Providence, R.I.--Providence College's second annual Student-Athlete Career Night featured 26 professionals addressing approximately 90 student-athletes at the Slavin Center on October 27.

Presented by the Department of Athletics, the career night was sponsored by Yvette Boisclair '84 and her husband, Mark Mandell, who are lawyers.

In advance of the event, athletics department staff members polled junior and senior student-athletes to determine what career fields they were interested in and matched them with professionals who met their criteria as closely as possible.

The program was limited to juniors and seniors based on the premise that they have a better idea of what professions they might want to enter at this point in their lives as compared with freshmen and sophomores.

The most popular fields of interest among the student-athletes that were represented were marketing and sports administration. Other professions represented included education, medicine, law, and finance.

The diverse variety of professionals included Rhode Island Superior Court Justice Francis J. Darigan Jr. '64; Pawtucket Red Sox President Mike Tamburro; Seekonk, Mass., elementary school teacher Jessica Mortali '04; Michael Tucker '93, finance portfolio manager at PAR Capital Management; BIG EAST Conference Commissioner John Marinatto '79; Joe Harrington, the vice president and general manager of WEEI-FM 103.7, the radio home of the Friars' men's basketball team; and Dr. John Czerwein Jr. '97, an orthopaedic spine surgeon. 

Three former PC student-athletes also were in attendance and participated in the discussions: Matt Berk '03, a lacrosse player who is a major account executive for Akamai Technologies; Constance Richer '81, an ice hockey player who is a senior sales engineer for Verizon; and Kristin Gigliotti '07, another ice hockey player who is a special education teacher.

The program was divided into two segments in order to provide ample time for student-athletes to discuss their future careers with the professionals. Initially, each professional gave a presentation and then answered questions at either of two tables.

The student-athletes also were presented with a program that listed each of the professionals in attendance and their contact information.

Gotham, Mandell deliver messages
Robert G. Driscoll, Jr., associate vice president for athletics and athletic director, delivered the opening remarks and then showed a video presentation, which featured Boston Celtics' President Rich Gotham '86. Gotham stressed the importance of loyalty to an employer and the need to be trustworthy.

Mandell gave the keynote speech and emphasized what he feels are the keys to success in any career: what job you choose and how you do it, the importance of working hard, be the person you would want to hire, and be willing to be the one to make your employer's job less stressful.

Near the conclusion of the program, Kerrianne Murphy '10 (Walpole, Mass.), a field hockey player, thanked the career representatives for their participation and said the evening represented "the first step in the networking process" for many of the student-athletes.

Boisclair and Mandell were presented hockey jerseys with their names inscribed on the back by Driscoll.

In closing remarks, Driscoll told the student-athletes that it was clear that in order to be successful in life, they need to have a dream and passion.

"You must surround yourself with great people and you must have perseverance and mental toughness. Never give up," he said.

"That's what you learn as a student-athlete at Providence College."

- Mike Scandura

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