May 20, 2015

Bringing it all back home: Alumnae share secrets of success

Dr. Wanda S. Ingram ’75 and Kathleen A. Bello ’75
Dr. Wanda S. Ingram ’75 and Kathleen A. Bello ’75

“I learned to learn at PC.”

That certainty, expressed by Shelly McBride, D.M.D. ’89, was shared by the five other Providence College alumnae who joined her to discuss their careers at the “Veritas and Values” panel program in the Scanlon Room of the Ruane Center for the Humanities in March.

Representing classes from four decades, Kathy Bello ’75, Nancy Cavallaro McNamara ’84, Tricia McNamara Caracappa ’92, Meredith Zenowich ’96, Dara Greenidge ’12, and McBride returned to where their college journeys began to share how the knowledge and skills gained at PC helped them in their careers. At the same time, they advised current students on how best to lead a life of meaning and purpose after graduation.

The presentation celebrated more than 40 years of women graduates at PC and was sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations and the Student Alumni Association (SAA).

Dr. Wanda S. Ingram ’75, senior associate dean and interim director of academic advising, and Sarah Ramire ’16 (Westfield, N.J.), incoming SAA president for 2015-16, co-facilitated the lively, open discussion.

Skills developed at PC pay lifelong dividends 

The evening commenced with the panelists sharing their educational and career backgrounds, followed by each alumna responding to a series of questions ranging from PC’s influence on their lives to achieving a work/life balance. The opening question — “How did PC prepare you to handle your career?” — saw the women offering some candid and insightful responses.

As a two-sport student-athlete (field hockey and softball), Zenowich quickly learned that she had to develop her time-management skills if she was going to succeed in the classroom and on the field. Because of her athletic commitments, she knew she would not be able to fulfill the internship required of social work majors. Instead, she created an individualized major combining social work and sociology — a decision that has served her well as a Rhode Island State Police trooper.

“As a trainer at the state police academy, I still use what I studied at PC in my job today,” said Zenowich.

A first-grade lead teacher with Teach for America at the Success Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., Greenidge said the skills she developed as a global studies major and as a double minor in black studies and sociology were instrumental to becoming a better teacher.

“Forming relationships empowers me as a teacher. I need to be able to relate with students, parents, and administrators,” said Greenidge. “I also make my students aware of social injustices. That awareness was shaped in my days at PC.”

Caracappa, an executive director at Morgan Stanley, shared some of the guiding principles that continue to influence her career decisions. “Think like an owner — own your career,” she said. “No one is going to make choices for you. Build relationships. Challenge the status quo. Don’t rely on a mentor to schedule time with you. Go and ask for advice directly.”

True to her word, Caracappa is following these principles and pursuing a degree in interior design at the Parsons School of Design in New York — something she has wanted to do since she started drawing as a child.

Pursuing a well-rounded education

The panelists agreed that participating in extracurricular activities made for a well-rounded educational experience. While undergraduates, the women were members of various clubs, studied abroad, and volunteered at local non-profit organizations.

Although a few of the alumnae didn’t follow career paths in perfect alignment with their majors, they offered up some practical advice to the students in the audience about those choices.

“Regardless of your major, you need to be willing to learn. Life is about learning,” said McBride, a pediatric dentist with two offices in Massachusetts. “This school’s reputation is highly regarded, so try and use that to your advantage.”

While pursuing her degree in business management, McNamara, an assistant director with the FBI, said she embraced the family environment that exists at PC and remains friendly with her classmates to this day. She encouraged everyone connected with the school to do the same.

Bello, a sociology major at PC, retired last year as CFO of the Rhode Island Department of Mental Health, Retardation & Hospitals after a 32-year career as a budget analyst with the Rhode Island House of Representatives. She shared that the social skills she learned at PC prepared her to deal with the various personalities in the Rhode Island legislature on a daily basis. She is still an active member of the Greater Providence Chapter of the National Alumni Association, the Mal Brown Club, and often returns to campus to volunteer at alumni events.

Students at the discussion were impressed by the panelists’ breadth of experience and their willingness to share their stories.

“It’s incredibly telling of the bond these women share with PC when you think that they had to rearrange their schedules to give back their time and talent to talk to us. They exemplify what it means to be ‘Forever a Friar’,” said Aileen Collins ’16 (Pleasantville, N.Y.), a sociology major and a business studies minor.

— John Larson