Spotlight on Saint Anselm College Alumni

Samantha Jette, Crier Staff

Saint Anselm College Alumni can be found working and finding personal and acclaimed success in a myriad of fields.

Saint Anselm College offers 45 majors and 43 minors allowing students to delve into a variety of topics. Although many alumni work in fields directly related to their major they also claim their liberal arts education allowed them to follow unexpected career paths.

In reference to their liberal arts program the college states, “we believe all students, regardless of their chosen field of study or future career path, benefit from developing a well-balanced and agile intellect and a thirst for knowledge that will allow them to continually learn and adapt to a changing world.”

Saint A’s Alumnus Allison Joseph attributes her success to her time spent at the college. Since her graduation in 2007, Joseph has worked for MY TURN Inc., a federally funded non-profit organization that supports at-risk youth.

She has the opportunity to work with students aging 14 to 24 years old who either have the potential to drop out of school, have already dropped out, or have completed high school but are struggling with the next steps. Even as a college student, Joseph says she knew she wanted to work with the disadvantaged youth population.

As a sociology major, she received great support from her professors in pursuing this field and even wrote her senior thesis about at-risk youth. She says she has “always felt drawn” to this group of people.

She states her favorite part of her job is being able to provide experiences for students that they would not have otherwise had. These opportunities range from students getting into college or receiving an internship with a company they may not have been able to obtain on their own. Joseph says she enjoys watching the youth that she works with succeed, just has she has.

Brent Kiley, Class of 1999 told The Crier that as a Financial Economics major he was interested in taking business courses throughout college but was unsure of the exact career he wanted to pursue.

A representative from Ameriprise Financial presented him with the idea of being a financial advisor; a career where he would need “the mind of a capitalist and the heart of a social worker.”

Kiley states it was “right then [he] knew it was the career for [him].”

Currently, Kiley is a Private Wealth Advisor and Partner at Rise Private Wealth Management. He helps clients reach their financial goals and simplify their daily financial lives by coming up with a plan to perhaps send their children to college or save for retirement.

Kiley said the most rewarding part of the job is when “[clients’] spirits are lifted and they have more confidence going forward” after realizing their financial goals will become a reality.

He reflects fondly on his time at Saint A’s saying the liberal arts education, which taught him to work hard, be organized, and be a team player, lead him to a successful career.

Kiley also credited helping out with a program similar to Big Brothers Big Sisters while at Saint A’s with teaching him that through volunteering one can truly make a difference in a person’s life. Today, he continues to volunteer at various organizations such as the New Hampshire Food Pantry, Easter Seals, Habitat for Humanity, New Horizons and Little League.