"I get so jazzed when I see someone outside of Rochester wearing an RIT shirt or traveling with an RIT luggage tag. I’m able to strike up some pretty incredible discussions, and it reminds me that RIT alumni are doing some pretty amazing things in the world."
In what ways has Saunders/RIT prepared you for the job market?
RIT helped me find my path. I came here knowing I wanted to do something in business that was marketing-related but didn’t know the exact route. Even when I graduated, I didn’t know exactly where I would go, but the people I met and things I learned from my professors at Saunders and other university areas helped me feel prepared for anything.
The number one word I use when explaining RIT to someone is “applied.” Here, you’re taught how to think and take what you’ve learned and put it into practice. I believe that skill has helped me launch into a pretty unique career path – one that is anything but defined and anything but linear.
What is your favorite RIT memory?
My favorite memory from RIT was Bid Night in Winter of 2002 when the sisters from Alpha Xi Delta (AZD) surprised me at my dorm room and asked me to become a part of their sisterhood. The women I met through AZD became my family; my rock as I navigated college life and figured out my future. They were an incredibly diverse group in their backgrounds, upbringings, interests and majors, and growing up with those women helped shape me into who I am today. I’m lucky to call many of them close friends and sisters to this day.
What is your career highlight?
A couple of years back, I was scheduled to do a joint conference keynote with my then-CEO, Gregg. We flew separately to the event. His flight got canceled, leaving me to deliver the entire keynote by myself, including about 30 minutes of workshop materials, slides, and stories that he “owned” and had been presenting personally for about two years speaking events across the country. Talk about pressure! After a 1-hour cram session with him talking me through details via phone, I jumped on stage and am proud to say the keynote went off without a hitch! We received the highest scores of any presentation from the entire conference and generated new business leads. This helped to cement my interest in public speaking and proved that I could do anything if I approached it with confidence and fearlessness.
What does being an RIT alumnus/a mean to you?
It means being part of this incredible club of creative and ambitious human beings. I get so jazzed when I see someone outside of Rochester wearing an RIT shirt or traveling with an RIT luggage tag. I’m able to strike up some pretty incredible discussions, and it reminds me that RIT alumni are doing some pretty amazing things in the world.
What motivates you to volunteer with Saunders College of Business & RIT?
I’m following the “pass it on” mentality. I got to where I am today because of professors, staff members, adjuncts, class speakers and other contacts who let me ask questions and learn from them. I want to do the same for others. I want to support students as they dive into their first career and share that it is ok if you don’t have a clear vision of what you want to be when you grow up. I’m still figuring it out, and I’m having a lot of fun and learning a lot in the process!
Follow Stacy’s career journey, by reviewing her prior alumni spotlight at Dixon Schwabl.