Hosted by Valerie Bien-Aimee, career and internship counselor at Fairfield Bellarmine, the ten alumni toured the Bridgeport, Connecticut campus and spoke with approximately 60 students from the two classes currently enrolled in the two-year associate’s degree program.
Bien-Aimee described the event as an opportunity for students to engage with professionals in their fields of interest and explore career possibilities. Alumni with majors representing each of Fairfield Bellarmine’s four major tracks: liberal studies (Bryan LeClerc ’84, Kristen Edwards ’11), business (Greg Turner ’05, Mike Guarnieri ’84, John Walker ’75, Joe Delaney ’03, MBA’04), health studies (Victor Clavelli ’94, Amy Carroll '97), and computer science (Maureen Martin ’85, John Herlihy ’72) held small-group discussions with students in those majors and shared stories about how they got started in their professions after college.
Alumnus Greg Turner ’05 told the students about his experience as an international student from Jamaica. Currently an audit principal in BDO’s Professional Practice Group, he described how the lessons and experiences he gained at Fairfield — including having been taught by accounting professor Dawn Massey, PhD, who currently teaches Bellarmine students — influenced and aided his career.
“One of the students reached out after the session and asked if we could talk more about my career and find a way to connect on an ongoing basis,” said Turner, “and for me, that’s a huge inspiration as it demonstrates that being with the students in their classroom provides opportunities for them to build relationships with alumni; that is a major win.”
“Hearing directly from alumni who shared the same sentiments of once being where I am served as a beacon of light on my drive to keep pressing in my field of interest,” said Fairfield Bellarmine business major Jaheim McKie FB’25. “Their personal stories and advice on topics like networking, skill development, and willingness to adapt gave me a vivid understanding of what to expect in real-world situations.” He said that one of his greatest takeaways was learning the value of building meaningful professional relationships and keeping those connections throughout his career.
Joe Delaney ’03, MBA’04, current president of the Alumni Board, was also an accounting major at Fairfield and works in accounting and risk management. Advising students “to enjoy their journey and build a network around them that pushes them to strive to be their best,” he emphasized to those who attended the Alumni Roundtable “that they are not alone on their educational, professional, and personal journeys — they are Stags and the Fairfield University community, especially alumni, are here to help support them.”
Keyschla Rodriguez FB’26 is a first-year liberal studies major at Fairfield Bellarmine and a first-generation college student who, like many of her classmates, said she feels “unsure of how to start a career after my college education.” She found that the conversations she had at the Alumni Roundtable event addressed that uncertainty and offered “great advice on how I can overcome these fears by getting familiar with people who are currently in the field that I wish to go into.”
The most beneficial pieces of advice she received were “to not be afraid to take advantage of new opportunities that arise and to recognize that every part of your education can help you in many aspects of your career, even if you think they won't.”
Delaney found that speaking directly with students like McKie and Rodriguez about their visions for their future was impactful and impressive. “It was amazing to hear about the experiences that have inspired their paths,” he said, “which, for many, include wanting to help others through what they do — a true connection to our Jesuit values and mission.”
Stressing that the Alumni Board invites and welcomes all alumni to engage and get involved with students at Bellarmine Campus, Delaney said, “It is an amazing experience to meet with the students, listen to their stories, feel the energy of the campus, and see the great work led by the Fairfield Bellarmine leadership team.”
