FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Even with a global pandemic and wavering economy, Sacred Heart University students and alumni have landed jobs and internships.
Students used skills they learned from professors and staff at SHU’s Center for Career & Professional Development to succeed. Understanding the uncertainty of today’s job market, students are grateful to take on their newly earned opportunities.
UNDERGRADUATE
Josh Belluche–Registered nurse on a cardiac step-down unit at Yale-New Haven Health’s Saint Raphael Campus
Belluche, 23, graduated in May with his bachelor’s degree in nursing. As a cardiac nurse, he works on a unit where all the patients have cardiac conditions.
“‘Step-down’ refers to the acuity of the patient’s condition,” Belluche said. “Patients on our floor need more specialized care than a general medicine floor may be able to provide.”
Belluche said the team’s job is to monitor patients’ conditions, administer medications, help monitor patients before and after surgery and work with staff to provide other elements of care.
A 14-week clinical rotation on cardiac care helped prepare Belluche for his new job. “Sacred Heart puts us in a variety of units in different hospitals throughout the state,” he said. “We have to learn a lot of information in many different classes that collectively gives us the basic knowledge needed to pass our boards and become registered nurses. That process starts day one of freshman year in anatomy class, and it doesn't stop.”
When Belluche entered SHU’s nursing program, there was no coronavirus crisis. Recognizing he is an essential, frontline worker during this new, strange time, Belluche said he has a “healthy level of caution.”
“I understand the field that I’m going into,” he said. “I’m excited to start having an impact, and I’ll take every precaution I can to protect myself and others in the hospital while I work with the team to care for our patients.”
For anyone who is hunting for jobs or internships, Belluche said, “I think it’s important to take an initiative in applications, cover letters and interviews to help identify the unique traits that you have. There may not be a section to talk about those on a cover letter or résumé, but make sure to mention those characteristics in an interview – even if you’re not asked about them directly.”
GRADUATE
Mansi Patel–Business analyst for P3 Health Partners, Oregon
Patel, 25, graduated this year with a master’s degree in health care informatics. As a business analyst, her role is to improve the cost of treatment for patients while ensuring the quality of treatment is not jeopardized.
“A major part of my job includes analyzing patients’ data to come up with mitigation plans,” Patel said. “These plans aim to prevent health issues and reduce patients’ hospital visits, which in turn reduces costs. My work is essentially to create a win-win situation for providers and patients.”
Patel said SHU was a home away from home for her. She praised the Center for Career & Professional Development staff for helping throughout her job hunt. She also was grateful to her professors, who prepared her for her “dream job.”
For students looking for work, she said, “Have patience. Also, understand the fact that getting hired is a two-way process. Applicants should know that it’s important for the employer to know if the candidate is a good fit, the same way it is important for an applicant to understand if the job is one they can see themselves doing with satisfaction.”
Ashley Fazzino–Digital communications consultant at The Hartford
Fazzino, 24, earned her master’s degree in strategic communications and public relations (SCPR) in August. As a digital communications consultant, Fazzino said she works with the internal communications team at The Hartford.
“We are responsible for facilitating the creation of online content for our employees,” Fazzino said. “I work with a very tight-knit team that is unbelievably talented in their care and concern for the company and its employees. Often, my role focuses on getting important messages, information or stories onto our intranet channel. More specifically, I build articles to go up on our internal company site.”
Fazzino said the University’s SCPR program prepared her to transition into the professional world with confidence. “The program helped me gain valuable skills,” she said. “I feel as though my time at Sacred Heart gave me endless, hands-on opportunities to try different avenues within communications. I was supported, challenged and encouraged to push myself to new realms I might not have imagined for myself when I started.”
Most importantly, Fazzino said, SHU taught her to find a career she can enjoy and take pride in.
Fazzino’s guidance to undergraduates and graduates struggling to land an internship or job is to have patience throughout the journey. “Know that you can achieve that ‘far-fetched’ goal,” she said. “Apply to your dream job; travel somewhere new; get out of your comfort zone. The second I stopped thinking that it wasn’t going to happen to me was the moment I started opening doors I never imagined for myself.”
Kajol Joshi—Sales intern at Aflac
Joshi, 20, will start her senior year at SHU this fall. A dual major in accounting and finance, she recently completed an eight-week sales associate internship at Aflac.
“As a sales associate, I was assigned to make recruiting calls to applicants for the Fairfield office, prospecting with small business, networking and making cold calls,” Joshi said.
At SHU’s virtual career fair this past spring, she gained confidence and “aced” her internship interviews.
Her advice for peers: do not lose hope. “Companies are looking for interns and employees during this pandemic,” Joshi said. “Take classes and build your résumé to help you stand out from the crowd. Keep working on your strength and weaknesses and be active in job searching.”
Babatunde Olaniba –Virtual audit intern at Deloitte
Olaniba, 33, is a senior accounting major who has had three internship opportunities since starting at SHU in 2018. His first internship was at Stamford Federal Credit Unit, his second was at Deloitte and, most recently, he returned to Deloitte as a virtual audit intern.
“I was tasked with audit simulations,” he said. “I prepared analytical procedures on clients’ financial statements and created audit proposals for group presentations.”
Olaniba said the Center for Career & Professional Development staff helped him with his résumé and sent him emails about Deloitte events on campus, which he attended.
“My advice for other students looking for internships is to network effectively,” Olaniba said. “Utilize the career center’s resources and services to prepare yourselves and find an internship aligned with your career goals. Also, it’s very important to know that things might not happen the way you want them to the first time around. Always retry, even if you failed the first time.”
Holly Steckert–Intern at Unite For Sight, New Haven
Steckert, 20, a junior majoring in public health and minoring in global health, worked at the nonprofit Unite For Sight this summer. The organization supports eye clinics worldwide by investing in resources to eliminate patients’ barriers to eye care.
“I worked with the executive director, who is responsible for the educational aspect and health-care delivery,” Steckert said. “She was extremely positive, responsive and helpful. It was a pleasure interning under her.”
As an intern, she updated certificate programs, attended webinars, worked on the organization’s social media, came up with funding ideas and researched companies and speakers for conferences.
“My biggest piece of advice would be to keep an open mind,” she said. “I thought it was helpful to work with many different projects while expanding my knowledge about the global health field.”
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About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 385 Colleges–2020 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 252 Business Schools–2019 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theater. www.sacredheart.edu