Leadership Institute Hosts Annual Buccino Panel Discussion With Institute Alumni

On Friday, April 4, the Buccino Leadership Institute (BLI) hosted their annual Buccino Guest Speaker event, this year featuring a panel
of five graduates of the Buccino Leadership Institute who discussed the impact of
their time in the Institute on their career journeys and shared career advice for
students transitioning to the workforce after graduation. This panel was cohosted
by the Institute’s Collab Student Initiative and emceed by BLI Student Council President,
Sydney Cowhig, a Psychology student in the class of 2027.

The five panelists included Aidan Kelly – a 2024 business graduate, who is an Analyst
with Goldman Sachs Asset Management XIG; Mason Walszak – a class of ’24 Nursing graduate,
who is an Emergency Room Nurse at RWJBH/Somerset; Wesley Kopituk – a 2021 Diplomacy
graduate, who is a Talent Acquisition Specialist with TAQA Group in Abu Dhabi; Audrey
Pennington – a 2022 Communications graduate, who is a Senior Post Support Technician
at NBCUniversal; and Lauren Aranguren – a 2009 Business graduate, who is a Deputy
Attorney General, NJ Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.

The panelists spoke at length about their experiences in the Buccino Leadership Institute,
and how the Institute helped in their leadership development and career readiness.
Some key questions directed at the panelists included “Connect the dots between your
work as a leadership student and how that has prepared you for the career that you
are in?”; “What advice would you give to current students who are struggling to get
their foot in the door of competitive industries?”; and “How has your leadership experience
set you apart from other candidates and colleagues that didn’t undergo the unique
program you did?”

Each panelist shared their own unique leadership journey, and while their experiences
varied greatly, their lessons learned, regardless of their college or major, were
applicable to all. The panelists emphasized skills they learned in the Institute that
have been impactful in their careers, including adaptability, communication and public
speaking skills, interpersonal relationships and networking, confidence, learning
one’s leadership style, time management skills and more. But their specific experiences
in the context of their individual majors and fields of study resonated differently
with each member of the audience. This diversity of panelists and their experiences
spoke to each and every individual of the audience, while also highlighting that idea
that leadership can be interdisciplinary.

The panel shared the Institute programs that have been most impactful in their professional
lives, including the one-on-one professional leadership enhancement coaching program
with ICF certified coaches, the DISC assessment that describes individual’s communication
and behavioral styles and how to interact with people of different styles, the Ideas
and Trends project which allows students to navigate uncertainty and adaptability
and the mentoring they received by peers, staff and professionals.

The panel was followed by an informal networking session, where students and panelists
were able to connect and talk about some of the lessons and insights learned from
the panel. This panel was an enormous success and gave students lessons they could
carry with them as they continued their journeys in the Institute.

The Buccino Leadership Institute website is a selective and comprehensive four-year co-curricular program for undergraduate
students at Seton Hall University. Anchored in experiential learning theory, the Buccino
Leadership Institute delivers comprehensive, interdisciplinary leadership development
that enables leaders to accelerate in any field they choose.

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Business, Campus Life