Last month Fairfield Dolan, in partnership with Bank of America, hosted more than two dozen mentors in leadership positions at major global corporations to speak with students at the annual Career Night. Mentors, comprised of alumni, advisory board members, and local professionals, hosted breakout sessions for students to ask questions about their fields of interest and future career paths.

 “Tonight can be a most impactful one,” Zhan Li, DBA, dean of the Charles F. Dolan School, told more than 100 students in the new Dolan Event Hall that was unveiled as part of the opening of the new 85,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in September.

The evening began with a dinner during which students networked with mentors who represented top corporations including GE, Merrill Lynch, Legg Mason, Mastercard, Pitney Bowes, and Synchrony Financial.

Junior marketing majors Sam Pelcher and Michael Della Torre listened to mentors share that, regardless of what area recent graduates may start their careers in, that they will eventually find the right job. 

“I learned a lot about the value of pushing outside of your comfort zone in your early working years, and to make the most of your first internship and job, even if it is not in the field you were planning on being in,” said Della Torre.

For Grace Heller ’22, the event was an opportunity to see firsthand that Fairfield has “a super strong alumni network. It was eye-opening,” she noted.

Keynote speaker Nikolas Totaro ’04, market executive, director, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, encouraged students to stay in touch with everyone in the room. “It’s fantastic when you really start to see what alumni from this school are able to accomplish,” said Totaro, a finance major and accounting minor.

Recalling the “tight bonds” he created as an undergraduate, Totaro encouraged students to remain close to the people who have their best interests at heart.

 “You really want to surround yourself with those who will push you to achieve,” he said. 

Fairfield Dolan would like to thank the mentors from the following companies for making this year’s Career Night a success: AXA-XL Reinsurance, CFO Consulting Partners, CM Advisors, GE, ITT Inc., Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Legg Mason, Mastercard, Northern Trust Hedge Fund Services, Pitney Bowes, People’s Bank, Priceline, Siena Lending Group, Spruceview Capital Partners, Stockbridge Capital Group, Synchrony Financial, USA Business Strong, Wells Fargo, Women Dignity Alliance, and Zoetis.