Mount Mercy Academy concluded its month of highlighting careers with five additional speakers. Students had the opportunity to learn about careers in the FBI, counseling, rental property investment and management, digital media and employee benefits.
Kimberly Smith has worked for the FBI in Buffalo for 14 years as a tactical analyst. She works in Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking. She is also a member of the FBI’s national Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team and a member of the FBI Buffalo Evidence Response Team. She spoke to the students about all the different career options available within the FBI. Junior Molly Oar (Lakeview) commented, “Mrs. Smith told us that the FBI is not really like how it is portrayed in TV and movies and she informed us of the many different career options available within the FBI.”
Two Mount Mercy classmates from the Class of 2012, McKayla Burvid and Emily Nostrant, spoke of their careers as a substance abuse counselor, nurse and mental health counselor. Burvid first worked as a substance abuse counselor after graduating from college and then returned to college for a nursing degree. She works as a nurse, as well as in an outpatient addictions treatment clinic. Nostrant, who has a master’s degree in mental health counseling, works at Best Self Behavioral Health. Junior Gemma McIlroy (Hamburg) found their talk to be informative. “One thing that I learned from the two speakers is that hours in the substance abuse field can be flexible, so it is possible to combine another career with working with people who have addiction issues or are mentally ill,” McIlroy remarked.
Diane Kuciel informed students of her unusual career path that led her to owning, maintaining and managing a solid real estate portfolio. She is also a top worldwide saleswoman for Mary Kay Cosmetics. Senior Desiree Diaz-Torres (Buffalo) commented, “It was very inspiring to hear how Ms. Kuciel worked so hard to get where she is.”
Stephanie Kennedy is the founder of Reach Digital Media Solutions, a boutique digital marketing agency in Buffalo. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communication and Digital Media from St. Bonaventure University and started her business three months later. Sophomore Rylee Strefeler (Dunkirk) found Kennedy’s talk very uplifting. “As a member of the business academy, it was really inspiring to see a real entrepreneur speak about her local, woman-owned business in digital marketing. Seeing someone improve other people’s businesses as well as her own showed me a way to utilize technology as a way of communication, to my advantage” Strefeler stated.
Theresa Roma, a member of Mount Mercy’s Class of 2004, graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree, completed a master’s degree in Adult Education from Buffalo State and obtained her doctorate in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher College. Roma has worked in the insurance industry her entire career and is currently a sales consultant for Guardian Insurance.
All in all, the students were very receptive and appreciative of the opportunity to listen to various speakers. Junior Claire Denning (Buffalo) stated, “I found it reassuring after listening to the various speakers talk about their uncertainty in college about their careers, but then with all the different careers, they found something out there that they enjoyed.”
