by Brianna Rotunno, On-Campus Valedictorian
We turned the University blog over to our two 2020 Valedictorians. These outstanding and well-rounded students embody an impressive breadth of knowledge and pride of personal character. Each has the highest grade point average in their class. Before they venture off into the world, each took a moment to offer a message of inspiration to their classmates as well as reflect upon their time at the University.
While graduation was postponed, what message would you like to share with your fellow classmates?
To my fellow graduates of the Class of 2020, I want to say congratulations! Graduation marks such a significant milestone and such an amazing accomplishment that we’ve all worked so hard over these past four years to achieve. You should all be so incredibly proud of yourselves for all the time, energy, and effort you’ve put into completing your degrees.
What makes this even more remarkable is that most of you did so while simultaneously balancing many other things, such as sports, clubs, activities, work, family, and friends. Most of us probably faced some type of adversity over these four years, and there may have even been moments where you considered giving up, but you didn’t. You persevered and now here you are finally receiving the degrees that you’ve dedicated so much of yourselves to earning. I would also like to say that it has truly been a pleasure getting to know and interact with all of you during my time here at Post, and these relationships and memories are certainly, what I will miss most. More than anything, I really wish that we could be together to celebrate today, but I hope you are all doing well and staying safe and healthy. I hope that we will all be able to reunite sometime soon, perhaps even at Alumni Weekend in the fall! Lastly, I want to wish you all the best of luck in all your future endeavors. You are all such incredible people and I cannot wait to see how you utilize these acquired experiences, skills, and knowledge as you begin this next phase of your lives. Just remember to always be passionate, diligent, and ambitious, and I know that you can accomplish everything you want in life. Congratulations again!
Tell me about some of your favorite memories from your time at Post.
There are countless memories that I’ve made during my time at Post that can always put a smile on my face or make me laugh. First, I am so grateful for the friendships and memories I’ve made with my teammates on the softball team. Between spending every day together practicing and playing at the Drubner Center and LaMoy Field, the long road trips to away games, homework and study sessions in hotel lobbies, and even the seemingly never-ending conditioning sessions, I wouldn’t have changed a single thing. Probably one of my favorite memories was getting to spend one last time playing the sport held so close to my heart during our spring games in Florida over this past spring break. We had such a successful week as a team, and I was able to enjoy my last time playing collegiate softball in such beautiful weather with my family there to watch. When I didn’t have softball, I also really loved going to support the other teams on campus, especially at hockey and baseball games. I also always especially enjoyed attending the many banquets hosted each year by the Honors Program, the Athletics Department, and SGA. Lastly, I will never forget the sense of community at Post that allowed me to interact so closely with my classmates, professors, and other faculty. I loved being able to participate in course discussions due to the small class sizes and I am grateful to have been able to develop such close relationships and connections with some of my professors.
How has Post University prepared you for your career?
Post University has most definitely prepared me for my career in accounting in multiple ways. First, being allowed to earn two degrees in accounting and criminal justice from both the Malcolm Baldrige School of Business and the John P. Burke School of Public Service not only helped me develop into a more well-rounded individual, but also allowed me to pursue my two passions and even combine the two in earning a Certificate in Forensic Accounting. Additionally, this allowed me to meet the credit-hour requirement to sit for the CPA exams immediately upon graduating.
The courses I’ve taken to earn these degrees were both extremely interesting and relevant to the concepts I will be encountering every day in the accounting profession. Next, the small size of the University allowed me to develop close relationships and connections with my professors that have proved to be highly beneficial in establishing my career. One such relationship with former Professor Noelle Taddei actually enabled me to secure a job prior to the start of my senior year. Professor Taddei provided me with endless guidance, support, and advice and she worked rigorously with me to ensure that my resume and interviewing skills were impeccable. Professor Taddei ultimately helped me get an internship in public accounting with Crowe LLP that resulted in a job offer for a full-time position with the firm to start this upcoming fall. Overall, Post provided me with so many relationships with such supportive staff members and so many extremely useful services have proven so beneficial in helping me develop the career path I want to pursue in life.