John DiPietro
Year of Graduation: 1972
Major: Foreign Affairs
Additional Education: MBA
Current Title: Co-Host to two national shows about the RV Industry
Current Industry: Media
Michael Woodlock
Year of Graduation: 1994
Major: Economic Issues and Policy
Additional Education: Masters; Secondary Education Fitchburg State
Current Titles: Assistant Superintendent; Tyngsborough Public Schools; Educational Consultant, Novak Education; Co-Author, UDL Playbook; Cast Publishing, 2021
Current Industry: Education
Raymond Sarkodieh
Year of Graduation: 2018
Major: Mathematics
Minor: Data Analytics
Additional Education: Certification in Construction Management
Current Title: Project Manager
Current Industry: Construction
Andrew Kupec
Years of Graduation: 2011, 2016
Major: Marketing
Minor: Finance
Additional Education: MBA, Assumption 2016
Current Title: Senior Associate
Director of International Admission
Current Industry: Higher Education
Erik Abramson
Years of Graduation: 2014, 2018
Major: Marketing
Minor: Management
Additional Education: MBA
Current Title: Enterprise
Account Director
Current Industry: Healthcare Technology/Sales
Pete Leonard
Year of Graduation: 2001, 2004
Major: Business Management/Football
Minor: N/A
Additional Education: MBA
Current Title: Senior Talent
Acquisition Manager
Current Industry: Information Technology Talent Acquisition (Agency Recruiting)
Jay Costa
Year of Graduation: 1998
Major: Business Management
Minor: Education
Additional Education: N/A
Current Title: Director of Athletics, Shrewsbury High School
Current Industry: Education
Edward Frazier
Years of Graduation: 2015, 2016
Major: Accounting
Minor: Finance
Additional Education: MBA, Assumption 2016
Current Title: Director of Finance
Current Industry: Finance/Concrete
Construction
Michael Woodlock '94
Ray Sarkodieh '18 John DiPietro '72
Andrew Kupec '11, '16
Ed Frazier '15, '16
Jay Costa '98
Erik Abramson '14, '18
Pete Leonard '01, '04
What do you wish you had known as a Freshman or first-year?
JD: That all of us were a bit frightened. But went ahead anyway
MW: I wish I had a better understanding of the level of uncertainty that is part of life. I spent too much time worrying about the fact that I did not know what my direction was when I presumed that most everyone else did. As I can see now, many of those who seem to have a very clear handle on what they plan to do with their life don’t actually know what they will end up doing. College, especially at a school like Assumption, is about gaining many experiences within many different types of subject areas. Most importantly, it is about discovering who you are as a person and who you want to become.
EA: Not even really career driven advice, but honestly just how fast it goes by and to make sure you enjoy every second of it. Even when there are things you don't want to do academically or athletically you'll look back in 10 years and do anything you could to go back. Lean on your teammates, they're going to be some of your best friends for the rest of your life. Take advantage of all the resources you have at your disposal academically, socially, and beyond.
What do you wish you had known as a Freshman or first-year?
PL: I wish I had a clue as to how fast it would go by. I wish I had taken the time to slow down a little bit and to do things in a more consistent detailed way. I wish I had more of a purpose and direction in mind.
MRY: Truly enjoy and appreciate my time at Assumption: My time athletically, my time socially, and my time academically. It goes by quickly, try to slow it down when you can. Use this time to establish good relationships and good habits
MRO: I wish I knew how difficult 1st semester and the transition would be, trying to balance it all was difficult, asking for help is not a bad thing, doesn’t make you less or not smart enough.
JC: Being the first to attend college in my family, I wish I understood the academic and athletic demands on a studentathlete. I wish I had known that it was going to be the fastest 4 years of my life and soak in everything.
What strategies helped you to succeed as a student-athlete?
JD: I was Sports Editor of the Student Newspaper. So I played with a typewriter!
MW: The mandates associated with being a student athlete really helped me to understand my own executive functioning strengths and weaknesses. I believe that high school way back in the 80s left little space for students to figure things out for themselves so I was very accustomed to having people tell me exactly what to do and how they wanted me to do it. When I first started college I had no blueprint for organizing my life to meet all the challenges that went with meeting academic, social and athletic success. Scheduling classes early so that my afternoon was free for practice. Having mandatory time in the weight room and mandatory time in the library. This helped to instill in me basic organizational structure that has served me well beyond being a student athlete The size of the school also really helped me to succeed. Because of the size I made connections with my professors and developed personal relationships. This not only helped to connect me to my classes but kept me more accountable for getting my work done. I was also very internally driven to be successful both academically and athletically. I did not experience the level of success in either football or school I thought I was capable of while in high school and was determined to prove to myself that I could reach a much higher level..
What strategies helped you to succeed as a student-athlete?
RS: Seeking help through peers and administration. Attention to detail, positive attitude, & urgency.
PL: I would say the number one thing that kept me alive was not letting work pile up. Trying to stay ahead of the game and not do everything last minute to the best of my ability. “Time Management”
EA: Organization and time management. In my opinion as a student athlete, you likely already have these in some capacity. Everyone on campus has roughly the same academic requirements but only a small handful have the extracurricular requirements that you do. I was organized with my time and responsibilities, got into a routine each semester, and made sure to follow it week after week These same skills translate incredibly well to the real world and as student athletes you are all sharpening skills that will give you success for your professional life as well.
JC:Time Management and willingness to put myself out there to meet new people.
If you could go back and change anything, what would you change?
JD: Dont be afraid to try. You automatically fail with you dont try. All winners have a long string of losses…but didn’t let them matter.
RS: I wish I could go back and branch out into different educational and extracurricular groups & meeting and conversing with alumni during my college tenure.
MW: If we are talking about football, I can think of two plays in particular that I would like to have back but in general that is a much more difficult question. As I am the second oldest panelist participating in this event, I think this is a harder question for me. At 50 years old with so much to be grateful for, it is hard to say that I would go back and change anything at all. Things have worked out really well for me Assuming it would not significantly alter my current condition I think I would have utilized the opportunity to come back and play one more year. As a transfer student I had eligibility left and was asked to come back and play another season. There are very few of us that get to play any more once this is over and when you are 21 the finality of it all isn’t something that is easy to wrap your head around. At the time I was $25,000 dollars in debt. I had done the things I had set out to do and was content but I will never know if I could have built on a successful season or helped a really good team be even better. I do think about it from time to time but I also reflect on the learning that took place in my first year out of school where I did a lot more work to discover what I did not want to do with my life professionally and that made a huge difference in my life..
If you could go back and change anything, what would you change?
JD: Dont be afraid to try. You automatically fail with you dont try. All winners have a long string of losses…but didn’t let them matter.
RS: I wish I could go back and branch out into different educational and extracurricular groups & meeting and conversing with alumni during my college tenure.
EA: 1. Take advantage of the resources available at Assumption from a career planning perspective and don't wait until senior year to become familiar with them. Networking nights, resume writing workshops, mock interviews, etc. Taking advantage of these as an undergrad will put you in a great spot as you begin your professional career.
2. I would have tried to find a rotational program as a first job Several companies will offer programs to recent grads where you spend 6 months or so in different functions and I think this is a great way to learn what you do and don't like without having to switch to a new job and hope you find something you like. Oftentimes each rotation will be in different geographical locations so it can also be a good way to experience new places and ultimately decide where you want to go. I always had something like this in the back of my mind but wasn't as prepared as I should have been as I approached the end of my college career and didn't pursue these options but looking back I think I would have really enjoyed it.
PL: Work harder on my power clean and take better care of my body (Rehab, Training Room)
JC: As mentioned before, I would have soaked in more of the college experience and put time and effort into my sports.
JD: Find Assumption alums already successful in their field they have an interest in. Dont be afraid to try something that you LOVE to do. Work does not have to be something you do when not having fun. Help others. Have an attitude of WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU, as opposed to WHATS IN IT FOR ME. Visualize success.
RS: Treat all relationships and people you meet with respect and confidence, never know what connection you will make. Seek the profession that interests you the most... even if you don't end up doing your dream job, you can always pivot to a similar field you have interest in.
What advice would you give to our graduating seniors as they embark on the next steps of their lives?
PL: Do not be afraid to go after exactly what you want Nothing is going to be easy and nothing is going to happen to you unless you attack it and WORK HARD. There is literally nothing in the world that counts more than consistent hard work, and it is something that the corporate world is very very short on. Take everything that you learn from football and apply it to your personal life and your career and you will be light years ahead of the rest.
JC: Enjoy life as it is too short....work hard and take the experiences you have learned in school and football and apply them to the "real world"
MW: Don’t be afraid to say yes. Take opportunities when they come to you. Gather all the experience you can. Fail miserably and try something else. I was sometimes overly cautious and missed out on some opportunities to gain some experience just after I graduated I was waiting for that “just right” situation which never arrived. I was fortunate enough that some of those opportunities came back around but that often is not the case. All of the experience and learning gained within the classroom walls is amazing and can really stretch your mind in a good way but there is no substitute for actually putting yourself out there and taking some measured risks. Inky Johnson talks about embracing the process without being overly connected to the result which my experience has taught me is incredibly valuable If you continuously work hard and do the things that characterize successful people, you will be successful eventually. If all you care about is the result, accolades or something else, eventually people will see that. My experience has demonstrated to me that you do not have to know what your success will look like or even have a timeline for it.
What advice would you give to our graduating seniors as they embark on the next steps of their lives?
It could be something completely foreign to what you may be studying or what you have always thought you would end up doing. If you focus on doing all that you can do and stop worrying about all the things you cannot control you will not only be more successful, you will be happier as well.
When I started to say yes to opportunities that weren’t part of the future I thought I had envisioned, I started finding a lot more success and a lot more fulfillment. I failed all the time but eventually I became a teacher. I became a coach. I became a high school principal and an educational consultant. I co-wrote a book that was published and people actually buy it None of this was part of my plan when I was in college and it would not have been possible without saying yes and building upon my failures.
We cannot thank you enough for your willingness to share your time, perspective and advice with us here tonight. We are humbled by your selflessness and inspired by your example, and we look forward to hopefully staying connected with you, and perhaps following your lead by participating in this event someday as mentors. For now, we thank you and look forward to honoring the legacy that you have all built.
