SARAH MALONE, C ‘19
Major: Engineering and English (math and theology minors)
Hometown: Gibsonia, PA
Status: MFA candidate in Nonfiction Writing at Columbia University.
My Story:
Saint Vincent College felt like home from the start. The faculty make a personal investment in you — and that was a blessing. I would not be where I am at without that mentoring and guidance. They gave me the self-awareness and confidence to attend graduate school in New York and pursue a life in publishing.
MARLA TURK, C ‘17
Major: Economics and Mathematics
Hometown: Leroy, Ohio
Status: Senior Analyst, Customer Behavior Analysis, MGM Resorts International
My Story:
I applied to a few schools, but after I applied to Saint Vincent College I got a call from Dr. Gary Quinlivan, Dean of the McKenna Business School. We talked about the Economics program and the possibilities of my career and graduate school. I had not seen that type of kindness and excitement for my personal career in any other college in my search. I found a real passion in analytics/statistics and I learned so much about the world through all of the trips and student experiences. The people I met shaped me.
KYANNA WILLIAMS, C ‘17
Major: Biology, Minor in Psychology
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Status: Health Equity Research Assistant, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
My Story:
I am currently getting a Master of Public Health, and Certificate in Global Health. I plan to do clinical research for about 2 years and then apply to medical school. Everything builds from the strong biology program at Saint Vincent College. If anything, I felt overly prepared for graduate school. The curriculum at SVC was challenging. I knew exactly what to do when I got to graduate school. I had the study skills, note-taking skills, and the interpersonal skills. I had learned how to adapt in different environments and to value community. I had learned about life.
IAN GARAY, C ‘19
Major: Engineering Science
Hometown: Newark, NJ
Status: EMERGE Associate- Commercial (Field Engineer), Kennametal Inc.
My Story:
I hesitated to visit because of the travel expense, and Dr. Nancy Rottler called and told me they would help me make it happen. At that moment I realized if a school is trying to do those types of things for me, I should go. So, without even visiting I already made up my mind and decided to attend. This school was filled with loving and caring people. They not only educated me and set me on my career path, as a engineer ready to start working, they helped me understand the purpose of being a good person.
ANDREW BAKER, C ‘14
Major: Bioinformatics
Hometown: Eldersburg, MD
Status: Application Engineer, Whiting-Turner Consulting
My Story:
Saint Vincent College prepared me extremely well for my position, not only through some of the technical coursework or amazing professors, like Dr. Stephen Jodis, but also the liberal arts education that Saint Vincent prides itself on helped make me a more well-rounded person and prepared me for some of the challenges I face daily. When it came to bioinformatics, I ultimately was more comfortable with and drawn to the technology and informatics aspect than the biological science aspects and chose to pursue a career working with data. Whiting-Turner's business is construction, so I was out of the loop when I started, as the only experience I had with construction was as a laborer when I was younger. But I found myself falling back on the knowledge that I had picked up in many of the classes I had taken at Saint Vincent, and felt like I finally understood why a liberal arts education is so important.
Elspeth Mizner, C’19
Major: Communication (creative writing minor, Benedictine Leadership Studies fellow)
Hometown: Erie, Pennsylvania
Status: Multimedia journalist/reporter for WICU-TV (NBC affiliate in Erie, Pa.)
My Story:
I decided to major in communication because it’s a very broad major. While working in television was always in the back of my mind, I wanted to keep my options open. I was initially hesitant about attending college three hours away from my hometown, but quickly felt that it was the right thing for me. I really grew, knowing that I had to be pushed out of my comfort zone in order to achieve great things. There was really something special about going someplace new and finding myself. I was involved with so much and tried to take every opportunity that was presented to me. I made lifelong friends at Saint Vincent and gained so much from my professors and mentors.
Kyle Ward, C’19
Major: Psychology
Hometown: McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Status: Enrolled in Master of Science in Applied Developmental Psychology, University of Pittsburgh.
My Story:
I will complete my masters in the spring of 2021 and I plan to work in the research department at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. I hope to apply my background in empiricism and direct psychiatric inpatient care by pursuing a Ph.D. in child psychology, focusing on research-practitioner teachings. I felt well prepared for psychological research work. I commend the Saint Vincent College Department of Psychological Science for being research oriented. They emphasized skills like searching for peer-reviewed literature, reading empirical articles, creating literature reviews, understanding statistics and many other research-based inquiries. My knowledge of this portion of psychological science is definitely a major contributor to my success, both as an undergrad and now in graduate school.
Kim Ornis, C’18
Major: Accounting
Hometown: Kissimmee, Florida
Status: Portfolio Assistant, Capital Foundry LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
My Story
I knew walking in that attending college more than 1,000 miles from home might be a daunting experience. But from my first visit to the school, I felt a family vibe. I could tell that everyone at the school, whether professors, counselors, or janitors, had a real interest in wanting to see students succeed. My experience at Saint Vincent was eye-opening in a great way. It meant everything to me knowing that the professors genuinely cared that their students knew the material and attended and participated in class. They always had their doors open to advise me, whether it was with school or life. Playing football helped to keep me on a set schedule and I learned how to manage my time very early on. It also taught me discipline and attention to detail, which is very important in the finance field. My four years at Saint Vincent shaped me into the person I am today. I had so many great experiences and got to meet so many amazing people who continue to play important roles in my life to still to this day.”