Alumni Profiles

Mayela C. (Calabria) Harris '87, Family Therapist (Social Worker): Hospice of Wake County, Raleigh, NC Briefly, what is it that you do? : I work as a family therapist (social worker) for a hospice that provides care to those will advanced illnesses. My job responsibilities include counseling patients, families, caregivers and loved ones during their involvement with our home care services. I counsel patients/families in their home, hospital setting or nursing home and facilitate development/maintenance of healthy coping skills, life fulfillment, grief support and peace with end of life issues. How did you get your current job?: I worked for a hospice in NY prior to moving to North Carolina and knew I wanted to continue in this line of work. There were no hospice openings for a social worker so I volunteered for the agency initially and they hired me as soon as they had the opening. What, if any, obstacles did you face trying to get your first job in this field? : My education and particularly the skills I developed from our career center workshops and SLU have prepared me so well that I have been offered a job everywhere I have applied except for one time; I was their second choice. I have never experienced any obstacles, thanks to my experiences at St. Lawrence and skills acquired their and in my own life. What advice would you give to students interested in working in your field?: Hospice work is one of the most rewarding jobs in the social work field as you truly have the opportunity to make a difference in someone& #8217;s life everyday. The majority of my patients/families are open to our support therefore, I can really help them through what is often an emotional and difficult time in their lives. Anyone interested in this field must be secure in their own lives and be able to cope with loss and grief issues in a healthy manner. What are some of the out-of-class activities you were involved with while at college?: I swam on the SLU swim team, typed for the Hill news, was in KDS, and participated in the Outing Club, to name that which I can recall. (It seems like an awfully long time ago). How can students best prepare themselves while still in college?: College is a wonderful environment for personal, professional and educational growth. Take advantage of what it offers you. That means play hard, study harder, absolutely do a semester abroad, exercise, make friends and enjoy this time in your life. Life tends to speed by once you have finished college. In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently with regard to your career? I am grateful to have known fairly early on that I would enjoy a career in the human services field, and have no regrets about my career choices. The pay is not good, the work is very challenging, but I feel good about what I do and who I am. What are your future plans?: I plan to continue to work for Hospice of Wake County indefinitely, travel as much as I can when I can, sell antiques on the side, continue swimming for a master& #8217;s swim team, do more triathalons and enjoy this Carolina sunshine! Additional Alumni Profiles: John Marino, '83 : Vice President for Marketing, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, South San Francisco, CA Dawn Montanye, '89 : Manager of Conservation Economics, World Wildlife Fund Northern Great Plains Program, Bozeman, Montana Amanda Valenta '04 : Senior Audit Associate, McGladrey & Pullen, LLP Moira Collins '84 : Senior Vice President, Product Development, Gartner, Inc. Bruce E. Seely '75: Professor History and Department Chair, Department of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University Mark Tavern '94: Director, A&R Administration at the RCA Music Group, a unit of SONY BMG Music Entertainment and home of the J, Arista and RCA record labels. Anthony (Tony) Ross '75, M'78: Vice President for Student Affairs California State University, Los Angeles George Ashline '89: Associate Professor of Mathematics, Saint Michael's College, Colchester, VT Alissa Bibb '03, Program Officer: American Councils for International Education Rick Persons, '83, Senior Television Producer, PGA TOUR Productions Ronald T. Burkman, M.D., '65 Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Ken Dowling ‘84, Executive Vice President, Grey Worldwide Advertising David Dusek ’93, Senior Managing Editor of golfonline.com Noelle Laing ‘03, Senior Consulting Associate at Cambridge Associates Dan Lee 05', Investment Banking Analyst, Cochran, Caronia & Co. Armand A. Rapetti ’73, President, CEO: JBS & Associates, Lakeland, FL Ken Polk & '91, Major Accounts District Manager: Automatic Data Processing, Williamsville, NY Wendy Davidson Freihammer & #8217;94, Financial Advisor: American Express Financial Advisors, Cambridge, MA Mayela C. (Calabria) Harris '87, Family Therapist (Social Worker): Hospice of Wake County, Raleigh, NC Peter J. Dalton '94, Affiliate Support Manager: Habitat for Humanity International