Alumni Profile

Scouting Out Success

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 11:34:05 +0000

Scouting Out Success HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Tue, 06/25/2024 - 07:34

Alumnus finds his true calling on the NFL sidelines

June 25, 2024

Heather Harris Michonski

Fresh out of college Joshua Pierrejean, ’17, started a career in corporate sales, but deep down he wasn’t satisfied. It wasn’t until a friend, who coached college football, invited him over to watch game film that the lightbulb went off.

The two friends sat together and went over plays on the screen in front of them. Five hours passed before Jean realized how late it was and that night had turned into early morning.

“That’s when I realized I needed to make a change,” the �¼��ϲʿ�� alumnus said. “I was making a lot of money but wasn’t happy with what I was doing. That’s when I started reaching out to my former contacts.”

It didn’t happen overnight, but his networking paid off. Today Pierrejean works as a scouting assistant in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals.

“I love what I do – watching film, being around the game…even though the hours can be long, it’s something I’m passionate about,” he said.

Raised in Mattapan, Pierrejean said he was an inner-city kid who loved to play sports. He credits his mother, Joselene, for instilling in him a strong work ethic.

“I owe a lot of my success to my mom,” he said.

In third grade Pierrejean started playing soccer then made the switch to football in seventh grade. In ninth grade he also took up track.

His athleticism caught the attention of area colleges, �¼��ϲʿ�� being one of them.

Off the field, Pierrejean studied and earned a degree in business administration and management with a minor in accounting and finance. He also was involved in the �¼��ϲʿ�� Men’s Integrated Brotherhood, a black male initiative group.

“Being involved required me to be detailed oriented…you have to have those skills to play multiple sports, go to school and participate in activities,” he said.

While at Bridgewater, he continued to network.

“Bridgewater State has a large network of people who have gone on to do big things in the football world, there are people coaching in the NFL and college,” Pierrejean said.

When switching gears from corporate sales to football, he learned of a volunteer opportunity at Boston College which led to him being hired as a skills coach.

While moving up the ranks to full-time recruiter analyst, he simultaneously earned his master’s in sports administration from BC. Pierrejean was next hired as assistant director of player personnel for the school’s football program.

One of his contacts then approached him with another possibility, a position working in the NFL.

“It’s been a blessing to have the opportunities I’ve had. I’ve been part of great teams with great coaches and ultimately have been able to hit the goals I’ve set for myself,” Jean said.

The most important piece of advice he would offer a �¼��ϲʿ�� student looking to create their own success?

“You’ve got to be prepared and take the opportunities, be ready to make a move,” he said. “It’s also really important that you make connections. Network and be conscious of your surroundings. Do a good job in school…all of these things play a factor.”

Do you have a �¼��ϲʿ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

You've got to be prepared and take the opportunities, be ready to make a move. It's also really important that you make connections. Network and be conscious of your surroundings. Do a good job in school...all of these things play a factor.

Joshua Pierrejean, '17

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Alumni Profile

The Whole World in Her Hands

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 17:46:35 +0000

The Whole World in Her Hands BBENSON@bridgew.edu Tue, 06/18/2024 - 13:46

Alumna finds her place working in geography department

June 27, 2024

Brian Benson, G'23

As a geography student, Courtney Sutcliffe, ’14, G’18, had what she described as the coolest job in the world.

Sutcliffe joined a team of Bridgewater State students and faculty who brought a giant globe to schools across the region. The globe, called EarthView, inflates to create a two-story-tall classroom via which students see continents and oceans in a new way.

“It’s this jaw-dropping moment,” said Sutcliffe, who is now leading Project EarthView. “It’s something that has a wow factor. There’s no other time when you’re inside of the Earth looking out.”

Sutcliffe would know. In 2009, when EarthView at �¼��ϲʿ�� was in its infancy, she was one of those wide-eyed students enthralled by the massive globe filling her high school gymnasium in Middleboro. She didn’t know then that she would pursue a career in geography.

But Courtney remembered the name of Dr. Vernon Domingo, a Bridgewater professor who led her EarthView session. As a �¼��ϲʿ�� student unsure of her major, Sutcliffe saw Domingo’s name on the course schedule. She enrolled in his physical geography class and became hooked on a discipline that was about much more than capitals, landforms and waterways.

“Choosing geography was almost like choosing it all,” she said, referencing the discipline’s multiple opportunities to study people and their cultures and religions. “Geographers are naturally curious people. We just want to know everything, and the classes and professors were really interesting.”

Sutcliffe enjoyed local field trips and a journey to Nicaragua. She went on to earn a master’s degree from �¼��ϲʿ�� in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and taught in Florida before returning to Massachusetts in 2022.

For the past year, she ran EarthView alongside Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan. Now, she is taking over the EarthView program, which features two large globes and a series of floor maps.

Sutcliffe, who also teaches part-time in the Department of Geography, brings a strong understanding of the varied facets of the discipline. She has the right blend of flexibility, maturity and patience to work with diverse groups of youngsters, according to her one-time professors.

“She has a very broad appreciation of what geography is,” Hayes-Bohanan said. “She really gets it.”

Added Domingo, who is now retired: “Courtney is excellent for this role. Very few people could just run with it.”

Sutcliffe already made an impact by more fully involving today’s student employees in teaching EarthView participants. She hopes to grow the program so it reaches additional youngsters, some of whom may – like herself – one day study geography at �¼��ϲʿ��.

“Bridgewater has been woven through my life,” Sutcliffe said. “I just think it’s a really special place.”

Do you have a �¼��ϲʿ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

Bridgewater has been woven through my life. I just think it’s a really special place.

Courtney Sutcliffe, ’14, G’18

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Alumni Profile

Main photo by Harvey K. Hayes

The Road He’s Taking

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 14:54:32 +0000

The Road He’s Taking HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Wed, 06/12/2024 - 10:54

After reading about a ‘voyage,’ this alumnus discovered the world

June 18, 2024

Heather Harris Michonski

Evan Hacker, ‘13, always noticed the globe sculpture sitting in front of Boyden Hall and one day decided to take a closer look.

Underneath the globe was a plaque with a poem titled, “One Final Voyage,” written by alumna Rosamaria Carlozzi, ’93.

The poem encouraged those reading it to, “forge international connections, travel and converse, with those who came from places uniquely diverse.”

“Reading what it said was reassuring,” he said. “I was interested in traveling and seeing the world but nervous about taking the risk. But when I read that, knowing someone else at Bridgewater (State University), who had stood in the same location as me, it encouraged me.”

Before arriving at �¼��ϲʿ��, the Easton native attended Columbia College in Chicago, an art school where he explored music.

“I liked working with other musicians on songs but found I didn’t enjoy the business aspect of the music business,” Hacker said.

During this period, he also spent much of his time in the Chicago Public Library where he gravitated towards history book. As he poured over page after page, it reignited his passion for knowledge of the past.

It was then he decided to move back to Massachusetts, the “home of American history,” as he described it.

“I switched my major to history and heard Bridgewater had a very good program, and that’s what led me to �¼��ϲʿ��,” he said.

Hacker was confident that studying history would strengthen his reading and writing skills. It would also include some travelling, of which he is especially fond of.

Hacker enrolled in different language classes, but it was when a peer suggested he try taking a Chinese class that things clicked.

“I was always drawn to Chinese culture, even as a kid…the art, the sounds, the music,” he said. “It introduced me to a different world and made me realize there were different cultures out there to explore.”

Hacker joined �¼��ϲʿ��’s international Club which introduced him to international students and professors, such as Dr. Wing-Kai To, assistant provost for Global Engagement and senior international officer.

It was To who encouraged him to apply for a scholarship that would allow him to participate in an 8-week intensive course at Beijing Jiaotong University.

“That was a game changer,” Hacker said of the experience. “Every day was a challenge, a puzzle for me to figure out how to navigate the society there.”

Back on the �¼��ϲʿ�� campus, he also worked as an English as a Second Language tutor for international students.

“That was my first real teaching experience, and I found I really enjoyed it because I could see I was making their lives easier,” he said.

After graduating from �¼��ϲʿ��, when an opportunity presented itself to teach English in China, Hacker jumped at the chance.

He moved to Shaoxing, China, where he worked for nearly eight years as an American culture professor at YueXiu University of Foreign Languages.

While there he also promoted �¼��ϲʿ��, making Chinese students aware of the opportunities the university offers international students. He even met with Dr. To and President Frederick W. Clark Jr, who traveled to China in 2017 to participate in an expo in Shanghai.

Outside of work, China took on a more significant role for Hacker who met and married his wife, Juliette, there. Even his dog, Jack, is originally from China.

The couple now resides in North Carolina but travel back often to visit with family and friends.

He’s currently teaching online and taking public speaking gigs where he shares his international knowledge with like-minded peers and organizations.

And of course, Hacker is always on the hunt for new travel opportunities.

“You never know what you will experience when you travel, whether it’s good or bad…go into it with an open mind and learn from everything that happens,” he said.

Do you have a �¼��ϲʿ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

You never know what you will experience when you travel, whether it’s good or bad…go into it with an open mind and learn from everything that happens.

Evan Hacker, '16

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Alumni Profile

Mark Costa Reflects on Travel Course to Cabo Verde

EOSULLIVAN@bridgew.edu — Thu, 30 May 2024 20:53:13 +0000

Mark Costa Reflects on Travel Course to Cabo Verde EOSULLIVAN@bri… Thu, 05/30/2024 - 16:53

Mark Costa, ’24, is third generation Cape Verdean and has never had occasion to visit the island nation.

June 10, 2023

Karen Booth

Mark Costa, ’24, is third generation Cape Verdean and has never had occasion to visit the island nation. So, it is not surprising that in January 2024, when Dr. Hayes-Bohanan led a travel course to Cabo Verde, he seized the opportunity to join. It was not only a chance to acquaint himself with the land of his heritage, but also to learn more about environmental geography and sustainability as Hayes-Bohanan employed coffee growing as one way to learn about the environment.

When asked his biggest takeaway from his experience, Mark said, “Fogo is such a small island, and the environment varies – the soil, the weather, the vegetation, everything. One of the key factors driven home to us was how many circumstances must go right for coffee to grow there in the first place. If any one of these factors were to change even a little bit, the impact on coffee would be disastrous.”

Mark’s first experience upon landing in Cabo Verde was being whisked to the Cabo Verdean Parliament in the capital city of Praia. Members of Parliament talk with the students about climate change and its impact. “This was very informative and a huge opportunity for us. Parliamentarians took the time to talk with us, ask questions,” he said, sharing key things about Cabo Verde.

When asked to describe the travel course, he said, “I would describe it as one of the most informative trips I’ve ever been on. It opened my eyes in a lot of ways as to how I, as a geography major, must think spatially. With the scale of the island, everything changes.” With those changes comes a shift in perspective and a need for creative solutions to existing challenges. The land mass is small; resources, limited; weather unpredictable. All these factors, he said, must be taken into consideration.

As a third-generation Cape Verdean who has heard stories about the islands all his life, Mark found his visit to Cabo Verde enlightening. “Although I’d never been to Cape Verde, there were aspects of the trip that felt familiar to me,” he said, clearly appreciative of all he saw and learned.

A 2024 graduate, Mark Costa is beginning his professional journey and is looking into land surveying as a strong career option.

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Alumni Profile

Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies

Benvinda Cardoso Butler: From Cabo Verde to Dorchester, U.S.A.

EOSULLIVAN@bridgew.edu — Thu, 30 May 2024 20:42:05 +0000

Benvinda Cardoso Butler: From Cabo Verde to Dorchester, U.S.A. EOSULLIVAN@bri… Thu, 05/30/2024 - 16:42

Benvinda Cardoso Butler was born in Cabo Verde and raised on the island of Santiago until age 14 when her family emigrated to the United States and settled in Dorchester.

May 27, 2023

Karen Booth

Benvinda Cardoso Butler was born in Cabo Verde and raised on the island of Santiago until age 14 when her family emigrated to the United States and settled in Dorchester. In 2006, when she had the opportunity to join �¼��ϲʿ��’s Sustainability Tour to Cabo Verde, she didn’t hesitate.

Butler saw joining the tour both as a “personal opportunity to return home” and an unexpected educational journey. Neither disappointed. Of the tour, she said, “I would give it a 10 out of 10, because it incorporated the cultural aspect of the islands with sustainability.

“As far as my personal journey back home is concerned, it was rewarding and nostalgic. When I landed, I immediately felt the serene, relaxed environment where time slowed down, allowing me to truly savor a world of tranquility, the natural beauty of my home island, the traditional foods, and the close-knit community that felt like family.”

Benvinda graduated from �¼��ϲʿ�� with a degree in Social Work in 2008 and earned her MBA with a concentration in healthcare management at Cambridge College in 2016. Today, she is the Community Outreach Manager at Peabody Resident Services Inc. (PRSI). Her responsibilities include managing all PRSI’s homecare program referrals along with coordinating outreach events with PRSI’s contracted health plans.

“A big part of the Cape Verdean culture is family and community,” said Benvinda who, not surprisingly, chose not only a career path that embraces these values, but also a university that lives those same values.

When Benvinda reflected on her Bridgewater experience, she said she found a “home away from home.” She found family and the fellowship of a caring community that reflects the familial culture found in Cabo Verde, similar to what she found in the Dorchester and Brockton diaspora. Graduating from Bridgewater, however, did not end her relationship with the university community. “I actually never left,” she said.

After graduating, Benvinda became a member of the Afro-Am Alumni Association. She served as vice president from 2014 to 2016, and was elected president in 2018, serving two terms. Currently, she is a member of the Bridgewater Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.

In her “spare” time, she volunteers with the several of the university events, on and off campus: Dress a Girl Around the World, �¼��ϲʿ�� Bear Essentials Clothing Drive, Kente Cloth, MLK Day events, and service projects sponsored by the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice.

“Bridgewater has opened doors for me,” she said. “Had I not attended �¼��ϲʿ��, I don’t know what my future would look like.

“And today, I still have the continuum of support from folks on campus; they are my extended family.”

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Alumni Profile

Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies

Reconnected

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Mon, 20 May 2024 15:25:51 +0000

Reconnected HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Mon, 05/20/2024 - 11:25

Recent graduate says getting involved on campus led to success

May 28, 2024

Heather Harris Michonski

In the Spring of 2019, Michael Abreu walked into �¼��ϲʿ��’s Academic Achievement Center because he wanted to withdraw from the school.

“I talked with an advisor to find out how dropping out works,” Abreu said. “I had already withdrawn from a couple of classes and felt lost and alone.”

After the conversation, he started walking toward the parking garage. Once inside his vehicle, he paused and didn’t turn on the car.

“I told myself, if I don’t go to class today, then I’ll drop out. But for some reason I went to class and stuck with it,” he said.

Five years later Michael walked the �¼��ϲʿ�� commencement stage during ceremonies held at Gillette Stadium on May 11, where he earned a degree in English.

What prevented him from dropping out?

Involvement.

“Aside from academics, the most important thing you can do is be involved,” Abreu said. “It’s not just about going to class, it’s being in tune with what’s going on on campus. Being involved, it really changes the experience.”

Abreu got involved by becoming a resident assistant, a position he held for three years; studied abroad in Greece; worked as a peer advisor in the AAC; DJed his own sports talk radio show on �¼��ϲʿ��’s WBIM 91.5; and briefly served as president of the Gen 1 club, which serves the school’s first-generation students.

“Being involved helped me meet some amazing people,” he said. “Tapping into what resources the school offered was huge for me.”

There were many who helped Abreu, including Professor Dr. Joyce Rain Anderson for her guidance as an advisor, Area Coordinator Rahbi Iddrisu for her support, Professor Dr. Andrew Holman for his mentorship, study abroad Staff Assistant Emma Lynch for her guidance in that program, and, as he initially transferred to �¼��ϲʿ�� from a community college, Director of Transfer Services Jeffery Sarahs, for making the transition seamless.

“For me, it’s important that you connect with people. The more you connect, the better you are able to help each other, to understand what they are going through,” he said.

It isn’t lost on him that he almost didn’t make it to the commencement stage. However, he remains grateful he did and looks forward to what’s next as he embarks on a career in sports media and marketing.

During commencement ceremonies his mortarboard had three words written on it to remind him to keep going.

‘Finish the Story’

“Everyone who graduated from Bridgewater, it was just the beginning,” Abreu said. “We did all of these great things while at �¼��ϲʿ��, but our story really starts after commencement. What we do next is really the start of our story.”

Do you have a �¼��ϲʿ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

Everyone who graduated from Bridgewater, it was just the beginning. We did all of these great things while at �¼��ϲʿ��, but our story really starts after commencement. What we do next is really the start of our story.

Michael Abreu, '24

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Class of 2024

‘Born to be a Bear’

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 15:05:48 +0000

‘Born to be a Bear’ BBENSON@bridgew.edu Wed, 04/17/2024 - 11:05

Twins follow in parents’ footsteps on campus

April 18, 2024

Brian Benson, G'23

Kelsey and Elisabeth Sweeney’s earliest memories of Bridgewater State come from family car rides when their parents drove through campus to reminisce about their meeting in Shea-Durgin Residence Hall.

The Sweeney twins didn’t realize they would one day also call Shea-Durgin home, but they knew there was something special about Bridgewater.

“I always say, ‘I was born to be a Bear,’” Kelsey said.

The Sweeney family’s connection to �¼��ϲʿ�� began in the late 1980s, when parents Michelle, ’91, and Larry met through friends on campus. Three decades later, their daughters are on the verge of earning their own �¼��ϲʿ�� degrees next month.

“I’m so proud of them and what they’ve accomplished,” Michelle said. “It’s been really nice to go through this all over again. You wish you were back in college.”

Michelle and Larry’s relationship grew and persisted even when Larry left school to serve in the military and later work in IT.

“One of the most important things that you learn in college, especially living there, is how to get along with people who are different than you,” Larry said of what he took away from Bridgewater.

Michelle earned a social work degree and pursued a varied career that included human resources work and numerous roles within the Marshfield Public Schools. No matter the job title, she relied on her ability to help others, a skill honed in social work classes.

“I felt like Bridgewater really prepared you to go out into the real world,” she said. “It’s one of the reasons I wanted Kelsey to go to Bridgewater.”

Kelsey discovered that benefit as a social work major herself. Having excelled at an internship at the Boys and Girls Club in Brockton, she landed a post-graduation job running a mental health program at the club’s Marshfield location. She’s also going to pursue a master’s degree in social work from �¼��ϲʿ��.

Outside of the classroom, Kelsey followed her mom into Greek life: Michelle helped found Bridgewater’s Phi Sigma Sigma chapter while Kelsey joined Gamma Phi Beta.

“You can find a community anywhere in Bridgewater, and that instantly created a new home for me,” Kelsey said. “The sense of community on campus is what draws me here.”

It also attracted her sister to �¼��ϲʿ�� as a transfer student. Elisabeth initially went to school in Boston, but she had to live alone in a dorm room due to the pandemic. Seeking companionship, Elisabeth often FaceTimed Kelsey, who had a roommate at �¼��ϲʿ�� and introduced her sister to her college friends.

“We tried to go our own different paths, but we love doing things together,” said Elisabeth, a communication studies major minoring in film and digital media. “We both push each other to strive to be our best every day.”

Elisabeth, who is on the cross country and track teams, is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta. Like her sister, she studied abroad multiple times in Europe.

Elisabeth is moving to Italy after graduation to work in marketing for a travel agency – a connection built through a semester abroad in the country.

While an ocean will soon separate the twins, there’s one place that will always bring the Sweeney family together: �¼��ϲʿ��.

“It’s nice to have a second home for all of us,” Kelsey said.

Do you have a �¼��ϲʿ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

I felt like Bridgewater really prepared you to go out into the real world. It’s one of the reasons I wanted Kelsey to go to Bridgewater.

Michelle Sweeney, '91

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Alumni Profile

Study Abroad

Welcoming Change

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:32:40 +0000

Welcoming Change HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Mon, 03/18/2024 - 15:32

Recent alumna uses degree to launch new, exciting career

March 21, 2024

Heather Harris Michonski

For 22 years, Kate Brine, ’23, loved her job working as a dental assistant. However, after enduring three separate hand surgeries, she found she was unable to continue in that profession.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had lost my career,” she said. “I had never been in a position like that, and it gave me a better understanding of others who are in that position.”

As she worked on rehabbing her hand, someone floated the idea of going back to school.

“That was the missing piece,” Brine said.

Prior to working as a dental assistant, she earned her associate degree before enrolling at what was then Bridgewater State College, where she left before earning her bachelor’s degree.

“I really only had a year and a half left of school (to earn my degree),” Brine said.

After reaching out to Bridgewater State, she found returning to school wasn’t going to be as overwhelming as she thought.

“It was a very easy process,” she said, but admits some things had changed since the last time she was in a classroom, particularly when it came to computers.

Despite her unfamiliarity with the newer technology, she found the support she needed.

“I called the IT department and said I had no idea what I was doing and everybody, every single person that I talked to…no one made me feel stupid,” Brine said.

Beyond that, her professors and classmates were equally supportive.

“I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, coming back to school at almost 50,” she said. “But the professors and students were so encouraging, they constantly rooted me on.”

Brine gave a lot of thought as to what she wanted to study and decided to pursue a degree in fine arts with a concentration in photography. Early on, she’d developed a passion for photography, often stealing her father’s camera to take photos.

“I loved photography and throughout my life have always said, I wish I had gone back to school to study photography and fine arts,” she said.

Once back at �¼��ϲʿ��, Brine said, being in the classroom helped reclaim a piece of her she thought was lost. As she engaged with other students, critiquing each other’s work, she felt a part of her long buried come back to life.

“It was almost therapeutic. It allowed me to reclaim my youth,” she said.

After graduating in 2023, she took what she learned at Bridgewater to launch her own business and embark on a new career as an architectural photographer.

She now works with clients that include interior designers, contractors, builders, and others to create images to promote their businesses.

“It’s been an awesome experience,” she said. “I think anyone starting something new, it’s a little scary, but I think that’s a normal feeling. At the same time, it’s super exciting.”

The same could be said for going back to school, but because of the positive environment �¼��ϲʿ�� offered, Brine was able to thrive.

“It opened my eyes to many things I had put on the backburner,” she said. “Going back to school, it really helps you to see clearer where you want to be at this age, at any age really. Overall, it’s just an amazing experience.”

Do you have a �¼��ϲʿ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

Going back to school, it really helps you to see clearer where you want to be at this age, at any age really. Overall, it’s just an amazing experience.

Kate Brine, '23

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Alumni Profile

Nursing Her Way Back

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 21:06:29 +0000

Nursing Her Way Back BBENSON@bridgew.edu Mon, 03/04/2024 - 16:06

Alumna battles back from coma to pursue career in healthcare

March 5, 2024

Brian Benson, G'23

When a severe bacterial infection left Mackenzie Giordano in a coma, doctors worried she wouldn’t be able to walk or talk never mind graduate college.

But Giordano wouldn’t take no for an answer. After almost three months in the hospital and intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy, a determined Giordano defied expectations by walking, talking and earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from Bridgewater State.

“I wanted to get better,” said Giordano, who completed her degree in December. “I wanted to get my life back.”

After graduating from Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School in 2018, Giordano enrolled at the University of Alabama, where she earned a spot on the cheerleading team. During her first semester, she started to feel ill and got into a car crash when she tried to drive herself to the hospital. In addition to bacterial meningitis, she suffered a stroke that weakened her right side and had an abscess on her brain. At one point, doctors didn’t think she would survive.

But Giordano made a remarkable recovery and turned her attention back to college. Bridgewater, which is just five minutes down the road from her home, was a natural fit as she increased her academic load from a couple of courses to becoming a full-time student again.

“I thought I would eventually go back to Alabama,” she said. “I didn’t realize how much I would actually love �¼��ϲʿ��. I felt very comfortable there. It was awesome.”

Giordano, who still has some weakness in her right side, praised Student Accessibility Services for help with accommodations such as having a notetaker and extra time to write answers to exams. Professors, she said, were equally supportive.

“They at first helped me ease back into college,” she said. “They were just wonderful. They were so accommodating and nice.”

After exploring degree possibilities, Giordano – who has always been an athlete – found a fit in exercise physiology. She hopes to become a nurse so she can help others just like the many medical professionals who assisted her.

“I think I would make a great nurse,” Giordano said. “I can inspire people because I’ve been through it.”

She’s already doing so just by sharing her journey.

“Never give up,” she said. “Always just fight for your goals because anything is possible.”

Do you have a �¼��ϲʿ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

Never give up. Always just fight for your goals because anything is possible.

Mackenzie Giordano

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Student Spotlight

Alumni Profile

Student Accessibility Services

Photo by Luis Pires, '24

Bankable Skills

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 14:03:18 +0000

Bankable Skills BBENSON@bridgew.edu Tue, 02/27/2024 - 09:03

Accounting degree alumnus now bank president

February 27, 2024

Brian Benson, G'23

Jim Dunphy, ’89, once thought he would become a dentist. But, while taking an accounting course in high school, he discovered a passion for crunching numbers rather than drilling teeth.

Now the president and CEO of South Shore Bank, Dunphy grew his financial acumen as an accounting major at Bridgewater State, a school that stood out for a reason likely to resonate with many business leaders: value.

“The program at Bridgewater for accounting students was very rigorous,” he said. “They wanted to make sure graduates demonstrated proficiency and strength in accounting.”

It was also affordable and allowed him to commute and work while taking classes. And staying close to home helped him focus on his studies.

Dunphy appreciated the blend of classroom and hands-on education at Bridgewater. He interned at Plymouth Home National Bank and worked as a tax preparer for a CPA firm while still a student. Internships, he said, helped him understand workplace culture and proper dress.

He still recalls lessons from Professors Kathleen Sevigny and Harold Silverman, who stressed accounting fundamentals and the importance of always being ethical.

“They really cared and wanted to make sure you learned,” he said. “The program was broad enough and deep enough that I could compete with (graduates from) some of the better-known business schools of the time.”

Dunphy even met his wife, Robyn, through the accounting program. They shared many classes and joined the same study groups.

“It created my family,” he said of the impact of Bridgewater State. “It’s been a big part of my career.”

After graduation, Dunphy worked for the national accounting firm Grant Thornton, eventually being recruited by one of his clients into the world of banking. He has worked for the past decade at South Shore Bank, where he appreciates the opportunity to give back to his community. Dunphy serves on the boards of organizations such as the South Shore YMCA and Massasoit Community College.

He recently spoke to �¼��ϲʿ�� students about the banking industry, as well as job and internship opportunities. His advice to students? Become well-rounded by taking classes outside their majors that build skills that are essential for serving clients.

Dunphy is also a member of the Business Advisory Board for the Ricciardi College of Business and embraces opportunities to help today’s students find their own path to success.

“The value proposition of my education has been fantastic,” he said. “If there’s a way I can help others with that, I want to do it.”

Do you have a �¼��ϲʿ�� story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

They really cared and wanted to make sure you learned. The program was broad enough and deep enough that I could compete with (graduates from) some of the better-known business schools of the time.

Jim Dunphy, ’89

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