Freshman Class meets with Dr. Buccino
Andrew Hustick and Cristina Hill share their experiences from working with Dr. Buccino
By: Anthony Gonzalez, Class of 2021 On September 21, 2017, the Leadership Class of 2021 had the honor and pleasure of meeting the namesake of the program, Dr. Gerald P. Buccino, Class of ’63. Dr. Buccino started out the meeting by having senior Andrew Hustick speak about how it feels being the honorary Buccino Scholar and what it is like to be a part of the Leadership program. “It is such an honor to be a part of the Buccino Center, and working closely with Dr. Buccino taught me more than I could ever explain,” Hustick said gleaming with a smile.
Following Hustick was sophomore Cristina Hill, speaking about how leadership has changed her life and how it was one of the main reasons she decided to make the trek all the way from California to New Jersey to study at Seton Hall. “I heard about the program at a college fair,” Hill said when explaining how she even heard of Seton Hall. In addition, Hill said this when talking about what the program brings her every day, “I continuously fall in love with Leadership every day.”
After student introductions, Dr. Buccino started the meeting off with a joke, coinciding with his reputation for a great sense of humor. After making the room light up with laughter, Dr. Buccino posed a question to the freshman. “What characteristics do you believe you need to be an effective leader?” Many of the freshmen responded with qualities such as honesty, integrity, humility, and loyalty. Following this, Dr. B gave what he believes to be the 7 characteristics of being a leader that one should live by, not memorize. These characteristics are credibility, courage, temperament, custodian of future, grit, passion, and a moral compass.
Dr. Buccino posed his largest question and words of wisdom on the freshmen. Dr. Buccino asked, “What does it take to become the leader of leaders?” Dr. B said the most important thing to have when becoming the leader of leaders is soft skills, such as personality, empathy, ability to listen, optimism, and most importantly, presence. Dr. Buccino gave the freshman an important piece of advice, “You only have ten seconds to make the right impression, not eleven seconds, only ten.”
Dr. B then opened up the room for questions. Brooke Harrington asked “What is your vision of the Leadership Program in the future?” Dr. Buccino responded with, “In 1995, I never imagined with would be what it is today, so for it to have become so amazing, I can only hope that it continues to be a beacon for more and more wonderful students throughout the years.”
The class continued to ask Dr. Buccino questions, with the final question being from Nicholas Marinelli. “If your life was a movie, would you watch it again, or would you change it?” Dr. Buccino responded “I would not watch the movie,” he said with a chuckle, “But I would never change anything. My only regret is that I cannot do it again.”
Dr. Buccino wrapped up the meeting with another set of wise words, “I want you to love what you do like I do.”
This meeting was the freshman’s first look into the wisdom and support Dr. Buccino brings to the program. The Class of 2021 would like to thank Dr. Buccino for taking the time out to speak with them, and would also like to express their excitement about working with him in the future.
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