February 02, 2023
Myles Forgue ’24 builds success with Habitat and studies in marketing, theology
Students in the Providence College School of Business are known for getting jobs before graduation, but Myles Forgue ’24 may be the first to have secured a job even before the end of his first year of classes.
While majoring in both marketing and theology, Forgue was named director of internships and professional engagement at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Providence and East Bay, where he managed a team of marketing interns.
Some may see marketing and theology as an odd pairing, but Forgue believes his vocation in business is bolstered by both disciplines.
“The combination of marketing and theology gives me the wisdom I need to do good, and to do it well,” he said.
Forgue, who is from New Bedford, Massachusetts, came to Providence College from Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth. He was attending a Zoom session hosted by a friend when he learned about the opportunity to work with Habitat. The meeting welcomed local nonprofit leaders, and Forgue was impressed by the knowledge and commitment of Mark Kravatz ’02, then senior director of strategy and government affairs for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Providence and East Bay.
When Kravatz mentioned he was looking for a marketing intern, Forgue immediately began writing to him in the chat.
Once on the job, he was tasked with creating a strategy to organize social media platforms.
“I realized, the more thought I put into this project, that there was so much work to be done and so many different types of expertise and intelligence needed to make it happen,” Forgue said.
Six months later, he was named director of internships and professional engagement, managing a group of 10 marketing interns and mobilizing the organization’s digital presence by creating a newsletter and launching its Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts.
Forgue continues to work with Habitat in a hands-on capacity as PC’s chapter president, leading teams at regional builds, some of which are located just minutes from campus.
For many students, participating in a Habitat for Humanity alternative spring break trip is their first opportunity to wield a hammer and nails, let alone power tools. Forgue, having completed two summer internships with Techtronic Industries — the parent organization of brands such as Milwaukee and Ryobi Tool — was well-prepared to lead fellow Friars. He was familiar with a wide range of tools from performing product demonstrations.
Forgue is the first in his family to attend a four-year college. He credits his father, a tile and grout installer and member of the Bricklayers Allied Craftsman Union, and his mother, a retired social worker who battles with leukemia, with his inclination toward hard work, sacrifice, and service.
In addition to his studies, Forgue is a paid marketing associate for ERI, a web design and app development company based in Worcester, Massachusetts, that provides marketing strategies for colleges and universities.
He also is chief content officer for the Benjamin Family Social Media Fellows, responsible for leading a team of students who create social media content for the PC School of Business. The competitive fellowship, awarded to students from any major interested in learning more about digital marketing, includes training, networking, and mentorship opportunities.
This year the fellows expanded from five students to 10 and completed a three-credit digital marketing course. For the first time, while serving the strategic goals of the business school, they added a second client, the Student Success Center in Phillips Memorial Library. In January, they traveled to New York City to network with alumni who work in social media and marketing.
Forgue’s affinity for challenge and learning extends to his academic life. He was admitted to the Honors Program in the second semester of his first year. At first, he was unsure how he would fit with honors students who had already been studying together for months. He credits Robert Reeder, Ph.D., associate professor of English, who had just joined Forgue’s Development of Western Civilization teaching team, with instilling confidence that he could make the transition.
“The love of learning, seeing that in the professors, it’s powerful, and it makes you want to participate in that, too,” Forgue said.
Alumni and faculty mentors have made him feel confident, and Forgue tries to do the same for new students through his role as orientation coordinator for New Student Orientation. He supports orientation group leaders as they form connections with incoming students.
“It’s something that carries with them all throughout their time at Providence College, because their relationship with the people that they lead is one of trust and it’s one of friendship,” Forgue said.
Busy as he is, Forgue visits St. Dominic Chapel regularly.
“At least once a day I make sure to make my way over to the chapel, whether it’s to carve out that time for a moment of peace and for a moment of prayer or going right downstairs to Campus Ministry to visit my friends,” he said.
