Grove City College prepares its students for life after college well. Alex Locher graduated from the College in 2017 with a degree in Finance and Biblical and Religious Studies. Let us take a look at how Grove City College prepared Alex for his life post-graduation!
What did you study at Grove City and why did you choose to study it?
“I studied Finance and Biblical and Religious Studies (BARS) during my time at GCC. I chose Finance because I knew I wanted to get into the business world from a career standpoint post-graduation. However, I also had a deep interest in furthering my spiritual development while in college, so I went the Biblical and Religious Studies route as well even though I wasn’t planning on pursuing a career in formal ministry.”
What is one thing you wish you did differently during your time at the Grove?
“Looking back, I wish I would have spent more time developing deeper relationships with my professors, as they were all great resources and wonderful people.”
How did Grove City College prepare you for the “real world?”
“My Finance major gave me a lot of valuable knowledge about the economy and the way different markets operate. The classes provided a solid foundation for me to expand upon as I worked as a finance specialist at PNC and now as a financial advisor for Wells Fargo.”
What is your favorite memory from college?
“My favorite memories from college came from rooming with my brother during my sophomore year. He was a senior that year and we both decided to join the Alpha Omega housing group. It was cool to be able to spend so much time together and have that shared experience while at school. I’ll hold on to those memories for a very long time.”
I hope after reading some of Alex’s experience from the College, you are encouraged. Alex provides just a small glimpse into many success stories of Grove City students post-graduation. Grove City College prepares its students well. The College, regardless of your major, provides excellent resources and education to its students to prepare them for life after school. Do not fear, an education from Grove City will prepare you for the real world. Whether you choose to do something related to your major or not, you will be one of the hardest working employees because of your education. Please take advantage, as Alex said, of the professors in your major as they are a phenomenal resource for your career path.
Grove City College prepares its students for life after college well. Claire Dawkins graduated from the College in 2019 with a degree in Communication Studies and a Professional Writing concentration. Let us take a look at how Grove City College prepared Claire for her life post-graduation!
What did you study at Grove City and why did you choose to study it?
I was accepted into Grove City as a Middle Level Education Math and English Major. The education fields were great, and I loved getting to know the students I worked with, but I did not love being in a classroom. With the help and counsel of the Career Services Office, I changed my major! I graduated with a Communication major with a Professional Writing concentration.
What is one thing you wish you did differently during your time at the Grove?
During my junior year, I remember being incredibly stressed over a particular paper. I stayed up all night, and at 4 a.m., I finally called it quits and asked my professor for an extension. He granted me the extension with one piece of advice: Perfection is the enemy of good. In my four years at Grove City, I would have saved myself a lot of time and tears if I had known that truth. I would have done things a lot differently!
How did Grove City College prepare you for the “real world”?
With the flexibility of my major, I learned about myself through my studies. The Communication and Visual Arts Department provides classes on a wide variety of subject matter. I was disinterested in some classes and enthralled by others! Through that experience, I was able to discern what I wanted to learn more about as I chose a career path.
What is your favorite memory from college?
There are too many wonderful memories I could name! I loved coffee dates with friends, finding new quiet spots around campus, and taking walks around Grove City chatting with people. Some of my sweetest memories were throughout all four years when I was with my friends, and we were all brain-dead. We would watch a movie or grab a dessert from the SAC (student activity center), and we just would spend time together resting and relaxing – enjoying the years that fly by and being with each other.
I hope after reading some of Claire’s experience from the College, you are encouraged. Claire provides just a small glimpse into many success stories of Grove City students post-graduation. Grove City College prepares its students well. The College, regardless of your major, provides excellent resources and education to its students to prepare them for life after school. Do not fear, an education from Grove City will prepare you for the real world. Whether you choose to do something related to your major or not, you will be one of the hardest working employees and well-rounded people because of your time at Grove City College.
This fall, I had the opportunity to meet my boyfriend’s sister, Julia, who is also a Grove City College alumna. Julia attended Grove City College a couple of years ago and has now since has relocated to Arizona where she is enjoying life as a teacher. When I asked her about her time at Grove City College, she said that she could spend all day talking about how much she loved her college experience. Julia really loved the atmosphere of the College because she could tell there were a lot of hard-working people that surrounded her. Julia said that this only made her better because she is a competitive person and is always looking to be the best version of herself. Also, she was able to meet such great friends that she said she knows will be life-long friends. Unlike myself, Julia is an extroverted person and she had many friends in different groups on campus. Grove City College is unique because of the community of believers on campus. It is a special and refreshing place to spend your college years because the students and professors are so kind and loving. Julia spoke very highly of the campus and the community as a whole.
Currently, Julia is studying hard to get her Master’s degree in Education. It has been very busy for her because she has to take night classes for her MBA program. One thing that she emphasized is that the skills that she used at the College carried over into the real world and into her career. As a previous Grover, Julia still uses the skills that she had learned here and believes that she will continue to in the future. Julia seemed very wise and driven when she spoke with me and I think that Grove City College really helped her get to where she is today.
This year I took my first-ever science class at Grove City College. The class was Fundamentals of the Universe (SCIC 201), also known as “Baby Physics” and the class was on Wednesday nights, taught by adjunct professor, Dr. Jim Downey.
Dr. Downey is a very interesting guy. He has an extensive background of education and is very experienced in his line of work. Dr. Downey graduated from Grove City College in 1981 with a B.S. in Physics. He then took a career in the Air Force, both active and reserve Air Force, and he stayed there for 27 years until her retired as a Colonel. Dr. Downey also has a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois, which means yes, he is a rocket scientist! Dr. Downey was a professor at Grove City College from 1992-2003, and then a Harvard Fellow from 2003-2004. He said Harvard was a very cool place to be and to learn. He also taught at the Army War College, which also was an incredible experience for him. Over these different educational experiences and career paths Dr. Downey has lived in six different states, with 11 different moves.
I asked Dr. Downey how it feels to be back on campus as an adjunct professor, and he said, “I have enjoyed the opportunity to teach physics again and particularly this course. When I was a full-time professor, I always loved teaching SCIC 201 as it was a way to expose mostly non-science people to a subject that I love and believe is important for people to know something about. I will admit when I first stepped back on campus it was a bit strange as so many years had gone by. However, it did not take long for the students to remind me how much fun teaching and learning with them can be. And it is always great to see my friends and former colleagues.”
Dr. Downey mentioned some differences in being a full-time professor and an adjunct professor here at Grove City College. He said that as a full-time professor you have essentially committed your life and career to the academy. But he said you also have the opportunity to interact with students on multiple occasions and in a variety of capacities. He said as an adjunct you also have a few advantages, such as, “the ability to focus on only one thing (assuming you are teaching just a single class). Another is a little bit of extra freedom in how you might engage the class because it is not your main job and perhaps the only thing that can happen is you are not invited back to teach again!” He also said the opportunity to bring in your professional experiences and perspectives can also be useful. Dr. Downey said the largest downsides are having to engage and disengage between your regular job and being an adjunct and a lack of opportunity to develop deeper relationships with students. You also are not really part of the rhythm and flow of campus life, so you can feel a certain detachment from the school.
I asked Dr. Downey if he finds it difficult to balance his day-to-day career and teaching here at Grove City. He said, “Yes. Clearly my priority must be to my work at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. What this most often means is that everything related to teaching at Grove City is accomplished in the evening hours and on the weekends. I know there have been times when I would have liked to work more on the class and have had to make choices just to stay on track. And any good professor will always be asking how they can improve what they are doing. However, there are also opportunities to try and share how something like physics can relate to certain aspects of my day job. And the Seminary is committed to having faculty and staff serve outside of the institution in a variety of ways. Ultimately, as in all things in life, you must figure out how to balance it to best serve all interests – not always an easy task yet a reality of life.”
Lastly in our discussion, I talked to Dr. Downey about Grove City College, and what he likes so much about this place from once being a student, and professor, and now coming back to teach once again. Dr. Downey said, “I suppose this could sound trite, but it is, in fact, the students. I am often asked what I miss most about teaching since the last 15 years of my career have predominately been in administrative roles. The answer is always the same – interaction with students. It is a joy and a privilege to speak into the lives of people with the hope that you will play a small part in preparing them for their future and whatever God is calling them to do. My time at Grove City now spans a couple generations between when I was a student and my most recent experience as an adjunct. So, I now have the entire spectrum and hope that giving back in this way closes the loop on how Grove City influenced my own life path.”
Currently Dr. Downey is Vice President for Planning & Institutional Effectiveness at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and he resides in Franklin Park with his wife, and daughter who is a senior in high school, with another daughter in graduate school. Dr. Downey is also an avid Steelers fan!
Priya Sprunk was a Psychology major with a concentration in Exercise Science during her time at Grove City College. As a member of the 2017 graduating class, Priya still feels very connected with the students. She was a member of the Sigma Theta Chi sorority, and still holds close relationships with the current girls, along with alumni. About a month after graduation, Priya was married to her best friend, Nate Sprunk, who changed her formerly the last name of Graczyk. Since Nate is a current senior at The Grove, Priya was able to shed some light on their relationship while in different stages of their lives.
When asked what it is like with Nate still in school, Priya responded with:
“It is different for sure. It is a somewhat challenging dynamic when one person in a relationship works full time and one is a student full time. I sometimes wish I didn’t have to live in my college town because it makes me feel like I haven’t fully moved on from college. However, my job helps me feel like I’m making a difference, which helps. I work as an instructor for adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities who have graduated from high school, but still, need to develop independent living and employment skills before living on their own. I really enjoy it!”
Priya stressed how it has been hard to make time for other friends after working full time and then coming home to spend time with Nate. However, she feels that marriage has helped both become more independent and hard-working, along with giving them the happiness of living together.
“We met about 10 years ago when I was in 7th grade and Nate was in 6th grade. We were part of the same youth group and were always close friends. I had a huge crush on him, but we didn’t start dating until the summer of 2014 before my freshman year at Grove City College. The college time together helped us grow together; I don’t even recognize the young and immature teenage couple we were four years ago. Living in a Christian environment helped me grow spiritually and make Christian friends who hold me accountable while encouraging me. Later we began to think about marriage as we started thinking about our future careers and what we wanted for our lives. By the fall of my junior year after many discussions by ourselves, with both sets of parents, and with friends, we had decided we were ready to commit our lives to each other. We were engaged the following March,” Priya said.
Priya and Nate continue to enjoy each other’s company, build upon their relationship, and focus on God. By attending church, reading their Bibles, and praying together, their commitment to growing spiritually has shown in their actions toward others and each other. They lift one another up while practicing patience and empathy in the hard moments. Priya looks forward to their awesome future.
After the Grove City College Career Fair on Sept. 26, the Business Department offered a career networking mixer and panel discussion. This event offered an insider’s perspective into the business world and insight on how to gain a competitive advantage in interviews. Students had an opportunity to mingle with business professionals over hors d’oeuvres before hearing from speakers at the panel session.
David Durfee ’13, returned to the Career Fair as a sales executive with Armstrong World Industries. His degree in Marketing prepared him for this career, but he said that the services offered to current students has improved since his college years. Durfee explained that the annual career fair – a school-wide event – attracts more marketing and management firms now, which provides more networking opportunities to business students. In addition, he has seen improved professor interaction during the fair; students can now find guidance from their professors on which firms to approach, how to start a career conversation, and how to increase self-marketability.
Grossman Yanak & Ford (GY&F), a Pittsburgh accounting firm, regularly sends representatives to recruit Grove City College students. Colleen Febbraro, HR Director at GY&F, says that the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firm seeks Grovers because they have found that Grove City graduates are well-rounded compared to their peers. In addition, the graduates have been prepared by their education to work well on their own and in groups. She mentioned that GY&F has found Grovers to have “superb” communication skills and advanced technical training – attributes that are evidence of thorough preparation by trained faculty. Though GY&F has a familiarity with the quality of a Grove City College education, Febbraro said that Grove City’s exceptional Accounting program – which graduates students with a CPA passing rate at nearly 30% higher than the national average – is making a name for itself as ninth in the nation for CPA success rates.
EmilyMiller, who graduated from Grove City College in 2015, now works with Grossman Yanak & Ford and returned to the Career Fair to help with recruitment. She says that Grove City College left her prepared to excel in the CPA exam and her future career. Though she was not expecting the volume of writing that her job demands, she says that the Grove City humanities core adequately prepared her to handle this challenge.
The business mixer representatives offer not only career placements, but also higher education opportunities. Alexander Lowry represented Gordon College as the executive director of its Financial Analytics program, explaining that this program would be ideal for Grove City students studying a variety of disciplines. For students interested in a career involving finance, statistics, or data analysis, the Boston school offers a Master of Science in Financial Analysis. Entering a fast-paced career after college can be intimidating to undergraduate students, but Gordon College offers insight into the Boston financial scene. Lowry, who has experience in executive management at JP Morgan, explains that students can expect networking and internship opportunities during the 12-class program – Gordon has long-standing ties with financial powerhouses like Liberty Mutual, Fidelity Investments, and Putnam Investments.
The question and answer panel, which featured several Grover alumni, consisted of several businessmen giving advice and feedback to the students about launching a career. After the event, there was a tangible atmosphere of excitement and anticipation about preparing for the future, with many students discussing what they liked about the panel. One student noted that it was encouraging to see Grove City College alumni in such high positions at their firms – evidence that a Grove City degree is highly marketable. Another observation was an appreciation that the speakers went very in-depth in giving advice on how to prepare for a full-time interview. Interviewing for a part-time job in high school, the student said, is very different from the process for a “real” career, and so he enjoyed the tips for interview preparation. Overall, the Business Mixer was a huge success, providing not only opportunities for students to network with prospective employers and fellow members of the Business department, but also opportunities for students to hear relevant advice for career preparation during the panel.
The interview process can be a stressful time for anyone, especially when one is unsure of what to expect upon entering. Heather Starcher is Vice President of Keystone Ridge Designs, a company that manufacturers site furniture, and has been working in the business world for over 20 years. In her experience with interviewing, especially with students from Grove City College, she has focused on aspects that strongly affect an interview, positively or negatively. “Remember, they are hiring you to help their company. So they want to know what you bring to the table, how you can be an impact and help them succeed. They don’t want to hear from you ‘this is what I want’,” Heather said.
Followed by her few statements, employees Dave Starcher and Angela Maloney gave insight from their involvement with being both the interviewer and the interviewee.
Interview Advice from Director of Sales of Keystone Ridge Designs, Dave Starcher:
Be prepared. Know the company and be prepared to ask questions that prove that you have done your research.
Be yourself. Remember that you are interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing you. Figure out if the company’s culture would be a fit for you. Ask what a typical day might look like or who are the team members with whom you would most often interact?
Ask about the future. What could be worse than taking a job with a company that is about to fail?! Ask about their vision and how they foresee the future. What are they doing better than their competition to ensure success? Are there plans to spin-off other sister companies? How much are they growing?
Interview Advice from Director of Marketing of Keystone Ridge Designs, Angela Maloney:
Take notes.
Have good questions ready for whenever the interviewer says “What questions do you have for us?”
Always ask for next steps at the end of the interview to show you are truly committed and want the job.
Follow up. Thank you emails and notes help keep you top of mind and show your ability to follow through.
As a freshman at Grove City College, I never anticipated the opportunities that would come my way during my next four years here. During my sophomore year, I started networking with Grove City alumni. Networking for me meant talking to parents of my friends at school who either are alumni or know alumni of the College. The parents of my current roommate are both alumni and knew at the time I was interested in event planning. They helped me navigate the internship world and by March of my second semester sophomore year, I was offered an internship in the Development/Events Department with a company called Coalition for Christian Outreach, otherwise known as CCO.
My boss at CCO for that summer was Allyson Sveda, Grove City College alumna of ’88. Allyson was a Business and Communication Studies major during her time at college. To say Allyson was “involved” on Grove City College’s campus would be an understatement. She was in the Alpha Beta Tau sorority, president of Student Government Association, president of Omicron Delta Kappa, president of Association of Women Students, while also involved in Orchesis, Campus Tour Guide, and Orientation Board.
Since May 2013, Allyson has served as the Development Director within CCO. She works with a team of six people to raise funds for CCO’s mission of “transforming college students to transform the world.” The Development team is responsible for raising money for the Next Generation Fund through direct fundraising efforts, planned giving, and annual events. As the CCO grows nationally, Allyson’s department looks for new donor bases across new regions to support the campus work in those areas.
Allyson and I have maintained a close relationship even after I completed my intern summer with CCO. I recently spoke with her and asked why she hires Grove City College students as interns. Her response was extremely genuine and compassionate toward the campus community. “Personally, I like to give a fellow Grover the opportunity to learn new skills while they discover more about their personal strengths/weaknesses, build a more robust network, and gain solid experience that can leap frog them into their next position or future career. The CCO has a great relationship on many levels with Grove City. I will give Grove City College students first chance at any summer internship slots in our Development Office,” Allyson replied.
“Have you ever seen differences between Grove City students/alumni compared to students/alumni from other colleges? If so, please describe those differences,” I asked. “I have found the students here to be willing to dig in, be concerned with the importance of the details, creative, self-starters, great communicators, immediate contributors, motivated and willing to please! Other departments have commented on the solid nature of our Department interns. It’s no surprise to me,” Allyson said.
As my own career goals have shifted over the last couple of years, Allyson has continued to help by introducing me to other alumni of Grove City College. The Marketing and Sales internship I had after my junior year happened to be under one of Allyson’s sorority sisters! Allyson is just one prime example of all the Grove City College alumni that love to help out current students of the college. The close-knit community happens to be a very giving and generous one. There are so many opportunities out there, even at a small school like Grove City College. Be confident, get to know more people, and keep your eyes and ears out for any possibilities that may come your way.
Dr. Powell’s advertising class recently had the opportunity to Skype with alumna Colleen Castle, an Account Director at advertising company Ogilvy.
Castle is a 2009 graduate of Grove City who majored in Marketing and Communications. She was eager to share her career path experience with the class, detailing all the jobs she has had since coming to her current position, including an internship in distribution, budget organizer at L’Oreal Paris, working for Avon and Ikea. She explained that being an assistant media planner in NY with L’Oreal Paris was a good stepping stone for her. While she knew that the math-based job that required working with spreadsheets was not a permanent career path for her, it was a way to build her network and to determine where she wanted to go. She then transferred to the creative industry which involves creating advertisements.
Castle shared that one perk of this job is that she “knows a little about a lot of subjects.” She explained that working on account teams is like having a small business within a much bigger business. One of her favorite parts of the job is going on shoots and seeing the strategy and creative development come to life through film and the workings of the crew.
Castle also shared the learning process that she experienced in her jobs to the current juniors and seniors in the class. She said the onboarding process at her job consisted of learning the history of the brand, their campaign, and their plan for the next five years. She spoke on how it is important to earn trust and respect early on with both with clients and coworkers and how this might require long hours of work.
Castle dove into the subject of bringing faith in the workplace. She reminded students to not have idols in their career and how you have to be focused on people. If your goals are going to hurt others, then it is not Christ-like. She said that people often assume advertising and faith do not mix, but she believes it can when you chose to work with brands that help the world and perpetuate good values. As an alumnus, she said Grove City prepared her to bring her faith into her career. Her recommendation for current students is to find a mentor who is further down their career path and slowly build their network.
Larry Thompson graduated from Grove City College in 2017 with a major in Accounting and Finance. As the first in his family to graduate from a four-year college, he is now successfully working on his future Certified Public Accountant title. Larry currently lives in Charlotte, NC working for the accounting firm RSM U.S. LLP audit, tax, and consulting services. While enjoying his life down in North Carolina, Larry is also benefiting from the perks of his company. A major perk he has in mind is traveling. In the past eight months he has been able to travel to Dallas, Texas; Charleston, SC; New York City; Atlanta, Ga.; and Greenville, SC. Larry looks forward to traveling more in his future.
When asked about the CPA exams Larry replied, “I worked on studying every day. I woke up and went to the public library to free myself from any distractions from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.” He then stated that he had three out of four exams already completed before he started working for RSM U.S. Being put into his job during busy season, Larry could not really focus on passing the fourth exam; he had to work hard and study even harder in order to prepare himself for the final module of the CPA exam. Soon after the busy season, he ended up passing his fourth and final exam. His next move in his career is to work for RSM U.S. for a year, but in order for him to obtain his CPA title, he must pass all four modules and work for an entire year to become officially “certified”.
A motivational part of Larry’s experience with the exams is the way he went about taking them. Larry stated, “I took the exams in order from hardest to easiest [in his own opinion].” He believed that if he could pass the hardest exam, then the rest would be easy. His motivation to pass in this order kept him dedicated to studying and keeping on top of things in order to fulfill his dream of becoming a CPA.
Ideally, Larry plans to work for RSM U.S. for two to three years and then reevaluate his options after being certified. He wants to end up in Wealth Management or become a stay-at-home father who does technical stock analysis trading. His dedication and commitment to becoming a CPA has already and will furthermore open up doors in his future.
Larry finished the interview by stating a word of advice: the Career Services Office is extremely helpful. He acknowledges that they want the best for students here at Grove City College. Career Services should be taken advantage of more often to set up a student’s future and career. “Make friends with them, and do not ignore them,” Larry stressed. He believes they have truly helped him further himself earlier in finding jobs and even more so now during work.
