Sisli-Ciamarra, Robert Spencer and Michael Mullen, who helped him discover his full potential, Forde said he also gained important benefits from his time as captain of Stonehill’s NCAA Division I track and field team.
“Being a captain of the track and field team taught me that leadership isn’t about being the best on the roster,” he said. “It’s about setting an example and bringing out the best in the people around you.”
A resident of Mystic, Connecticut, who attended Fitch High School, Forde said his leadership skills were further sharpened through his experience as a portfolio manager for the Skyhawk Investment Group.
“Making real investment decisions under pressure while leading a room full of strong analysts forced me to lead through questions, collaboration and trust rather than pretending to have every answer.”
Meredith Morse
DECA Experiences Provided Turbo Boost to Marketing Major Headed to Bank of Canada
Anyone who has been involved in Stonehill’s DECA program will tell you it provides an enormous competitive advantage to students when it comes to their professional prospects.
Meredith Morse, who majored in marketing with minors in data analytics and Chinese, is no exception.
“In DECA competitions, I was often given a scenario and only a short amount of time to analyze the situation, come up with a strategy and present it clearly,” said Morse, who came to Stonehill from Halfmoon, New York, and attended Shenendehowa High School. “That experience taught me how to break down complex problems, use data to support my ideas, communicate solutions in a way that others can understand and become more confident presenting in high-pressure situations.”
As she prepares for her new role as a Boston-based marketing analyst for Royal Bank of Canada (a Fortune Global 500 company), she says that DECA was only one of the formative experiences she had at Stonehill.
“As a resident assistant, I had to manage different personalities, handle conflicts and make decisions that impacted a larger community,” said Morse, who in her time here advanced to the position of head resident assistant. “I learned that leadership is not always about having the answers; it’s about being someone others can rely on for guidance and support.”
And typical of the Stonehill experience, she enjoyed the benefit of having a strong network of mentors.
“Alumni and on-campus mentoring played a really important role in helping me shape my career goals and feel more confident in my path,” she said. “Hearing their experiences made everything feel more tangible and helped me understand the different paths I could take after graduation.”
Luke Thompson
Management Major’s Well-Rounded Experience Helps Him Score Fortune 100 Position
As a management major with a minor in entrepreneurship, Luke Thompson could be forgiven if he was all business.
But like so many Stonehill students, he has also made room for community and service, including time spent as part of Stonehill’s Best Buddies chapter, which fosters one-to-one friendships between students and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through Stonehill’s partnership with the House of Possibilities.
“Being a member of Best Buddies helped me give back to the community and feel fulfilled and was something I looked forward to every Friday,” said Thompson, who will soon begin his career as an IT analyst for TJX Companies Inc., a Fortune 100 company and leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide.
Stonehill’s focus on experiential learning often connects students with internships that result in job offers, and Thompson’s IT internship at TJX impressed the organization enough that they offered him a position.
“I credit Renee Bernier in Career Services with helping me every step along the way to securing my internship,” said Thompson, who is a resident of Taunton, Massachusetts, and attended Taunton High School. Reflecting on the commitment of Stonehill graduates to mentor current students, he said TJX allocation analyst Keiran Leary ’25 also helped ensure he made the most of his TJX internship.
A former high school lacrosse player, Thompson joined Stonehill’s lacrosse club team, rising to captain. That and his tenure as vice president of the College’s Sales Club gave him invaluable leadership experience.
“Club Lacrosse taught me how to motivate a group of people to get a shared goal accomplished, along with how to present myself professionally to keep everyone focused,” he said. “Sales Club helped me stay disciplined and manage a club of 70-plus students.”
A NOTE OF RECOGNITION
More than 150 graduating seniors reported success in securing a placement prior to commencement. We received many responses to our call for their success stories. To those students who shared their story but are not featured above, we offer our heartfelt thanks and a hearty congratulations on your successes: finance major Shane Fonseca (Wells Fargo); finance major Kyle Ferland (Fidelity Investments).
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