Brandon Jones ’19: From Kensington To Rosemont

Sr. Jeanne Marie Hatch Retires After 16 Years

After 16 years at Rosemont, Sr. Jeanne Marie Hatch, Vice President for Mission, retired at the end of June. More than 100 members of the Rosemont community, including former Campus Ministry colleagues, students, faculty, alumni, and many Sisters (some Zooming in from Africa), joined together to share their favorite “Sr. Jeanne Story,” words of appreciation, and best wishes for her retirement.

“It was a joy to minister with a dedicated administration, staff, and faculty to meet the needs of the age at Rosemont,” said Sr. Jeanne Hatch. “Together we brought forth the powerful mission of the College for all to experience through actions as well as words. These relationships with the College Community, as well as those with our students, are treasures I will take with me.”

Virtual Social Justice Forum

On June 4, members of the Rosemont community gathered virtually for a forum on social justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and nationwide protests. Organized by Campus Ministry, more than 80 Rosemont students, faculty, staff, and alumni joined the Zoom session.

“I think the Zoom call was one of the first steps to truly understand the impact of race and racism on a larger scale at Rosemont,” said Abigail Brooks, ’22.

Gina Ingiosi, Director of Campus Ministry, and Tim Poole, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry, shared welcoming comments and reflections, followed by small group discussions in Zoom breakout rooms to discuss how individuals are processing the events and what our community can do to combat racism.

“I honestly have never been prouder to be a part of Rosemont’s community,” said Gabe Rizzo ‘21. “I was not only impressed with the number of people on the call, but I was also impressed with the thought and effort that was put into all the participants’ comments and responses.”

The forum — scheduled for one hour — stretched into two hours as participants took the floor to speak.

“The two-hour forum addressing the killing of George Floyd and the issue of systemic racism gave voice to the voiceless,” said Brittney Nix-Crawford, Assistant Professor of Communications and Discipline Chair of Communications.

“As a black woman in America, the forum gave me a safe space to exhaust my personal feelings without judgment. It became an open door to lay down the grief, pain, and frustration on our community floor. Students, faculty, and alumni were heard, accepted, comforted as we confronted the issue of racism in America.”

During a time when members of the campus community are apart due to the pandemic, the forum provided a supportive environment to bring Rosemont’s many audiences together.

“It's been my personal experience that my students have as much (if not more) to teach me as I have to teach them,” said Roseann Corey, Assistant Professor of UC Writing.

“I cannot express how much I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of conversations like this, and to be able to develop a crucial connection with all of my students and colleagues.”

Rosemont and Campus Ministry will continue to keep the dialogue open and lay out next steps.

“I think it is important that we do not just stop at conversations, but we have actions that back it up as well,” said Brooks.

Ministering During a Pandemic

Like so many organizations at Rosemont and beyond, Campus Ministry leadership has adapted how it reaches students.

“Our priority is that we want our students to know we are always here for them and we are still a community, even though we have adapted how we can interact during the pandemic,” said Gina Ingiosi, Director of Campus Ministry. “We also still have prayer via Zoom every morning at 11 am using the Virtual Office link, Rosegrow (the student and faculty sustainability club) every Tuesday, and Scripture and Song on the Sundays between Mass.”

Sr. Peg Doyle, Gina Ingiosi, and Tim Poole, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry, have organized dozens of events since the start of the semester, including celebrating Heritage Week with Mass, a mission panel and retreat in October. As Halloween approached, they coordinated card making and treat bag collecting and filling for the Providence Center, a ministry of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus offering educational programming in the Fairhill section of Philadelphia.

While many prayer groups and Bible studies have moved to a virtual format on Zoom, other gatherings such as Mass have had dual components of socially distant in-person interactions with a live stream on Facebook.

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Brandon Jones ’19: From Kensington to Rosemont By Katie DuBoff

Rosemont was cited as a Top Performing College for Social Mobility by US News and World Report in September. Ranked #15, Rosemont is the only college in the Philadelphia region in the Top 25 for Top Performers on Social Mobility - Regional Universities North. According to the report, "Economically disadvantaged students are less likely than others to finish college, even when controlling for other characteristics. But some colleges are more successful than others at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants." We are proud to share the stories of students who have experienced advancements in social mobility by attending Rosemont.

Brandon Jones ’19 remembers his first visit to Rosemont as if it were yesterday.

“I remember being so exhausted because I worked really late the night before and didn’t get much sleep,” he said. “But I was also really excited to get a tour and see the campus for the first time. I remember how the campus drew me in right away. Seeing Main Building on top of the hill for the first time still sticks with me.”

Just the experience of traveling to Rosemont was new to Jones, who grew up in Kensington.

“I remember getting on the train and making sure I was going to the right place,” he said. “I kept checking the folder I had on my lap to be sure I had everything I needed for the visit and meeting with admissions. Even though I didn’t grow up that far away, it felt so different than anything I’ve experienced growing up in Philly and not traveling much. Kensington is a rough neighborhood. Coming to Rosemont was like a different world.”

The prospect of college was also an evolution for Jones. After he graduated from high school, he began working in the fast-food industry and took classes at the Community College of Philadelphia. He didn’t see himself as college material.

“I was someone who didn’t consider college at one point, and after almost two years of working dead end jobs, I still didn’t know what I wanted from life,” he said. “At the time, I just stopped attending CCP because it wasn’t the right fit. Some classes were too large, and school felt like another part of my day, since I was working full time and trying to fit in time for school.”

The year was 2016, and just one year prior, Rosemont had announced a bold 43% annual tuition reduction from $32,600 to $18,500.

“My mother told me she heard about Rosemont on the news when the tuition reduction was announced,” he said. “My parents worked hard to support me my whole childhood and encouraged me to pursue Rosemont. I researched Rosemont some more and set up an appointment to tour the campus within a few weeks.”

Rosemont proved to be the right fit that Brandon needed. Because Rosemont offers admission decisions on the spot, Brandon was able to submit his application when he arrived for his tour.

“Finding out I was accepted that day was amazing,” he said. “I didn’t really see myself going to a school like Rosemont because I wasn’t always the best student in high school. I didn’t get accepted to any colleges out of high school, but Rosemont took a chance on me and saw that I had potential. Getting that confirmation that I was accepted is certainly a top moment for me.”

At first he wasn’t sure what he wanted to major in, but remembered he had enjoyed an economics class in high school and decided to give business a shot.

“In the Fall of 2016, I enrolled in my first Accounting class, and that’s when I realized that Accounting was the right major for me.”

Before long, Brandon was immersed in Rosemont’s community from athletics to student government and more. He was a Resident Assistant for three years, ran cross country for three years, serving as captain his last year. In addition, he was elected to the Student Government Association, starting out as a class treasurer before moving up to the VP of Finance Role. He was also a member of Delta Epsilon Sigma and Kistler Honors Society and worked in the Office of Student Life as a student worker. After he graduated, he volunteered to assist with Rosemont’s Reunion in 2019.

“Being involved in so much made me a great multitasker and has given me the organizational skills needed to be successful in my current role.”

Academically, he had to overcome a few challenges. Brandon had to get used to the pace of being a full-time student and juggling a heavy course load. For the most part, he earned good grades but then failed his intermediate accounting final.

“Failing the final was pivotal for me because I was getting ready to relocate to another city for a summer internship with an accounting firm,” he said. “The really low grade had me questioning whether accounting was right for me, considering the success I had leading up to that final, and subsequently failing it. I ended up doing really well at my internship that summer, came back to Rosemont, and earned a 3.9 GPA that fall. It was not easy, but I did not give up on myself,” he said.

After having hands-on experience during his internship, it became clearer that Accounting was the right path for Brandon. His grades were so strong that he was soon a tutor for Accounting and other business courses at the Student Academic Success Center.

“Everything in my life changed once I came to Rosemont,” he said. “The Rosemont community helped me figure out what I want to do with my life.”

By his senior year, he found himself in the enviable position of having multiple job offers before he graduated Cum Laude from Rosemont in 2019. Brandon ultimately accepted a role as a member of the assurance staff at EY in Philadelphia, a company considered one of the Big Four accounting firms and one of the largest professional services networks in the world.

“It has been a blessing to work with so many intelligent and like-minded people,” he said. “EY is a great place. I get the opportunity to work with large corporations that I may otherwise not get to work with and exposure to different industries, so I never feel like I’m in a routine for too long.”

His days at EY are busy as he examines and verifies client financial information, ensures clients are in compliance with accounting standards, and communicates the results of their audits to clients, providing suggestions and/or solutions to any identified issues.

“My job constantly challenges me to bring my best self every day and approach it with a learning mindset,” he said. “Coming from Rosemont and being a lifelong learner, I find my job very rewarding.”

Brandon is also currently pursuing his CPA, and he still finds time to go for runs and keep in touch with his family and friends.

“I’m really into sports, so I’m always watching football on Sundays or basketball games when they’re on,” he said.

Brandon hopes to inspire other students from backgrounds similar to his own who may not consider college as a reality.

“I tell people they should not be afraid to take a chance on themselves,” he said. “I took a chance, and I decided to invest in myself by enrolling in a four-year college. For me, it’s paid off big time. I’m able to go places I never thought I’d visit, meet amazing people, help my family, and work at a company I can be proud of. This all came to be after four years of betting everything on myself and having a great support system at Rosemont. The most powerful lesson I learned here is, when a community invests in your success, you have the responsibility to give it your all.”