Last Wednesday, organizers of the Beyond Bucknell speaker series brought in presenters Jenna Lochiatto ’17 and Zach Crowley ’16 to speak with students interested in communications, finance, marketing and management careers. 

Lochiatto and Crowley traveled to campus to answer questions from curious, motivated students who seek the narrative of personal experience in the business world from seasoned professionals. Attendees enjoyed a delicious lunch from University dining services to begin the session. Once everyone settled in, the two alums introduced themselves and provided students with their commendable educational and professional backgrounds, which prompted no shortage of questions in the hour that followed.

Lochiatto graduated from University with a degree in Markets, Innovation, and Design (MIDE), a college major many of her older colleagues envy, for MIDE is a relatively new concept in higher management education. She worked for United Airlines and Digitas before landing a position at Google, where she has worked her way up the ranks to serve as an account manager for travel in their New York office. 

Crowley graduated in the class ahead of Lochiatto with a degree in Accounting and Financial Management. He transitioned from Goldman Sachs to Capital Dynamics (New York) to work as a private credit associate. 

Lochiatto and Crowley both voiced their support for the integrated experience of a management education within the liberal arts, with Lochiatto citing a women’s and gender studies class as her favorite course at the University.

Crowley agreed, telling attendees that his liberal arts education exposed him to different perspectives that are helpful to understand when interacting with people of varying racial, social and economic backgrounds in the workplace.

Kate Normandin ’23 holds an appreciation for these professionals’ insight during a stressful period of job applications and grueling schoolwork.

“It was wonderful to hear the perspective of alumni from five years out of [The University]. They had great insights into making the most of our time here and offered strategies to help plan out early career decisions,” Normandin ’23 said.

The Freeman College of Management looks forward to bringing several additional alumni and business-people to campus this semester to engage with students in the Beyond Bucknell speaker series.