Cover story: Meet Falcons on the path of most resilience

The Path of Most Resilience

These days, even routine tasks like grocery shopping can feel like a test of strength. What of life’s more pivotal experiences? Here, we catch up with Falcons whose 2020 included starting college, landing a first job, pivoting a career, leading a company and more.

Their different journeys drive home common lessons: Focus on what you can control. Stay flexible. Be true — and kind — to yourself. And always maintain connections, even at a distance.

By Kristen Walsh

Nayeli Franco ’24

Hometown: Hamilton, New Jersey Interest: Public Accounting, Forensic Accounting

The most challenging part of starting college during a pandemic was the uncertainty. Knowing that at any moment students could be sent home, or that those around me could fall ill, was extremely difficult.

The rules at Bentley were strict, but they were for the best reasons. I managed to meet some amazing people and find my niche. Many were friends I met in the Student Center during my first few days on campus and through the FirstGen Presidential Fellows program. We’re all different, but our goals and outlook bring us together.

Academically, it was more challenging. Concentrating on school the way I usually would was almost impossible, especially with the growing worry for my loved ones. Adjusting to online school also took a large toll on my mental health; I would constantly beat myself up over not understanding concepts in some of my classes or feel like I could be doing more. My professors and advisers let me know that we’re all new to such changes — but so ready to work together.

These experiences shifted my perspective. I’ve realized this is a positive change that will prepare me for the future; and that is particularly important for me as a first-generation college student. Reminding myself that I’m in school to make both myself and my family proud has helped me navigate these challenges. Nothing in life is easy, but having their support makes it worthwhile.

Transition and change of any kind have a notable impact on our minds and bodies. But I’ve come to realize that worrying about the future causes a constant state of worry. Knowing that you are here now, and with those you love, allows you to find comfort.

Banmai Huynh ’24

Hometown: Chelmsford, Massachusetts Major: Corporate Finance and Accounting

I’ve always been a hopeful person; I think that comes from my mom. During the pandemic, she is always reminding me that we are fortunate to have a home, and to be safe and healthy. Grateful for my home and for the money I could save, I decided to attend Bentley remotely during my first year. But that didn’t make me any less committed to getting the most out of the experience.

For Zoom classes, I sign in a few minutes early — or stay late — to connect with professors or clarify what I learned. It’s not just about academics: I learn about what they are up to and they ask what’s going on in my life.

As a member of Bentley’s Women’s Leadership Program, I’ve attended as many virtual events as possible. My favorite was a workshop on the unconscious bias that women and people of color face. I’ll carry that knowledge into my career; tolerance is something that the world is lacking, and the opportunity to explore that and self-reflect was powerful.

But moments like these don’t just happen — especially being remote. It’s hard, for example, to stay engaged sitting in my room all day on Zoom; by the third class I have to remind myself to actively participate. I also make sure academics is not my whole life. I spend Sunday nights virtually meeting with my peers in the Asian Students Association. We joke and share highs and lows from the week.

Though I’m not where I thought I would be as a first-year college student, participating in Bentley’s Gratitude Campaign gave me a chance to reflect on something that I was thankful for; and that is my parents. They’ve really adapted to supporting me as a remote student. They understand when I don’t come out of my room for five hours because I’m doing class or grabbing a quick nap to unwind in between classes.

Pandemic or not, my advice is to always make the most out of what you’re given. Put yourself out there and make sure you get what you want out of life.

Arafat Rasheed ’22

Hometown: Islamabad, Pakistan Major: Professional Sales

When the pandemic hit, I had to take a deep look into what I believe makes a relationship work, particularly when I first meet someone. As an orientation leader, my role is to help first-year students — Baby Falcs — transition to college. This year I worked with a combination of remote and on-campus students.

In-person activities had to evolve to loop in students by Zoom, but COVID could not take away relationships simply by existing. We discuss what they hope to gain at Bentley, and from there we create an action plan. In addition to reinforcing messages like “Be true to yourself” and “Accept differences,” I encourage them to keep going. Things around us will always change, but we can’t dwell on that or we’ll miss opportunities.

I didn’t always think this way. My first year at Bentley was a rollercoaster ride. There were classes and student organizations that I thought I would love, but didn’t. I struggled to find the right friend circle. Things changed when I joined Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity. One of my brothers challenged me to follow a simple philosophy: When something is about to change, look at how you can benefit from the situation or help others benefit from it.

Most people are hard-pressed to find positives from COVID-19 — and that is something we have to turn around. It could be something as simple as spending the extra time at home or in your dorm room to learn a skill you’ve been wanting to try.

I let my Baby Falcs and mentees know that I struggle with change and experience disappointment. And that’s OK. But my advice is to move forward by always asking yourself: What are the next steps? How can I develop something out of this problem that will help me in the future? My job is to help students develop the skills to deal with adversity, not only at Bentley but beyond.

Amanda Parker ’22

Hometown: St. Charles, Illinois Major: Professional Sales

I consider myself fortunate to have arrived at Bentley as a member of the volleyball team. I had an instant family in my teammates — the older ones watched out for me and answered my questions. It was a fall sport, so I was active six days a week with practice or games. As a junior captain, I never imagined I would be welcoming first-year students during a pandemic, with so many uncertainties about living on campus and having a fall season — which we did not.

One goal we always have as a team is to make sure everyone feels included , particularly first-year students who are adjusting to college life. We’ve had to get creative during COVID, planning socially distanced team-bonding activities, like a small group dinner at a restaurant or an outdoor activity when the weather was still warm. When it was approved, we held outdoor workouts that transitioned to indoor practices. Playing with masks on took some getting used to.

What helped keep me focused is my belief that everyone should be a good teammate on and off the court. I had a lot of time off the court during sophomore year, when I switched from a starting hitter to a backup setter behind one of our seniors. I actually learned a lot from being on the bench, including overcoming the mental challenge of not starting. I have drawn on that experience throughout the pandemic: Work hard and give it your all no matter what.

Christian Rubio

Associate Professor and Chair, Modern Languages Director, Honors Program

When the pandemic caused a campus shutdown last March, the first thing that came to mind was how to make the situation less stressful for students. In the Spanish course I teach, I reframed projects and assignments to accommodate remote learning. The goal was to help students stay on track and avoid a decline in their grade simply because we changed modalities from in-person to virtual.

During the summer we had more time to plan. The Honors Council brainstormed ways to engage students, including a special summer issue of the Honors Program newsletter and virtual events like bingo night. We designed a welcome kit that included a face mask. When students got to campus, I was impressed by how they followed COVID protocol; they were grateful to be here.

In the fall, I felt comfortable coming to campus because of safety features like COVID testing, plexiglass and socially distanced seating. I chose to do hybrid teaching to give students an opportunity to be in the classroom and also to support my teaching style: I’m loud, I laugh at myself, I jump around. This helps put students at ease, which is particularly important during such uncertain times.

To help students gain perspective, I developed an assignment about the effects of the pandemic on Latin America. A lack of reliable internet destroyed their economy, whereas the U.S. had many more resources to operate remotely.

I have also tried to teach students that everything — good or bad — has to end. When I was 15 years old, my family emigrated to New York from Peru to leave the deteriorating economy and the violence caused by the Shining Path terrorist group. We had lost everything, yet now we had an opportunity to build a new life. That changed my outlook. I believe that with hard work and flexibility, things can always get better.

Molly Lyons ’20

Staff Accountant, Rakuten Americas

I was ecstatic when I got a full-time job offer in February of senior year. I thought I had everything figured out: I’d start the job on the Monday following graduation.

Two weeks before my official start date, I got an email from the employer; they wanted to discuss the job offer. I knew this conversation had to happen. The company had shut down during the pandemic and I hadn’t heard much since then. I got the bad news of the rescinded job offer on the day of my last final.

I had a little pity party, but not for long. I recognized that the fallout from the pandemic was a reality not only for me, but for so many other people — some who were let go from longtime jobs. I emailed my Bentley career coach to help reorient myself to the job market. She helped me tweak my résumé and encouraged me to keep applying to jobs that interested me.

LinkedIn was a great resource, and by late May I had interviewed for several jobs. What resonated with me during the interview with Rakuten Americas was that in addition to formal questions, they asked how I was staying motivated, safe and engaged during the pandemic. They cared. I accepted a staff accountant job, and the culture hasn’t let me down. We have a team huddle every morning before we start the workday. We share recipes and funny stories. I feel included.

In Japanese, Rakuten stands for optimism. I’m grateful that I chose early in life to live by a philosophy to make the most out of the opportunities that are presented to you. At the end of the day, you have to be the person who acts on them. Things don’t happen on their own.

Kathryn Burgner Fitzgerald ’13

Agile Program Manager, Waters Corporation

In fall 2019, I was dissatisfied in my position at the time and started working with a career coach to help define the career and life I was seeking. I planned to save up and take a brief leave of absence from the workforce to recharge and figure out next steps.

Months later, the pandemic hit and I realized my “sabbatical” would need to look different. I had wanted to travel, volunteer and conduct plenty of in-person networking and interviewing. Instead, I ended up learning to garden and virtually reconnecting with people.

I turned to my many mentors, family and friends for advice. I also connected with Bentley’s Fast Track alumni group, which I consider part education, part accountability — think “gym buddy” — and part support group. Their Get Started guide helped me break steps into small pieces and provided points to track progress. This was helpful because I was struggling to stay motivated and accountable.

On several occasions I was extremely close to a job offer, only to be told on the last step that they’d decided to go with an internal candidate. But I tried to find the positives and lessons in each experience. I also kept an open mind to various types of roles and industries. I landed my role at Waters Corporation in October 2020 through an external recruiting agency.

My biggest aha moment during the pandemic is that, while it is important to learn from the past and plan for the future, the most important thing is to focus on the present. Doing that has helped me find joy in what is a very uncertain, trying time. Health and time are not guaranteed; all we have is right now, so we have to make it count.

Salvatore “Sal” Stile ’92 and Damien Stile ’96

Co-founders and respective president and COO, Alba Wheels Up; Creators, Salvatore J. Stile ’92 Professional Sales Competition at Bentley

When the full effect of COVID hit last March, imports into the United States drastically declined. But because we are visionary specialists in what we do — international shipping and customs clearance — Alba Wheels Up was able to do a pivot.

Business decreased in many of our core areas and in verticals like apparel and retail. But there was a strong need for expertise in U.S. Customs and FDA rules and regulations, in order to move PPE [personal protective equipment] such as masks, gloves and hand sanitizer. Alba became one of the largest facilitators of PPE to hospitals and government agencies.

Our ability to navigate the pandemic goes back to having prepared for it back in December 2019 and early 2020, when we noticed businesses in China shutting down. We prepared for our staff to go remote and ensured the proper IT infrastructure as if we would be shut down — even though we are considered essential services.

It’s in our DNA to run the company by planning for worst-case scenarios. That goes back to our somewhat humble upbringing and not taking much for granted: Health and wealth are on loan to you. This rang true when our father died from COVID in April 2020. You never know what life is going to bring, but you have to be as resilient as possible and try to get through it. Our father loved business, loved seeing his sons excel in business.

It was a bittersweet moment: We had just suffered a tragic loss, but our business was flourishing and we were able to save lives by bringing PPE to the United States.

Being passionate about our work and creating value, we recently decided to sell an interest in the business. COVID has taught us that timing is a lot in life. Alba is on a strong uptick to grow. With the backing of private equity and a tremendous amount of resources to make the transition, we’ll be able to double or triple the company in a short time span. Alba is very healthy and profitable, but we want to see it have even greater impact on a business and social level.

Added Value Added Value

You may remember that professor. The one who coached you through a tough assignment. Pointed you toward a new interest. Inspired you out of your comfort zone. For many alumni, the impact continues well after graduation. And in a special few cases, that professor becomes a friend and colleague.

By Jennifer Skuce Spira