College Hosts Alumni Career Panel

The Thomas Aquinas College Career Center hosted six business professionals, including three alumni, on the California campus on October 4 for a panel discussion of how graduates of the College can leverage their Catholic liberal education in the business world. 

The discussion took place in the Fritz B. Burns Auditorium of St. Cecilia Hall, where students heard from Elizabeth Perry (’14), a customer success manager at eduMe; Nathan Haggard (’99), a retired systems engineer and special projects lead at Apple; Michael Veltri, a major gifts officer at the Catholic Leadership Institute; Peter Kretschmer, operations lead analyst at the Cigna Group’s Operations Leadership Development Program; and Ray Walshe, vice president and regional underwriter at Starr Technical Risks Agency. Moderating the panel was Ray Tittman (’94), founder and senior partner at the TittmannWeix law firm in Los Angeles.

Dan Selmeczy (’08), college and career advisor, opened the event with a prayer and introduced the panelists, and then it was off to the races. Among other topics, panelists addressed how students can make the most of their liberal arts background in the workplace, with Mr. Walshe advising students to “promote the critical-thinking skills” they acquire through the Discussion Method. The speakers also emphasized the importance of interviewing well, with Mr. Veltri reminding students that they needed to make a “memorable, positive, and authentic” impression on future employers. 

Afterward, students mingled with the professionals in the adjoining lobby, enjoying refreshments and each other’s company as they networked and considered follow-up questions on the heels of the panel discussion.