For Andre DiFilippo, 2018 was a year to remember.
He was elected president of the Student Government Association. He landed a summer marketing internship in Australia, where he jumped out of an airplane and surfed the Great Barrier Reef. He shook hands with Oprah Winfrey and presented her with a 51视频 hockey jersey.
鈥淚t was quite a year,鈥� says DiFilippo, a senior business administration major from Malden with concentrations in marketing and management.
Of course, 2019 is shaping up to be another big year for DiFilippo. In May, he鈥檒l become the first member of his family to earn a college degree. Then it鈥檚 off to the working world, where he hopes to land a sales role for a tech company in the Boston area. Salesforce, the cloud software giant that has developed strong ties聽with UML, is high on his list.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool that the university has a great relationship with a company that鈥檚 rated one of the best to work for in the country,鈥� says DiFilippo, who founded a Salesforce Leaders Group at UML this winter to help students learn more about the customer relationship management (CRM) platform.聽
As SGA president, DiFilippo has strived to be the voice of all 18,000-plus students. Based on survey feedback and open forums, he helped shine a light on student mental health issues, which university administrators responded to with increased staffing at the Wellness Center. He and SGA Vice President Vilma Okey-Ewurum also have worked to improve access to campus resources for international and LGBTQ students, and they were able to make University Crossing accessible 24/7 for students during finals week.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been more work than I expected, but it鈥檚 also been very rewarding,鈥� says DiFilippo, who estimates he puts in 15 to 20 hours a week meeting with student senators, executive board members and university administrators.聽
Being part of Oprah鈥檚 visit to campus in November, which brought in $3 million in scholarship funds for UML students, was a 鈥渟urreal experience鈥� for DiFilippo, who remembers watching her talk show with his single mom as a kid.
鈥淥prah鈥檚 visit was an ideal moment in the university鈥檚 history because of all the good that will come from it,鈥� says DiFilippo, who knows what kind of an impact scholarships can have for students 鈥� he received the in 2018, which paid for his final year of school.
As his undergraduate days draw to a close, DiFilippo looks back at the mentorship he鈥檚 received and considers himself lucky. Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and University Events Larry Siegel and Manning School Dean Sandra Richtermeyer have all been influential. And Dean of Academic Services Kerry Donohoe helped him realize his leadership potential.
鈥淏efore I met her, the thought of becoming SGA president wasn鈥檛 in the cards,鈥� DiFilippo says. 鈥淪he helped me with everything from public speaking to being more organized.鈥�
And to think, DiFilippo was thisclose to attending a more leafy (and expensive) private university.
鈥淚鈥檓 thankful every day that I chose 51视频,鈥� he says. 鈥淪eeing how much I鈥檝e personally grown, and how much the university has grown, in my four years here has been unbelievable.鈥�