Alumni Inspire Juniors on Career Day

Ten accomplished alumni representing various professional fields came home to Xavier to speak with juniors at Career Day on March 9.

“Be a man for others. Be a man of action,” Thomas McDonald ’01, a U.S. Navy officer and helicopter pilot, told the 263 members of the junior class in his keynote speech. Mr. McDonald urged students to serve their country and to recognize the long history of brotherhood among Sons of Xavier.

Other alumni representing such fields as finance, law enforcement, medicine, and architecture enjoyed spending the afternoon with current students—and reminiscing about their days on 16th Street. 

“This is my second year participating in Career Day, which I enjoy. It feels good to come back,” said Joseph La Ferlita ’92, the brother of two Xavier alumni, the uncle of two Xavier students, and a partner at the law firm of Farrell Fritz on Long Island. “Walking those halls brings me right back to my days at Xavier. At this year’s Career Day, I happened to be assigned to what used to be Fr. Vincent Taylor’s classroom. I had Fr. Taylor for literature.  He introduced me to the classics and some modern literature, much of which had subtle Catholic thematic underpinnings. I had tremendous respect for Fr. Taylor; he was old-school Jesuit. He set such a wonderful example of being a Catholic gentleman.”

Dr. Kevin Craig ’68, tenured professor of mechanical engineering, Director of the Center for Innovation, and Director of the Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing Lab at Hofstra University, returned to Xavier for the first time in 25 years on Career Day. He was thrilled to do so and hopes to work with students more often, citing the influence of Rev. James Keenan, S.J., former president of Xavier, in his own life.

“Of all the institutions I have been at as a student and professor—West Point, Columbia University, Hofstra University, Marquette University—Xavier and its philosophy of service to others has had the biggest impact on my life,” Dr. Craig said. “The mission of every engineer is to solve society's urgent problems, and since now 90% of the engineering work in the world today is done for the richest 10% of the world, the world needs engineers for others, not just the rich. Now that is a combination that will change the world—engineers for others. That is what I want to start at Xavier.” 

“My main message to the students was to take ownership,” Dr. Craig continued. “Challenges are met and problems are solved by changing culture, attitude, and behavior and instilling ownership. No one has ever washed a rented car.”

For his part, Mr. La Ferlita urged students to reflect deeply on their choice of career—and not to be shaken by some confusion along the way.

“The main point I tried to convey was that it’s OK to have a crooked rather than straight path to a career (indeed, I had such a crooked path), but that the most important thing is for them continually to ask the right questions, both about different careers but also about themselves: Where do their interests lie? What do they naturally excel at? What are they passionate about?” Mr. La Ferlita said. “I encouraged them to avoid the temptation to make career choices solely on the amount of money they think they would make, or on what other people told them they should be.” 

The conversations and networking spurred by Career Day marked its success, said Coordinator of College Counseling Joseph Korfmacher.

“It was gratifying to peek into the classrooms and see the juniors fully engaged in the presentations and to watch them swarm the alumni at the conclusion of the day to ask them more about their careers, and begin that ever-important networking process,” he said. “Career Day is a very important piece of the Xavier experience, and I am grateful the students were excited and engaged throughout the day—and that we had so many wonderful representatives of Xavier graduates to come back and share their story.”

To view photos from Career Day, visit our Flickr page.