Last month, some of our members were given the opportunity to attend the Many Are One gala, celebrating Seton Hall alumni. Read on to learn about the experiences of two of our members, Lori and Marisa.
On June 9th I was lucky enough to attend Seton Hall University’s Many Are One Gala. Aside from being a lavish evening celebrating the ways in which the University’s alumni have positively influenced our world, this year’s gala also celebrated a significant milestone. As of this year, Seton Hall has reached a network of 100,000 alumni. Standing in the room with hundreds of other alumni and listening to the speeches of the humble honorees filled me with great pride and comfort. Pride in my University and comfort in knowing I chose a school where I belong and where I am meant to become a better version of myself.
Throughout the night I was lucky enough to have been the escort for Alumni Impact Award Honoree, Joseph Kacierk, M.A. ’81. He being a retired principle, and me pursuing a career in education, conversation was light and easy. We talked about my course work and he gave me advice as well as wished well in my future endeavors. It was seeing him up on stage accepting his award that made me realize attending college should never come to an abrupt end after graduation. His passion for connecting with current students and his dedication to Seton Hall has inspired me to seek more opportunities to get and stay involved. One day, I hope to see myself standing in his position accepting an award on behalf of my impact on the future of Seton Hall, just as he along with many others in attendance, have impacted me. It is safe to say that my time at Many Are One was both fun and influential. I hope to be in attendance for the many years to come.
-Lori Amato ’19
This month, I was lucky enough to attend Many Are One. This event honors some of the most distinguished Seton Hall Alumni by highlighting their accomplishments and achievements. This night truly gave me a better appreciation of what kinds of doors a Seton Hall education will open for me once I graduate. It was incredible hearing the stories of all the distinguished alumni during the course of the event, but for me personally, a highlight was hearing the story of the Most Distinguished Alumna, Bonnie Evans. Starting as a physical therapist, she has now become a Chief Executive Officer of Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange. Next month, I will start taking physical therapy graduate courses, so hearing about Ms. Evans’ journey was so inspirational for me. I was able to talk to her a number of times throughout the night and she gave me such kind words of encouragement and well wishes. The conversations I had with her, along with other members of the Seton Hall community during Many Are One just reaffirmed for me that three years ago, I made the best choice of my life by deciding to become a Seton Hall Pirate!
-Marisa Harding ’18