Five Mount Saint Mary College Business alumni discussed their paths to success. Left to right: Mark Olsen ’20, MBA ’21, program manager at Cross Valley Health & Medicine; Eddie Arnold ’21, a business Development Representative at Verity; Kristen Renta ’20, MBA ’21, account executive with the New York Yankees; Nicole Dreisbach ’20, a staff accountant for Fox Corporation in New York City; and Dominic Mandile ’21, a police officer in the Village of Washingtonville, N.Y.
Successful Mount Saint Mary College Business alumni returned to their alma mater on Monday, November 14 to discuss the ins and outs of post-college life.
The “Alumni Knight Panel: Where Are They Now?” event was hosted by the Mount’s Student Business Association (SBA) and featured five recent Mount alums:
- Eddie Arnold ’21, a business Development Representative at Verity, a financial technology company; and former Mount Student Government Association president
- Nicole Dreisbach ’20, a staff accountant for Fox Corporation in New York City
- Dominic Mandile ’21, a police officer in the Village of Washingtonville, N.Y.
- Mark Olsen ’20, MBA ’21, program manager at Cross Valley Health & Medicine
- Kristen Renta ’20, MBA ’21, account executive with the New York Yankees
The alums shared their unique paths from searching for a job during their time as a Mount student to transitioning from college life and where they are now in their professional careers.
From March through May of 2021, things weren’t easy for Mandile, who started police academy before he graduated from the Mount. Time management was key to his success, he explained. He would head to the academy (two hours away) at 5 a.m., leave around 5 p.m., and take his Mount classes at night via Zoom.
“I had to adjust to [a packed schedule] really soon and it was really hard in the beginning,” Mandile explained. “Once I graduated, it became easier.”
Dreisbach and Renta both graduated a semester early, leading to some feelings of being out-of-sync with the friends they had made at the Mount.
“Watching all of my closest people still go to college was kind of tough,” Renta explained. “All in all, the transition [from student to professional] was a lot to handle.”
But after a brief adjustment period, she felt right at home. She summed up life in the world of sports business thusly: “Every day is a whirlwind, but I couldn’t be happier right now.”
The panel was moderated by Elizabeth Petrellese of Levittown, N.Y., chief communications officer of the SBA and a Sports Management major. The Mount’s Sports Management major, also available as a concentration for Business majors, will prepare students for a wide variety of professional opportunities in the sports industry.