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[Music] Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Manor College. I'm your host Kelly Peiffer, vice president of marketing communications and this is the best part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you, making you feel like at Manor College, you belong here always. Before we get to today's guest, it is time for a segment of the show I like to call did you know? Did you know that for the for the past 20 years, Mayor College had a Civil War

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institute which offered individuals the chance to explore the complexities of the American Civil War through a series of engaging courses often taught by experts from the Delaware Valley Civil War Roundtable. It delved beyond basic facts, aiming to provide a new perspective on the error's pivotal events, key figures, societal impacts with topics ranging from specific campaigns, prominent generals to lesser known incidents and aspects like Civil War medicine or the horses of the Civil War. The institute has since expanded to

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the broader the history institute at Manor College and classes are taught all year long. You can see what is being offered right now by going to manor.edu/coned. Today's episode is sponsored by Manor College's certificate program in religious studies. The world is changing fast. Want to truly understand cultures and bring a fresh perspective to your career? Dive into Manor College's certificate in religious studies for less than $250 per credit for 12 credits. You too can explore world

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religions, bridge gap of neuroscience and religion, and unlock new insights. This is your moment. Register today with just a 10% deposit. Learn more at manorcol.edu/certificates. We have a truly special guest today. We are chatting with someone who's inspiring and proves that the path to success isn't always in a straight line. Our guest started their academic journey right here studying liberal arts, not only excelling but graduating as the valedictorian in 2005 with a unique connection to the

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institution. Her own mom was a beloved professor. That foundational experience helped her build a robust set of skills providing the clarity and confidence to transfer to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. Now today they are applying that diverse expertise in a really fascinating role managing the brand advertising program at a Fortune 500 company Troric. Please join me in welcoming a Manor College alumni EJ McNiff. Hi EJ. Hi Kelly. Thanks for being with us today. Thanks so much for having me. This is

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really exciting. It is. So, can you start us off by sharing obviously I usually ask people like why did you choose Manor and how did you learn about it but for you um your mom worked at the institution so I'm assuming you heard about it maybe even too much at the dinner table at home every night. Yeah. Every night. So why then did you choose Manor? Because you could have gone somewhere else I assume. Um, and what made it for you like, okay, I'm gonna go to the school even though my mom works

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there. Kind of. What was that like for you? Yeah. Um, well, definitely I knew about Manor and I heard a lot about the offerings. I got I kind of got an inside scoop to see the teachers. I knew the teachers. I knew the programs. I knew what they were offering. So, I saw how much work went into the program and I knew the school had a lot of good offerings. But to be honest, when I was in high school, I did not have a clue what to do with my life after high school. Um, I knew I liked art, but I know that that's a challenging one to

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figure out how to pay the bills on. Um, and I didn't really know what to do with that. Uh, I had a few dabblings in I worked at a real estate company and I worked at a restaurant. um but didn't really have a clear direction on what do I want to do for my entire rest of my life. Um and I did apply to several different schools, but really at the end of the day knowing that Manor was somewhere that I was familiar with. I knew that they had the broad offerings of liberal art. So I could dabble. I

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could explore a lot of different things and try to make sense of that and make connections through the two years I was there. Um, it became a pretty clear decision that that would allow me to one live at home and save a lot of money um and also the benefits of uh the tuition and my mom working there. Um, but that gave me two years to be able to save up some money um before transitioning to a a four-year school with really stellar grades that allowed me to get in um once I had that time to make a more solid decision of where I

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wanted to go. I love that. I love um that you were like, "Yeah, I don't know what I want." And I that is so true. So many college students still they come in and they don't know um I think the the average college student changes their major two or three times in a in a normal like four to five years of their experience. So like it's hard it's hard to know what to do but I mean major kudos to you for being like I don't know what I want to do but this is a good opportunity I have

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to like be okay with that and like try to figure it out. Obviously, it's a good economic decision. Save some money, live at home, and and try to kind of get those steps into transferring, and then also like use that time to like get really good grades, go into that transfer opportunity as a top candidate. Um, I think that's awesome. We see so many students coming to Manor to either get their grades up because they didn't do too well in high school or because they want to come here. I see pre- N nursing

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a lot. students will come here for pre- n nursing because they're not ready to go right into a nursing program whether it's financial or grades or something else and then they they do really well in our pre- N nursing program and then they get they finally get to go to like Roxborough or Jefferson or wherever they wanted to go. So I think that's a really smart strategy for um students coming right from high school. It kind of gives them a bit of a you know like a lead way to like take time. It's okay. kind of also takes

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the pressure off a little bit. So, um I love that. I love that that's part of part of your story. And so, when you were a student, what was what was Manor like for you? Were you involved with different activities? Um any classes that you can recall or any professors that you can recall that kind of stood out to you? Yeah. So, um I at at the top of our call, we were talking about Mike Landis, um and Mattie Seltzer, and um that was my very first class coming into the school as a nerdy freshman, not knowing

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what to do or where to really really go, no friends. Um, but that that was a an English class, English literature, and I just remember, you know, we watched movies and then we dissected the heck out of them. And I had never thought about something as simple as just a movie that I was watching every day in those different ways. And it pushed me to write and learn how to write about things, you know, in a way that I hadn't done in high school. But just the challenge, like the fun of being in a class of people that had

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totally different backgrounds for me and pushing these different ways of thinking that I had never explored. That was definitely a theme while I was at Manor that I I loved so much. like being in a room of people and challenging each other and you know just being okay to say the wrong thing and and not knowing really what you're talking about but you know we had uh Mattie Seltzer and Mike Landis to kind of guide us and say hey did you think about this and I think that was that process through that class

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and also um Frank Frell my religion classes I I didn't really have a desire to go into the religion space, but it was a requirement for the course and that those classes were some of the ones I enjoyed the most just because of the you know the thought process of thinking through things different ways and you know world religions and um connecting dots I had never thought about before. The whole experience of a lot of the classes was kind of opening up this new curiosity of if there's something that

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is interesting, I don't have to memorize everything and just go through the motions. I can just be curious about it and go about learning it in my own way. And that's what I think the the real benefit of not knowing what I wanted to do coming out of high school and just being open to, you know, explore and try my best and realizing that as a fresh start. I think having those good teachers when I started was the right footing to get me motivated. But that in combination of realizing this is a clean slate. this is my

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opportunity. No one knows me. You know, the schools that I may want to go to in the future don't know me. The career opportunities, you know, don't know anything about me. Like, this is my clean slate. And when I got like those first A's, it suddenly became this like self-competition that I I wanted to know as much as I possibly could and keep it going, you know? Yeah, that's so cool. I love I love that clean slate perspective. And that's what college is for. You know,

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you can leave your baggage behind. We're going to going to be here to support you and help you um create, you know, what you want it to make out of. You know, you want it to be that that top tier student who kind of like takes it all in and like does all those things. And that's really I think that's really cool to hear. And I think a lot of students come in with that perspective that they're like, "Yeah, you know, I don't want to bring the high school baggage with me or the transfer baggage.

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I want this to be my new home. And I think that kind of is a testament to our tagline, you belong here, is kind of like that that is kind of what we try to do and make our students feel that way. So that's awesome to hear. What was it like um being a student and seeing your mom kind of around and what was that like? Uh we've had a few students whose parents work here. I one right now I can think of. Um, so it's it's fairly common year to year, but kind of what was that

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like for you? Yeah, it's funny thinking back. Um, I definitely did run into my mom. Um, sure. It's a small campus. No, I knew where the offices were, so I would go up and see my mom and I knew a lot of the other teachers because she was very close with them. Um, but I think that was the nice thing about that time in my life is she very much kind of let me go and figure it out on my own. And I had the benefit of if I was looking at something or I didn't understand how to to pick something or

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how the credits worked or, you know, that definitely was a huge perk that she knew it in and out and she could say, "You're really going to like this. you may struggle with this. Um, so that was a huge perk that I definitely owe her a debt of gratitude for helping me to navigate. But, um, she really let me let me explore on my own and participate in things like, um, Rotoak. She was very very involved in Roak and kind of showed me, um, the opportunities with that. We got to do a lot of uh community activity

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and um we even ended up going to my boss's house and painting his basement. He was a quadriplegic uh designer and we got all these activities that one looked good on our college resume, but also like we were meeting people, we were doing things as college students with these other students in our class and it really brought us together. There there's two students in particular, Marshall and Brian. You know who you are. They haven't been on the podcast. They've got incredible stories as well.

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Um but having that experience through Rotto but then also through school um you know really really helped us bond and I think I I was able to have the full college experience um without feeling you know too too sheltered or too overshadowed with my mom over my shoulder. She was really good about letting me figure out fall move forward however I I could. Yeah. What what good what good like boundaries because that's I think that'd be hard as I um and I'm thinking about like I'm a parent and I'm I'm far from

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the college years thankfully. like that would be hard to, you know, not want to kind of like keep your kids protected and but it sounds like she found a really good balance of like being there when you needed her for like advising and like the kind of advice part, but then also like let EJ do her thing and um I'll be a mom and not, you know, a college professor, but I'll be I'll be her mom. So really good for her doing that. That's that's really cool. Um, so EJ, kind of tell us about your career

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path and kind of what you um have have been working in and working on. Um, kind of obviously it's been a while since graduating from Manor, so you don't have to go go that whole journey, but kind of tell us about what are what are you doing today in your career? Yeah. Yeah. So, um, uh, today I'm working as an advertising manager for Tever Price. Um, and so what that means is Tier Price is an asset manager. People invest money and Tier Price manages that money to hopefully make you money. Um, and they they do a really

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good job at that. So, it's good working for a company that has a solid brand. Um, and I have the opportunity focusing on advertising and promoting to people to make people aware of that, but also managing our creative partners. We work with partners outside of Torric um to build the stories that will convince people um that what we have to offer is interesting and relevant to their lives. So, right now we have some spots on TV that uh we created. Uh I think it's the beginning of 2024. Can't believe it's been that long. Um

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got to go out to LA and shoot these ads at Universal. And um it's a whole story about how uh the power of curiosity can help deliver better outcomes and better insights. And through asking questions, you're able to uh get a better understanding of the right decisions to make in life instead of just freezing out of fear, you know, or jumping to conclusions. So it's a really fun job. I really love my job because we get to make these cool creative stories. Um, and then we get to bring forward the visuals that

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represent that and study audiences and understand what they um are interested in, what uh gets them motivated, what is likely to make them engage with our brand. Um, so it's a really fun job. Uh it has been a long process getting here. I started um uh in graphic design. I after Manor I went to graphic design school uh Rodan School of Design and you know that fully blew up my mind on the creative process and thinking outside of the box. Mhm. Um then spent three years as a designer in Baltimore and then when 2008 hit and

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the markets did terrible and we saw a lot of layoffs in our company, that's when I realized there's all these other sides of the business that I'm curious about. I'm really interested in like social media was suddenly becoming a big thing. Um business development and how do we get new people to want to use our services as a design firm? Um, there were all these other sides of the being a designer that I didn't formally have a degree for, but I did have this liberal arts experience for Manor

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that I was seeing being tapped for that. Um, basic business communications that was one of the courses that had a huge impact. Mhm. Um, so I realized there was sort of this niche of being a creative problem solver um that other people didn't have. So I had the creative context from going to Rhode Island School Design, but also being able to think about business and strategy and how we could engage with different audiences. And it's definitely been a unique angle that I've been able to craft through my experience

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moving on from being a designer to then becoming um a brand strategist for a university and then moving on to Tro Price to do brand advertising. Um like you said in the beginning, not a clear path. Um, but all these different experiences have been things that, you know, as I've been working, I've been seeing these things. I think I'm good at this. I think there's something there. I don't know what it is. I'm going to check it out. I'm going to explore it. And some of those explorations have been

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giant leaps that are terrifying. Um, but I've definitely embraced the feeling that you don't ever have to be decisive that this is the only path and you can explore those things. It's going to take a lot of work and you have to commit that you're going to put in the work to explore those things. But I remember when I applied for tier, I applied for like over 40 companies. I had a spreadsheet and it's a hard process figuring out where's the right place to apply your skills. But

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through that process, you know, I was really able to to refine what my story was and understand what I was really good at and where it could apply or not. And I think that's really paid off hugely because I absolutely love my job at Tro now. Oh, that's awesome. Well, thank you so much for kind of sharing that with us. And I think it's so cool how like a liberal arts degree can go so many different ways. No, like no two people who went and got a liberal arts degree are the same like ever. It's always

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unique. It's never this like cookie cutter career or cookie cutter journey. It's just not it's not the way it is. But it's so cool that you were able to like start piece mailing together almost like all cart like I have these skills. I have these skills, I have this passion, I have this interest. And then it's like you're building um kind of your own, you know, journey, your own career. Um as someone who studied design and and is a creative person, I'm just curious

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what's like what's like a brand that you really love their their design and their their brand right now? I'm just curious because I'm someone who also finds these things fascinating and um works in marketing and just looks at this kind of stuff a lot. Um design wise, I'm trying to think um I mean there there's a lot of different design brands. I've been more um interested in their like marketing tactics and um like the Barbie movie. That's the the big one that was just

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so blown out of the water with they hit the world with every possible thing you could think of. And it was just so smart how they, you know, were in every conversation. They were in every experience. Like anywhere that you were, Barbie was. And yeah, and their branding was so good. I mean, every red carpet appearance was a different version of Barbie through the years in Margot Robbie's outfits. Like that was like that's branding actually continuing the brand just in a different form. Like how that that's a great

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example. I love that. Yeah, we saw that in like Wicked. Wicked did the same formula where they took that pink and green and they've just blown it up and put it everywhere. Yep. And um not so much a brand example, but Yeah. No, but still. Yeah. But just like the smart approach of the strategy behind it. I think I've loved kind of learning about the different way of thinking about how to how to engage with people. And it's not always just about the design. I think when I started, I felt all this

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pressure that the design had to be the perfect thing and that's such a subjective thing. So I was so worried. Mhm. But as I've kind of moved beyond just design and added on this layer of business strategy and audience profiling, it's understanding, you know, different things resonate with different people. Y and you know, it's funny. I had a boss who worked for AOL and he would say he if you remember like those CDs you would get in the mail Mhm. all the time. Yep. He was the one sending those out.

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And he said what they learned is they could put any picture on that CD and it didn't matter. It was the message that they had to get the message right and the message had to go to the right houses. And I do think that the design does matter because if you put some ridiculous thing with a really good message, it might make people a little confused. But the power of a message is so important. It is. It's so important. I agree. you know, in 2016, I was part of the Manor team that redid our our branding, our

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logo, and and I was I was lucky enough to lead that. Um, and we spent so much time on the design of our logo, on the design of our shield, and on the design of our athletic uh blue J bird. And I stand by it, and it's I think it's great. almost 10 years later, it's still holding up well. Yeah. But the thing that people talk to me about and constantly tell me is the you belong here is what they take away from it. Like the logo, they're like, "Oh, I didn't even notice

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like all that symbolism and there's like all these little buildings like, oh, that looks cute." Like they that doesn't But it's so funny even doesn't matter if they're an 18-year-old or a 60-year-old or it doesn't matter what where they come from. It's like you belong here makes me feel something. Yeah. So that so it's like okay messaging and stories. Stories are what we find. Stories just every stories is everything. People want to connect with something or someone that makes

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them feel something. So stories are the thing. Yeah. I get hit by your social media ads a lot or your organic posts and I love it. Yeah. You're doing that so well at Banner. We are we are trying um to do it really well and we have a really great team here who kind of we all understand that like the stu our our our motto in the marketing team is that like the students are the hero of our story. We are not. We are just like the vessel that gets the students to where they need to go.

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But like we want to make sure the students are truly the ones that are being the hero being painted in the picture. And that's kind of our method. Um but EJ kind of one final question here for you. Like what advice would you give to current Manor College students um to kind of inspire them and encourage them to keep on their studies. Yeah. Uh you don't have to settle. This isn't the end all be all. Be curious. Um and you know be open to anything. Take in what you can. Not every class is

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going to be the most interesting. Um, but there are little nuggets of excitement and inspiration that you can take out of that that could have relevance in something else in your life. And I think looking for those things is really what kept me motivated and making those connections. Um, I have gone full hog on all things AI and I just love how, you know, I'm I'm using that as basically a consultant to say like, how should I think about this? You you guys have so much access to AI now and using AI as a tool to think

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through when you see something, how could I think about this? How could I do this differently? It's a great opportunity to just brainstorm all your possibilities and you know there's so much access today. Um so you know the options are limitless. Don't be afraid to feel locked into one thing. You can explore. Your path can change and you're fully in control of that if you're willing to put in the work. Oh, thank you so much. which I love. I love anytime people encourage others to

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like stay curious and to stay um kind of open to possibilities. I think that's really really important. Something that I like to end out our episodes with is just referring back to our mission. You know, our mission at the college here is to really prepare students to graduate to serve so society effectively and compassionately. And in that we want students to always be lifelong learners. We say that in our mission and I think um whether it's AI, whether it's other technology that we don't even know

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about, but like staying hungry to learn more is really important um to have like a human experience. So, I'm really glad that you said that because I think that's really true to what we're trying to do here with our students and I'm really I'm so proud of you as an alumni. You are certainly living out our mission. Um and I wish you nothing but the best, EJ. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. Thank you so much. Thanks for doing this podcast. Thank you for tuning in today. If you

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like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube. And stay up to date with all new episodes by following Manor College on Instagram at Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of The Nest Stories about life after Manor College. Remember Blue Jays, you belong here always. [Music]

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[Music] Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Manor College. I am your host Kelly Peiffer vice president of marketing communications and this is the best part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you, making you feel like at Manor College you belong here always. Before we get to today's guest, it is time for a segment of the show I like to call did you know? Betsy Ross is known for sewing the first American flag and Betsy Ross spent some

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time here on Manor's campus. So Betsy Ross was married three times and had seven daughters between those three marriages. Most interesting to Manor College is that Betsy Ross was connected to the Satterwhite family through her daughter Susanna. Susanna married William Satterwhite and the Satterwhite's property stood on where the future of the mother house for the sisters of St. Basil the Great would eventually be. A mother house is essentially like the convent of where the sisters live. So Betsy Ross lived

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with her married daughter Susanna right here in Jenkintown in what we call the Yellow House. The Yellow House is still a current standing building today. It is just a few hundred feet away from where I'm sitting. It's on the sister's property. The yellow house is where Manor College initially started in 1947 with 11 students taking classes right in that yellow house. So, back to Betsy Ross. In 1827, when Betsy Ross was 75 years old, she moved in with her daughter Susanna in this yellow house.

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And it is believed that Betsy Ross spent the remainder of her life here in Jenkintown in the Yellow House. She passed at the age of 84 in 1836. So there you go. Manor College has some connection to an American icon. Pretty cool. Philly fans, get ready. Join Manor College alumni and friends night at Citizens Bank Park. July 19th, Saturday night, 2025. We are cheering on the Phillies against the Los Angeles Angels. Plus, kids 14 and under get a free Brandon Marsh jersey giveaway. All friends and family of Manor College are

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invited. Get your tickets at manor.edu/alumni/phillies. Go Phils. Today we have a truly special guest. We are thrilled to welcome Hatboro PA native having attended Upper Moreland High School before coming to Manor College. Our guest today earned an associate of science degree in business medical secretarial from Manor in 1987 after transferring from a community college. While at Manor, they were an active member of the Pacers Club. After graduating, they continued their education at Gwynedd Mercy University

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and today they are the proud executive director of the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation. Please give a warm welcome to an Anne DeSantis. Hi Anne. Hi, Kelly. It's great to be here with you. Thank you for inviting me. Well, thank you for being with us. It's always good to see you and to talk to you and kind of hear about what's going on in your life. You're always pretty busy and doing a lot of different things. So, it's good to hear that we'll hear about that a little bit later on.

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But, can you start me off with how did you first find Manor College? How did you hear about it? I have to give my mother the credit. She was the one that told me about Manor. As you said during the intro, I was attending a community college in the area and I was thinking about transferring because I I was basically wanting to get into a different career aside from what I had originally started the community college for. And so that's how it all came about. I love that. Give mom the credit. That's

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that's awesome. It's so funny. the more alumni I talk to, the more that like that similar um story comes up. A lot of moms particularly are really influential in the college search and the college decision. So, shout out to all the moms out there who um are kind of helping their their kids find their way. So, what was it like being a Manor student and kind of take us back, what were you involved with? Can can you explain what the Pacers Club was and um just kind of what was your Manor time

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like? My Manor time was amazing and what I liked the most about it was the community and my classes were just amazing. Wonderful professors, wonderful instructors. And at the time it's a program that's not one that you're offering anymore because it's kind of an obsolete one. I guess it was a medical secretarial but a business degree really an associate degree in business and I was one of those students who did work as well. So I was there during the day but I had a job in the evening because I

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was a commuter. I live in the I lived in the area. I lived as you said in Hatboro Pennsylvania and I was involved in the Pacers club. I didn't have a whole lot of extra time to be involved in lots of other clubs and activities, but the Pacers club was fun and exciting. I got to meet some great people and we helped to organize some wonderful events on campus. So, that that was really a great memory for me. Oh, that's cool. So, it was like um like a student activities club almost. It was an activities club for sure.

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You know what? We still have I mean that still exists today. We still have um it's called CAB. It's campus activities board and they're a group of students who get together and they help plan student activities like um every year in February we have like a blue jay ball. It's like a dance. They help plan the dance and they decorate and they promote and sell tickets and um they sell concessions at our basketball games which I know is pretty popular but like the same idea students planning events

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and having like the business aspects in it. Um that's really cool. That's really awesome. I also loved how you said that, you know, Manor was like this kind of like small small community for you and it was really embraced you and you came from a community college so that you know that was different. Community colleges are bigger and um tend to be overwhelming. So, I'm glad that you found Manor to be kind of what you're looking for. But it's so funny. You know, your story is is very relatable

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today. I mean, most of our students work, most of them work full-time, they commute. A lot of them come from other institutions and they transfer to Manor. So, like those kind of same pathways to college are still very, very relevant. Where did you work when you were a student? I worked in offices. is there were a couple different offices that I worked in, doctor's offices, and it really lined right up with what I was in school for, because what I was interested in was getting involved in working in uh

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the medical field and medical offices. And so, it really just lined right up with what my mission was at the time. But, of course, it grew over time. And uh as you said, I did go on to get the bachelor's degree from uh another university and continue my education actually which is a beautiful thing. Uh in 2021 I got a master's degree and then believe it or not this past year I actually finished with a doctoral degree in Catholic theology which really helps with what I do now as an executive

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director for a nonprofit. Yeah. Oh my goodness. I love that. I love it when I hear about alumni who like got their foundational start at Manor and then kept going. Um, education is such a powerful tool. No one can ever take it from you. So, it's just so great when I hear stories about. So, congratulations to you, Ann. That's awesome. What an achievement and what a what just like great perseverance like I'm going to keep going. I'm going to get a doctorate. the the stats of people

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who have doctorates, particularly women, is is pretty low still. So, it's always really impressive when you see anyone getting a doctorate, especially women. So, congratulations to you. That's wonderful. Thank you very much. Yeah. Can you kind of tell us what was so after you graduated um with your bachelor's kind of what was your career path and what did what did you go into? Well, thank you. I was very inspired by my instructors at Manor and also at the university I went to after I was

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finished there with my bachelor's degree and I became interested in teaching. I've always loved people. I've always loved instructing. It was something that really was an interest of mine and I loved my classes and I really learned a lot by observing some of my teachers. Uh one of my teachers at Manor was just amazing and she was one of my primary instructors when I was there was Esther Goldman. So, make a shout out to Esther. She's retired at this point, but uh she really did have a big impact on me. Uh

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and then at there was also at the time the guidance counselor at Manor, her name was I believe it was Marylou Delysia. She was also amazing and she was the one that she could see in me that I wasn't finished with schooling when I finished at Manor that I had this thirst and desire to want to go on to get the bachelor's degree. Um I I was able to get a scholarship from Manor, which was amazing that Manor gave me a scholarship to attend um the next university that I went to and and I was successful and

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finished there. Got the bachelor's degree and I was teaching. I in fact um to make a long story short, I was an instructor right across the street at what is no longer there, but St. Basil Academy. I was a business instructor there for a few years and after that time I wound up uh having a family. I have two wonderful daughters now a grandmother as well and uh I was home for a number of years. In fact um I actually was a homeschooling mother. I homeschooled my kids and got back into the workforce once they were around in

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high school. and I've been working for this uh Catholic nonprofit now as the executive director for almost eight years where we make pastoral outreach to families in crisis. It's called the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family, and Faith. And so that's what I've been doing over the years, over these last, you know, eight years or more um involved in in in that nonprofit world and doing some other things, too, because I'm actually a Catholic author and speaker. I'm with

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the Catholic Speakers Organization. Uh I've written some books. In fact, uh if anyone wants to learn about some of the books that I've written, you can just go to my website. It's andantis.com. Learn a little bit more about what I've done in addition to working for the nonprofit. Oh wow. Well, thank you so much for what a like a rich um description of you and your career. And I mean, what great like the word that comes to mind was service. like what great service to your community, to your family. I mean,

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staying home and being a working, you know, a homeschool mom, and that is service all over the place. Um, and then getting back into the career field, working at a nonprofit, helping pastors, helping families in crisis. I mean, that it's so wonderful to hear that, um, you're giving, you're just giving back in so many ways, and I think that's really encouraging and inspiring. Um, can you tell me a little bit about the foundation and what are maybe some of the um, you know, things that you would

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like to share about it or what's maybe some projects you're currently working on right now? Oh, I really appreciate that and thank you so much for your kind words. I really do owe so much to Manor and those beginnings because uh, I think that what I learned at Manor just was such a foundation for everything in my life. So I just thank Manor in so many ways. My instructors, it just of the sisters, the staff, it was just fantastic. Um the foundation that I work for actually it's called as again St. Raymond Nonnatus

00:12:30
Foundation. It was founded by a Catholic religious order. They're called the Mercedarian Religious Order located in West Philadelphia. And what we do is we make free pastoral outreach to as I mentioned uh individuals and families in crisis. So, it could be anything from a relationship crisis, maybe something to do with um a a divorce or separation, job loss, trauma, loss of a loved one, health crisis, all those things that people go through. People can reach out to us and get a free appointment with

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one of our priests. We also have a prayer intention line where people can go to the website. The website is nois.org. We have a a confidential prayer intention page that people can send those in and our priests and brothers are always praying just as I know the sisters at St. Basil always keeping everyone in their prayers too. And that was another part of Manor that I really love was just the interaction with the sisters as well. And uh and so that's what I do. I I I try to help people help people who are going through

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challenging times through the work at the foundation and we do a lot of retreats in the area. Um, another thing we're doing which I'm really excited about is we have an Italy pilgrimage coming up in November. You asked about projects or things that are going on. Um, that's an exciting thing that we're doing at the end of this year, November 3rd to 13th. Somebody wants to learn about that. It's on my website andantis.com or the other website that I just mentioned, nonazis.org. Thanks for

00:14:00
asking. Oh, wow. That that's great. So, it sounds like you help people then help people. you know what I mean? You're giving um as a foundation executive director, you're giving tools and resources to those who then can go out and actually serve and help. Um what a great gift. What a what a great mission that is. I love that. Um a question that I've been asking our guests as of lately is asking for them to like debunk a myth or a misconception about um something that they're involved

00:14:31
with. And I think for for you a a good one might be like what is a myth or misconception about um people of the Catholic faith and and something that you want to debunk that maybe people assume is true but you are someone who obviously um knows the Catholic faith very very well um that you can kind of debunk for us. Well, let's look at what the word Catholic means. it means universal and the Catholic faith is concerned for not just Catholics, for everyone. Um so those prayer requests that we get, you

00:15:08
know, could be for anybody that's watching or listening right now. Um we care. Um as we as we know, I mean, we just lost Pope Francis, but we have new Pope, Pope Leo I 14th. Um already I'm just very excited about his charism and what he offers. And uh Pope Francis was also wonderful. So many of us just love him and miss him. Um but uh Pope I think Pope Leo the 14th is also doing an amazing job so far. I mean he's brand new. We're getting to know him day by day. Um but just keep in mind, you know, that

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the church is there for the world. The human family, we're all part of the human family. Uh I think the Sisters of St. Basil, the way that they opened their doors um in a way of offering education in the community both at the college level and when St. Basil Academy was in existence for so many years. It was amazing for me to be involved in working there and uh and also a graduate of Manor. I'm just so proud of both. Um, and looking forward to the future and and also just I I love to

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continue to tell people about Manor and and what Manor has done for me in my life and and thank the Sisters of St. Basil, which actually they really did help me in so many ways, even with my faith as well. So grateful to them. Yeah. Oh, that's great. I love I love kind of the idea of like it's part of the human family. It's universal. It's not just for quote unquote Catholics. It's for everybody. Is there any um any plans in any of your works to meet Pope Leo I 14th? Is that going to

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happen at some point, do you think, or not sure? Well, you're giving me a chance to say this publicly. I want to meet Pope Leo the 14th. I'd absolutely love to. The good news is when we go to Italy at the end of this year, November 3rd to 13th through Trinity Tour travels, by the way, if you want to look that up, um we will be in the Wednesday audience of Pope Leo the 14th, meaning that every Wednesday the Pope, you know, has an audience where people can go and get a blessing, listen um listen to his

00:17:12
homily. So, I think that uh or whatever he's offering that day, his he gives a speech in front of thousands of people. So really looking forward to that. And I won't be meeting him in person, but um I sure hope I do someday. It would be a wonderful experience. Oh yeah. And he's uh you know he's got some Philadelphia roots that you know everyone knows being a Villanova Villanova guy. So it's really cool. Really cool. I hope that happens for you an and um certainly we'll be following

00:17:42
along closely if and if and when it does. Um I just want to touch on you know you talked about you taught over at St. Basil's Academy, which every day, um, you know, our campus sits directly across the street from it. And every day they're getting construction. It looks like a, you know, complete construction scene, huge, you know, bulldozers and excavators and things. And it's sad. It's it's sad to to see something that was um such a core to our mission, the sister's mission, um,

00:18:17
being gone. But at the same time, you know, you think about it, you reflect upon it, and you think what a great legacy it had. It was it was there for a very long time. It served and and taught so many um young women, and they're all out in the world still living through that that mission that they learned at SBA. So, I I have hope and faith that those girls are out there doing awesome things in the world and they they stay in touch with each other and it's just always good to um connect

00:18:46
with anyone from SBA and kind of hear their their stories as well. Um and then, you know, it is also good to know that the sisters are going to be okay because they are able to um they're able to sell, you know, part of their their their property and that's going to drive their mission longer and forward and they're going to be okay because of that. So that does give me some peace um when we're seeing, you know, buildings being bulldozed and um they took out all their beautiful ch they used to have

00:19:15
cherry blossoms lining this entire walkway and they they pulled those out as like one of the first things they did and a bunch of us were out there watching it and taking pictures and it was it was sad, you know. It was really sad. Oh, I I understand. And in fact, I want to make a shout out for anybody who might be watching. I'm still connected with quite a few of my students when I was there on Facebook and that's a real joy to watch them and see them grow over the years. Um, and there is a

00:19:43
Facebook group too for those who attended. I'm part of that group even though I wasn't a student but I'll tell you when you're a teacher there it's you get that experience a full experience of the school and it the close-knit um celebrating our faith together. It was just a absolutely fantastic experience for me. I will never forget u and I know that the people who are connected those different classes you know I was there in the early 90s and I can tell you that I can see that they

00:20:14
are still a lot of them are still in touch and that's really what's important isn't it? They're just keeping those f those bonds. It's like a family bond that they have together as a graduate of St. Basil Academy or as an instructor like I was. Yeah. Yeah. It's cool. I I had the opportunity to coach over at St. Basil's for a few years for field hockey and lacrosse and it was a great it was a great gig for me. I got to I got to leave work, you know, at 3:00 or 3:30 every day and go coach for a few

00:20:44
hours and it was really really cool and unique um for me to be able to to do that and and meet the girls and and work with them. So that was really special. So definitely holds a special place in my heart as well. Um, Ann, I guess I want to ask you, you know, what what advice would you have for um college students of today who are, you know, maybe hopefully they're at Manor or maybe they're high school students thinking about college and where they should go? Um, what advice would you

00:21:13
share with them kind of from what you've learned in your in your life? Well, from what I've learned in my life is that it's not where you start, it's where you end. But that that start that I had at Manor really contributed to where I am today. Um when I was in high school and by bringing up that little quote there, I'm talking about when I was in high school, I honestly wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. I was one of those kids and that happens quite a quite a lot I

00:21:41
think in life is that uh did I want to go straight to work? Um I went to community college but I was very unsure of myself. I was not really convinced that the direction that I was taking at the very beginning at community college was where I belonged. And I know that one of your taglines is that that that you belong here, right? There's something to that effect. And that is exactly what Manor did for me. It really gave me that um foundation as I use that word before because like I said, it's

00:22:13
not where you start, it's where you end. When I was in high school, I didn't know where I was going. And I never would have guessed that decades later that I'd be where I am today, that I'd finish a a PhD, a doctoral degree in theology, and doing what I'm doing now. And being an author and a speaker, and being able to help people the way that I do through this Catholic nonprofit that I work for, I never would have dreamed that. So I would just say that Manor is a wonderful place to start to give you

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that foundation and gosh you just never know where you'll end up meaning in terms of following whatever god's will is for your life because he he has good plans for all of us and that's for sure and I never would have guessed that at the very beginning but it's not just for me it's for everyone so I think manor is just an amazing institution that I highly recommend to anyone both inside this greater Philadelphia area and even those who are watching this podcast who don't live in the area, come to

00:23:14
Pennsylvania. Come to the Philadelphia area. It's a great place. Manor's, a wonderful institution and I think you'll be very happy with your decision. Well, thank you for the shameless plug. I appreciate it. Um, but I think what I think what you said about it's like it's not where you start, it's where you end. But like kind of tying that back to like but your foundation is still like your base, your root. You build off of your foundation. So it's really important to um have a strong foundation and one that

00:23:44
can help guide and direct you to where you want to go. Um something that I as we're talking and I'm hearing your story and you and I have chatted quite a bit before so I'm familiar with it. But when I when I think about you I think about service. I think about um and how like you are a global like person. You are a global um you have a global reach. I feel like someone I don't think you're just helping like a a neighborhood or an area. You are touching people all over the world. Um and I think that's really

00:24:18
really cool. But it ties back to our mission and this is kind of what I want to hit on. You know, in our mission, we say that we provide personalized education and then that education is going to foster a commitment to a peaceful world and empower students to develop as individuals and as a global citizen. Like those are exact words. I'm going off memory here, but that's pretty much what it says. And I feel like that's you. Thank you. Um, so thank you so much for being just

00:24:51
a true testament to what we're trying to do here at Manor and a true testament to our mission and and finding just finding people that you can help and serve through your ministries and through your work. Um, and being really dedicated to that. It's really inspiring. Well, Kelly, I have to say you're inspiring to me as well with the work that you do at Manor and also just as a human being, a mom raising three kids. um just a a great person to know. I'm I'm so glad to know you and also the

00:25:21
connection that we have through the place that we love so much, right, Manor College. Yeah, I know. It's a great place. And thank you, Ann, for being with us today. It's truly been a joy and a blessing to talk to you and I wish you wish you nothing but the best. And as we like to say to our alumni, you belong here always. So, thank you, Ann, so much. Thank you. And to everyone, God bless you and wish you the best with your future endeavors. Thank you for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and

00:25:49
subscribe on Spotify or YouTube and stay up to date with all new episodes by following Manor College on Instagram at Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of The Nest, stories about life after Manor College. Remember, Blue Jays, you belong here always. [Music]

00:00:00
[Music] Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Manor College. I am your host Kelly Peiffer vice president of marketing communications and this is the best part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you, making you feel like at Manor College you belong here always. Before we get to today's guest, it is time for a segment of the show I like to call Did You Know? Where we will share some fun facts about Manor College that you may or may not

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know. So, did you know that Manor College is currently enrolling students for our fall semester? And we're offering a program called the You Belong Here Advantage. Now, this program was designed to help students launch into college without the usual headaches and worries that might come with starting into a college experience. So, when students enroll as a new full-time first time student, they get some free really great, incredible perks at no extra cost. One, they get a free laptop filled with Microsoft Office 365 ready

00:01:08
to roll. They get free textbooks for all of their courses. There's a few exceptions for some of our allied health programs, but for the most part, if you're a student at Manor College, you're not going to have to pay for textbooks. They also get free four meals a week at our dining hall. So they get a meal plan that students can use for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Up to four free meals a week in our dining hall. And the last benefit they get with this you belong here advantage is they get to utilize tuition free summer classes for

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the following summer. So students can take summer classes in the summer of 2026 to kind of keep their college degree moving, get caught up on maybe classes they need to, and still not lose any time and really at and really a very minimal tuition free cost. This is a great benefit. I'm really encouraging people to check it out. It's called the You Belong Here Advantage. You can go to manor.edu edu and look under our admissions area and you can learn more about it and get your application started today. Today's episode is

00:02:11
sponsored by Manor College's School of Continuing Education. Elevate your career with a professional development certificate from Manor College. Boost your skills in business, cyber crime, child development, or leadership. Affordable, flexible, and designed for working professionals. Certificates can be completed in as little as 9 months. Learn more at manner.edu. edu/certificates and advance your future. Today we have a truly special guest today. We are thrilled to welcome a dedicated educator making a real difference in our

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community. Coming from Philadelphia, attending Agora Cyber Charter School, then going to earn her associates degree in liberal arts from Manor College in 2016. From there, she continued her academic journey earning a dual degree in special education K through2 and general education from Western Governor's University. Today she is shaping young minds at Cherry Hill public schools, specifically at the Malberg preschool. She also serves as a school's representative for access and opportunity. Please give a warm welcome

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to Mariah Carol. Hi Mariah, thanks for joining us today. Hi, thanks for having me. So can you start us off by sharing how did you hear about Manor College and what made you decide to attend Manor? Well, I was homeschooled growing up and I wanted a nice transition into college life. Manor seemed like a nice cute quaint little school family community. I thought that it would be like a good transitioning step for me. That's great. I've never heard anyone describe Manor as cute. So, I really love that. Um,

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personally, I think that I think it I think it's cute. I think it's cute. I think it's cute. Sure. Cute, quaint. But right, that transitional that foundation before you were going to go other places and do other things and back when you attended it was before we launched our bachelor degrees. So most of our students, they either got a career right away or they transferred to get more education. So that's really important, I think, to note there that we didn't offer bachelor degrees um back in 2016.

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So you're an OG according to, you know, us. That's pretty neat. Um, so kind of what was your Manor experience like? Were you involved in any activities? And kind of what did you think of your classes? Um, I wasn't really involved in any activities. Um, again, I was kind of just getting my feet wet with being out of the house and doing my education. Um, my classes were great. Uh, being a liberal arts major, I took so many different types of classes which helped me narrow down exactly what I wanted to

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do. I met great people, great professors. Um, Professor Small Arts has been I mean to this day my favorite professor. He just gave me a love for learning and when he taught it was as if he was telling a story. So it didn't feel like I was in class. It felt like I was like listening to a podcast or watching a movie. And I love that. Yeah. Um Dr. Smalars, he was a history professor. Um who's now at a different institution and we wish him nothing but the best and he telling a story is a good really good description

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for how he taught. It was definitely he is so knowledgeable about so many historical things particularly like Philadelphia history. Um he actually wrote a book for Manor um a number of years ago maybe know it was around our 75th anniversary which was back in 2021 and um he wrote like our Manor College history book um like one of those like historical books that you see in like you know Walgreens and about like different towns. He wrote one about Manor. Um, and it was really cool to kind of watch him go through this

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process of learning about the sisters and and Manor and kind of our our really like hyper local area. That's great. And I I think it's great that you talked about how like being a liberal arts student gave you a little taste of lots of different things so you could kind of narrow in on what you like. Um, so when know you were here for two years and then you decided to transfer. What were your next steps and what was kind of your next plan after transferring? Um, my next plan was to really figure

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out what it was I wanted to do with my liberal arts, what direction I wanted to go in indefinitely. Um, ultimately I decided nursing and I applied and I was accepted into Um, however, I had an experience there um with racism that kind of changed my career paths. Um, meeting with my advisor, I explained to her the importance of me wanting to become a nurse and that was the major that I wanted to do. And she looked at me and said, "People like you have a hard time in the sciences." And um I kind of just stood there for a

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minute, you know, just to make sure I was hearing her correctly. And I said, "What do you mean by that?" And then she shows a picture. She pulls up a picture on the computer of this black man and say, "People that look like you two have a hard time with the sciences." So at that point, I kind of just like got up and left. Um, it was really sad that I had to experience that because I never had the best experience with teachers or school or education in general. So that was just like another kind of like fuel

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to the fire which ultimately helped me shape my I it helped me shape who I wanted to be in the future and it helped me realize who I didn't want to be and I wanted to be someone who inspired people and gave them a love for learning and a place of safety and fulfillment other than maybe breaking someone down and making them feel sad about themselves. So that's basically how I got into education. Um again, like I've never had the best experience with education, teachers, bullying, with just anything. and the Westchester thing kind

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of just added fuel to the fire and I knew exactly what kind of educator I didn't want to be. Wow. I'm so sorry you had that experience. Um it's just hard to really understand where that advisor was coming from and like just it's so wrong on so many levels. We all know that. Um, but I think it says so much about you and your character in that like you took that situation to say like, okay, this is actually what my passion is. I need to become an educator. I need to help others feel not this way, you know, and

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change change this narrative because frankly it's not true and I'm going to be part of the solution. Um, absolutely. And I mean that was that's incredible that you were able to kind of like pick yourself up and let's get on this path to becoming an educator. Um and I mean you you've become an educator. You're working at as a preschool teacher. Um and I I saw that you got an award a best of exceptional educators from South Jersey magazine. I mean so not only have you become an educator, you've become an exceptional

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educator that's getting awards in magazines. What does that what does that mean to you to have that kind of recognition particularly this early in your career too? It means the world to me. Like I am so honored to have gotten that award. Um it makes me feel seen. It makes me feel heard. It makes me um I know this is going to be cut. Sorry. Yeah. I'm like stumbling on my words. It's fine. You're good. Um, I'm looking for the word that I want to say. It makes me feel seen. It makes me feel

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heard. Um, and it definitely makes me happy that I chose to be an educator, right? It just it like gives you that reassurance that like, oh yeah, I picked the right thing. I did the right thing. I decided to do preschool because like with school you start young with if you like education or not. Yeah. So my whole thing was if I can get kids to love education and going to school and learning at an early age that will be the foundation for their learning moving forward. Absolutely. Absolutely. Um,

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just as like a personal note, you know, I have I have three small children, 6, four, and one. So, I'm very much into the preschool age. My oldest is just finished kindergarten. My middle is going she's been in little preschool. She's going to like real preschool next year. And my one-year-old is just she's just one. She's just having fun. But like, I fully as a parent see so much value in like elementary educators, particularly preschool educators. I mean, it is it is hard because you're trying to teach them like school stuff.

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You're also trying to like teach them social skills, personal space, bottle body things, you know, about your own body and going to the bathroom and tying your shoes and, you know, like blowing your nose. Like, it's not just teaching curriculum. It is a holistic. It is everything. 100%. So, thank you so much for what you're doing. Oh, absolutely. I mean, I get exhausted at the end of the day, but that's okay. I fully understand that 100%. Um, but that that is so cool that you are able to kind of like see

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your own like educational journey and now kind of like almost like a full circle moment like being able to do this as a career. Feel like a full circle. Yeah, that's beautiful. Um so Mariah as we kind of like wrap up our time together, what advice would you give to like current Manor students who are um you know taking classes and you know being a college student is challenging and you might have moments where you're doubting yourself and those kind of things. What advice would you give them to encourage them?

00:13:16
Um my advice would be to just go with it. Honestly, if you mess up, you mess up. You learn from the experience. If you decide that whatever you're majoring in, you don't want to do. You still have time. You're really young. Um, do what you want. Follow your heart. Don't do something that you think is going to make you a lot of money. Even though money is important, but do something that you'll love to do because if you love to do it, you're not really going to work. Right. Right. Keep going. Do what you love to do. It's simple, but

00:13:48
it's tried and true. True. Yeah. Oh, that's great. And then kind of I I like asking this question, too. What's like um a misconception or a myth about teachers that you want to kind of like debunk? I like asking this question. Oh my gosh. That we get the whole summer off and yeah, that that whole thing. We earned that summer off and it's not even the whole summer if you do summer school, which I'm starting next week. So, yes. Oh my goodness. Yes. Yes. So, like it takes a while for us to kind of like get back into that teaching

00:14:25
mode for September. Like we need that summer to get our minds right. Right. Right. That is such a that is such a good one. Summer's off really isn't summers off and it is well deserved. I love that so much. 100%. Oh, well that's great. Well, Mariah, thank you so much for being with us today. It has truly been a joy talking to you, hearing your story, and I always like to share with alumni who particularly I feel like are really living out the Manor mission. In in our mission, we talk about, you

00:14:56
know, our goal is to prepare students to graduate to serve society effectively and compassionately and and it's I mean, everything that you're doing is hitting that to a tea. So, thank you so much for just really embodying the Manor College mission and going out there and preparing others to be good human beings and to like, you know, just the world needs that. Philadelphia needs that. New Jersey needs that. So, I'm just so grateful that you're doing that. Um, and you're doing it exceptionally

00:15:26
well. So, we're so proud of you and wishing you nothing but the best. Thank you so much. Thank you for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube and stay up to date with all new episodes by following Manor College on Instagram at Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of The Nest, stories about life after Manor College. Remember, Blue Jays, you belong here always. [Music]

00:00:01
[Music] Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Manor College. My name is Kelly Peiffer, vice president of marketing communications and this is the best part of my day. It's hard to believe it's already summer here at Manor College. Campus is quiet as we get ready for the return of our students in the fall semester. We are running some summer sessions, so there are students around, but certainly not to the full effect as a normal campus community. It's also hard to believe that this

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podcast, The Nest, has reached our 15th episode recorded. We began this journey back in February with the goal to tell the stories of Manor College alumni and I've personally just been having an absolute blast getting to know so many of our alumni and telling those stories to all of you, our listeners. In those past 15 episodes, it's been fun to learn about the career paths of our alumni. From teachers to nurses to vice presidents, CEOs, lawyers, and even a priest. We have finished every podcast

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since February by asking the same question to our guest. What is some advice that you would have for our current Manor students? We do this because it wasn't that long ago that these alumni were sitting in Help Hall or the library or right here on Fox chase Road working towards their own degrees. Our students can relate to these alumni not only because of their ties to Manor but because of their own upbringings in the area. and a lot of them have very similar life stories and journeys. So with that in mind, we wanted to take a

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moment to have some reflection on some of the best advice we have received from our guests on the nest. So whether you listen to all of the episodes or you've joined later, we love you and we're appreciative for you being here as a listener and we're sure there's some information and hopefully this advice that can help you along your own journey. Thank you for listening and I can't wait to continue to share the next set of stories we have for you as you're listening to the nest. Hopefully on a beach somewhere or while you're on

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vacation this summer. Bring the nest along with you. Our first bit of advice comes from Deb Turner, a 2018 accounting graduate who joined us on our second episode back on February 21st. Deb is a senior internal auditor and associate vice president of internal audit at Wells Fargo. So, have you have you found in your career journey um moments where you've kind of reflected back and thought like, "Wow, something that I learned at Manor or at Lasalle or in my higher ed years did help me in this career thing

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or in this project or in this experience I'm doing right now." Absolutely. Absolutely. I would say um a few of those things and I will say Dr. Perry has really been influential in this respect not only as during my time there he was the president but just as a mentor someone that you can you can talk to about not only college but real life things. I remember when I was a senior in college at Lasalle coming from Manor going to Lasalle and having to make a decision about where I was going to spend the next few years of my career

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professionally and I had a phone call with him that day and he shared with me some insight around you know it's a tough decision no matter where you go you'll land on your feet but one of the pieces pieces of advice that he gave me was when you go off to be widely successful in whatever you do, don't forget to reach back. It is extremely critical not only to your success but to someone else's s to someone else's success to pay it forward. Sometimes it's not that people haven't done the work. They're waiting

00:04:14
for the opportunity. They're waiting for someone to show up to open the door for them. So, as you get these, as uh Tony Morrison says too, and Dr. Perry said in so many world words as you get these jobs that you so brilliantly trained for, don't forget about the other people who will will come behind you. And if you're not focusing on equity and equity in people, right? If you're not focusing on that, then all you've done has been for nothing. You need to be mindful about how you're treating people, how

00:04:56
you are making people feel, but also realizing that you're not responsible for that. And there will be people who just don't get it right. But don't focus on that. Make sure you leave the door open. Leave the light on so as someone is traveling along their journey, they have a safe house to stop by. Right. And I think that's such good advice. Um, so kudos to Dr. Perry who's our president current currently too. But just, you know, remember those who can benefit from from what you've gone through and can kind of

00:05:31
learn and and like you said, um, lift as you climb. Like I think, you know, that's really that kind of is a nice kind of tie in there. So, so Deborah, what um what advice would you give to current Manor college students about, you know, who are going through it? midterms are coming up soon. Um, you know, maybe they're maybe they're feeling a little unmotivated right now. Just what advice would you give them to kind of encourage them as someone who's kind of been there, done that, and kind of on the

00:06:00
other side? Uh, piece of advice I would give them is twofold. One, none of it's temper none of it's permanent. how you are feeling right now today in this moment whether you're overwhelmed with studying or life and having to study working whatever it is it's temporary this feeling that you have will pass however remember your why you're going through midterms and you probably are ready to just throw the towel in or feeling like oh I don't need to study as hard or as much remember your purpose for why you're

00:06:44
doing this. And so many of us at Manor are not there just for ourselves. So many of us are first generation graduates and we are becoming now we're becoming the role models for people coming behind us and we want to make sure that they look at our path and say that they can do it because we've done it. So do the work. Nothing beats the work but the work. There are no shortcuts. Study hard. um do your best and as long as you do your best then you've done you've done all that you can do. Caitlyn Rampone,

00:07:23
one of our young alumni in these first episodes, but she really hit the ground running since leaving Manor three years ago. After graduating with her associates degree in pre- N nursing, Caitlyn went on to Jefferson University and obtained her bachelor's degree in nursing. today. She is a nurse for Jefferson Health in Philadelphia in the emergency department. Caitlyn, as we kind of wrap up here, what advice would you give to like current Manor students um who are currently, you know, we're almost we're about like a three weeks

00:07:55
away from finals week, kind of at the end of our semester, but what advice would you give them in order to like encourage them and to um just really lean into to their college experience themselves like you did? I would say definitely my first thing is just find what you're passionate about. Like it doesn't I feel like no matter what anybody thinks, no matter what you think the right path is for you or what somebody else might be telling you is the right path for you, passion is really just the core in my opinion of

00:08:26
what you should be doing for the rest of your life. What's going to make you happy for the rest of your life? Like I'll use my dad as an example. He was working as like he did numbers for windows and ordering windows for all of his life. And then during COVID, he actually up left his job, started his own food truck company, now does like food catering. Like it just I feel like you have to find what you're really passionate about and just go with that and run with that because that's really going to what's going to make you happy.

00:08:55
Um, and I believe happiness is just it's what everything is should be about. It shouldn't be about money or work, whatever else you want to say, but I think just finding what you're passionate about and really sticking with that. Um, and I would also say is give yourself way more credit than you think because you just getting through a semester of college, no matter what you're going for, no matter how well you think you did or if you should have done better, just give yourself a little bit more grace that you're going through so

00:09:27
much in just in our lifetime. everything that goes on around outside of school. Everybody has their own challenges in life as well as just sort of the general challenges that everybody goes through on a day-to-day basis that everybody should give themselves just a little bit more grace because you're doing the best you can and that's really all that matters. Everyone's favorite athletic director JD John Dempster joined the podcast in May. After graduating from Manor College in 1999 with his liberal

00:09:56
arts degree, John worked in Manor's admissions department until he became the athletic director for our Fighting Blue Jays. So, let's talk a little bit about what was it like you are a graduate from the college. Obviously, you're you're really involved as a student and then you go away for a little bit and then talk about like coming back to coach and then coming back um as an employee and kind of what was that transition like because that's pretty interesting. It it was it was amazing for me because um I always said

00:10:26
I wanted to give back but I just didn't know how. Um you know I I have friends that are mechanics and you know they can help you with your car and I just I just didn't know how I could help. And then I realized that I loved working with people and I loved sharing my experience that I had here as a student. So when I came back to Manor to work, I worked in the admissions department for 17 years and I absolutely loved it because I got to work with potential students all the time and I got to share my stories and

00:10:58
my experiences. Um, and then with coaching, uh, my former high school coach, uh, Mr. patent at Abraham Lincoln High School. We still talk to this day. Um he inspired me when I was a player there. And um all of the good things that he did for me and my family uh I wanted to um incorporate if I ever got the chance to coach. And um he was more than a coach. And that's kind of what I thrived to be. not just an X's and O's guy, but someone that um was going to be a part of my players lives. Um not just

00:11:39
the two to four years that they were here, but beyond that. So, when I got the opportunity to coach, um, it wasn't about wins and losses for me, although I do love to win, but it was really just getting our guys from point A, you know, they're here as a freshman to mature and learn, become a good person, and uh, succeed um, and graduate. I mean, the ultimate goal is to get their degree. Yeah. So, yeah, that's great. Yeah. I mean, you spent a lot of time in admission. So, like not just recruiting

00:12:12
athletes or recruiting soccer players, but just recruiting students to come in come into the the door and share your story. And I like how you said you wanted to give back. You just didn't know how. But, um, obviously working for the college is a great way to give back because I mean it's we are a nonprofit and we are I feel like we all are serving students and each other frankly in some some way. Um is there any particular stories or years where you remember um you know students maybe like reminded

00:12:47
them of yourself and you saw yourself in a lot of students or a lot of players and then you saw them get motivated and they weren't maybe the best academically but then they turned it around and like do you kind of have any any stories about that? I mean, honestly, Kelly, every year there's someone like that and um it's great to see them grow. Um as a again, as a coach, you see these players come in or you see these students come in and they just don't know. Uh they're they're a lot of them are just clueless

00:13:18
about college and and and and why they're going to college, but they know they should go to college, right? So I was in the same situation where hey I was lazy in high school. I had a lot of fun. I played a lot of sports. I had a lot of friends. But the academic piece was the one where if it wasn't for teachers like Jane and Mike Landis and John Stoa um you know we we just wouldn't know and and you might drop out or you might not get that full experience. So, what I try to do, Kelly, is share that story and say,

00:13:57
"Listen, I've been there. I've been right where you are. there's tons of help here. There's teachers here that'll help you. I will help you." And I think me being here full-time and letting them know that it's not just all about sports that that I'm here for you. And there's other coaches that are here for their players as well. But, um, yeah, I have students that come and go all the time. that are in the same situation and it's just so cool to see them just mature and and and get through

00:14:29
it, you know. Um our one of our seniors this year, uh Maximo Chavez, Maximo Chavez was in the same situation and it's just so cool to see him through his personal battles, his educational battles, his social battles, just get through it. I mean, he would come in and we'd talk and uh you know, we we'd actually um we'd pray together, too. Wow. And um it was just great to see him just become that man that he is. And now he's going to get his bachelor's degree from Manor College. So, I'm really happy about that. Rachel

00:15:05
Friedman graduated from Manor College in 2018 with her paralegal certificate. Today, she is a litigation lead paralegal for Grant and Eisenhoffer in Wilmington, Delaware. She joined the podcast on April 18th. Um, as we wrap up here, Rachel, do you have any advice for current Manor students who are kind of in in student life and in college life right now and you're kind of on the other end of that and any advice or encouragement for them? Yes, actually I do. Um, when I was in college, I was so

00:15:37
focused on the degree, on the grades, on everything and I missed out on like the the social life and finding myself. And it took me till I was 35, 36 to really find what I loved. like take your time, enjoy the social life, get involved in the activities, and you know what? If you don't know what you want to major in, that's okay. Like, explore the classes. I so wish when I was in undergrad that I had taken more electives, that I had taken more classes to really find myself. And the other thing is like you don't

00:16:27
need to be focused on that. It's great to have wonderful grades, but in the long run, what's going to matter is your development as a human being, as a person, finding your passions, finding what you want to do for the rest of your life and focusing on that. Take that, take your youth and take that time to explore yourself, to explore everything that life has to offer because by the time you get to my age, you're just you're kind of stuck in a you can get stuck in a rut. And I'm actually so glad

00:17:17
that I had that burnout that I chose to change careers at the time I did because I think if I would have stayed as a therapist much longer, I don't know if I would have had that impetus to change careers. So, you know what, Manor students are mostly undergrads. They're 18, 19. Take your time. If you want to take four, five, six years to figure out what your major is, do it. There is no rush in this world. Take your time. Find yourself. Find your passion. And when you're ready to graduate and become an adult, do it because adulting

00:18:04
is not all cracked up to be. Crystal Esmond was our first dental hygiene graduate to join the podcast. She completed her associates degree in dental hygiene from Manor College in 2002. Today she's the dental program coordinator for the Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic in Doylestown, PA. So kind of my last question for you is what advice would you give to current Manor students whether they're in dental or or not um to kind of encourage them in in their own college experience and college journey. Um, I guess the advice

00:18:40
I would have is keep going. No class, you know, even if you're forced to take a class that you don't think it, you know, like dental hygienist, you have to take a course in philosophy, or at least I did. You know, there's classes that I Yeah. that aren't quite related to your major, you're still going to learn stuff from that. And just keep going. Even when you have that instructor that you're like, I swear this instructor hates me. They just keep, you know, killing everything that I turn in. You're there to learn. They're there to

00:19:06
help you learn. and they're there to help you grow. So, just keep going. Listen, be open-minded. Take the uh the uh advice that they're giving you and don't be so quick to say, "No, that's not, you know, no, they're wrong." Like, listen, listen to what they say. They've got some life experience and just keep working hard, keep going, and you can do it. You can definitely do it. Lastly, we had Dominica Hathcock join the show in May. After a career in veterinary technology, Hathcock joined the Manor

00:19:37
College faculty in 2025. She is currently the large animal coordinator in our own vet tech program here at Manor College. What would be some advice that you would share with Manor uh students, either vet tech students or just a Manor student um to kind of encourage them to continue and pursue their education? Yeah, definitely. I think the biggest thing is, you know, kind of put yourself out there. Um whether it's you want to try something new, join a club, even just talk to somebody and become friends. Like just really putting

00:20:12
yourself out there kind of gets you seen um not just by your peers but kind of everybody. And it also will give you a better experience. You'll have a lot more fun, discover more about yourself um and you know have a better time. I think it's the really important to just put yourself out there and go for it. If you that's what you want to do, go for it. And that's it for the show this week. Thank you for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube. Stay up

00:20:41
to date with all new episodes by following Manor College on Instagram at Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of The Nest, Stories about life after Manor College. Remember, Blue Jays, you belong here always. [Music]

00:00
[Music] Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Manor College. I am your host Kelly Peiffer vice president of marketing communications and this is the best part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you, making you feel like at Manor College you belong here always. Before we get to today's guest, it is time for a segment of the show I like to call Did You Know? Today's Did You Know is particularly exciting because it's about one of my favorite people here at Manor College.

00:39
So, did you know that the best coffee at Manor College isn't really found in a cafe or in the cafeteria, but it's at the front desk. For over 40 years, Anne Kiczula, or Miss Anne, as many call her, has been the warm, welcoming presence behind the front desk of our Basileiad Manor, also known as our library building. Her morning ritual is truly the stuff of legends. So, every day she comes in and she brews her signature percolated coffee, a secret blend that even includes a splash of half and half,

01:17
and usually lays out some kind of sweet treats um with maybe school stickers or buttons or pens on the front counter for anyone to enjoy. Ann's always good for a cheerful good morning, how are you? Or how you doing honey? Um, but it's really more about that more than just the coffee. Ann started working at Manor herself in the late 1950s. Ann is an alum of the school and um back in the day and ran the bookstore and she ran the bookstore over in Help Hall when the building opened in 1961 and earned her degree at Manor in 1971.

01:57
And so she started working for the school before she earned her degree and has worked under six college presidents, has witnessed countless transformations, and just has met thousands of people from Manor College. She seems to remember names. She seems to remember facts and information about you and your family and whatever you have going on in your life. that never ceases to amaze me. How Ann really takes the time to get to know you, ask about you, care. Um, if you ever show her pictures of your

02:31
family or whatever's going on, she loves looking at that. So, her kindness and her devotion to Manor College and what is what truly makes an special and unique. So, it's countless to say that she embodies what I call the Brazilian spirit. Making sure that everyone feels like they belong. Whether you're a student, a professor, a delivery driver, she knows very well all of the delivery drivers, UPS, postal service, FedEx, Amazon. Many call her Manor's mom. Um my joke around about an is that she found

03:07
her seat as a receptionist and then manor was built around her because where her area is is literally at the base in the middle of our three buildings. So to in my perspective she is truly at the heart of our campus and is the heart. So what really makes the coffee so good? It might be a little cinnamon, but mostly it's on Today's episode is sponsored by Manor College's criminal justice program. Dreaming of a law career? Manor College and Widener University Delaware Law School have partnered on a fast track to

03:43
your success. Get your bachelor's and jurist doctorate in just six years with our 3 plus3 program, saving you time and money. Plus, guaranteed admissions win a minimum of $20,000 scholarship. Invest in your future and start planning today. Learn more at manor.edu. We have a truly special guest with us today. An alumni who attended Neshaminy High School, graduated from Manor College in 1990 with her associates degree in paralegal certificate. She then went on to earn her bachelor's in business management from University of

04:19
Pennsylvania's Wharton School and then got her JD from Widener University Law School. Today she is a shareholder and member of Stark and Stark accident and personal injury group where she concentrates her practice in representing children and adults seriously injured or killed due to catastrophic personal injuries, construction accidents, workplace accidents, and many more. She is a trial attorney who has successfully litigated personal injury matters resulting in verdicts in excess of a million dollars.

04:51
Please join me in welcoming Karen O'Donnell to the nest. Welcome, Karen. Oh, thank you for having me. I so appreciate Thank you so much. It's so nice to be back. Yeah. No, it's so fun. We've been um really enjoying talking to alumni this past year. Every Friday we have a new episode come out and I'm so grateful that you found time in your busy schedule to talk to us. So kind of start us off by how did you first hear about Manor College and kind of make that decision to attend. So my story is a little bit uh one of

05:27
reluctance initially. So, um, I used to be a gymnast and so out of high school, all my friends were going to bigger schools and I wanted to go to a big school and because I was a gymnast, I ended up doing gymnastics at Westchester. Within a couple weeks, I injured my knee and that resulted in me coming home and really not being able to go back to Westchester because I needed a couple surgeries. And so, my mom always, even during high school, said to me, "You should go to Manor. you should go to

05:59
Manor. And at that time it was Manor Junior College. So, you know, when I say I was a little bit reluctant, all my friends were going to like bigger schools and I was like, I didn't want to go to a small school. Like it just was kind of that like little bit of peer pressure. But I found myself at home and really not being able to go back to a bigger school cuz I was, you know, I had crutches at one point and I had my leg in a brace. And just hearing my mom saying that she had such a great

06:27
experience at Manor, I was like, "Fine, I'll go." So, Manor really needed to convince me that this was a school for me. And they were able to do so like immediately. I mean, I went there, I inquired about the paralegal program and it just kind of hooked me. I mean, there was just such a personal connection. And I already had the experience of going to a big school. Um, and it wasn't like that at all. You were kind of dropped in the middle of a million people. They didn't know when you went to class, when you didn't. They

07:03
didn't care about like what was and I I shouldn't be saying that about I'm just saying in general big schools. Understood. Of course. It was just a different experience. It matters what I'm trying uh to convey. So, so that's kind of how I ended up at Manor. And when I say reluctance because I was I uh maybe in part didn't want to listen to my mom at that point and that age like so many people do when they're young and in part, you know, did feel a little bit of a peer pressure from just my friends and my friends

07:35
group to to be, you know, at a bigger school. And it turns out it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, mother certainly knows best, right? I think we can attest to that sometimes. But I think your story still really resonates with a lot of high schoolers and and and young people today and that like their parents want them to do one thing, they want to go with their friends and do another thing and then life kind of gets at them and then they end up maybe doing what their parents wanted them to do in the beginning. I

08:06
love that your mom is an alum, too. I think that's so cool. you guys are what we call like a legacy family where multiple generations of the same family came to came to the institution. So that's really special. Um, but it's neat that you were able to have kind of both experiences in a way. Like you saw what a big school was like and you can like see yourself what that was like and what that would do for you. But then also you saw at Manor like oh this is different and and I get this attention

08:33
and I can't really slip through the cracks because they're just not going to let me do that cuz it is so small. Um, I always say that at Manor, like not only we know our students names, but we know like at least multiple facts about them, you know, what what they got going on in their life, where they work, what their dreams are, where their hometown is, and possibly more than that, too. So, um, and it does make a difference. I mean to you just feel like you're a part of a community and you feel like you're a

09:04
part of something and you you know I know our tagline is you belong here but that is so true at Manor and when we talk about a small school like back then it was small you know I mean Manor has come so far from I mean I was 1990 for gosh sakes you know I mean the things that we're doing here at Manor now are just on big school level with that smaller you know, personal touch and caring. So, I think it just has come so far and really gives you a combination of both. Yeah. Well, that's great to hear.

09:39
And um yeah, definitely we want to be that like really homey atmosphere for people, but yet they still can succeed in big careers and have big dreams. And um when we were coming up with our tagline for our new brand back in 2017, one of the other taglines that we didn't go with, but we we kind of have used as kind of like secondary messaging was believing in you is our favorite thing to do. And even though we didn't pick it for our tagline because I think you belong here is just kind of a nicer,

10:12
more succinct way to encompass who we are. I still love that believing in you is our favorite thing to do because I think it's so true. like believing in our students is truly what we're here for. Um, and trying to help them achieve whatever they're trying to achieve. So, that's so cool. So, tell us, you know, go ahead. If we if there really wasn't that belief in the school itself and that in the programs, I I really don't think that I would be where I am now. I mean, you know, next year I'll be

10:41
the the president of the whole Commonwealth, the state trial lawyers. You know, I'm a trial lawyer. I'm a partner here at Stark and Stark. And you know, Manor really set me on that journey, you know, into law. I mean, it really captivated me with their par power par power par power par power par power par power par power par power par power par power paralegal program. Um, so somebody believed in me along the way, including Manor. Yeah, of course. So why um I guess how did you know that following a law career was something

11:08
that you wanted to do? How did you know that that was kind of what you wanted to go into? you know, I don't know that I really knew until, you know, my second year at Manor. Um, again, I kind of went into the program a little reluctant, like I didn't really want to go here. What is this all about? You know, and to Manor's credit, at that time, paralegal's were becoming like a force in the workforce. You know, there was really like a need for paralegal's, and Manor had that program. So, you know, I

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knew I wasn't that great at math and I was like, "Okay, you know, let's try this paralegal program." And at the time, I'm going to I'm going to name drop. But Diane Pevar started that program and it was kind of in its infantile stages. Um, and it was just kind of captivating for me just the legal research and um, you know, what you could do and the program itself. I mean, we learned civil procedure, we learned the whole aspect of law in that program. And then when I I got my associates degree, I I had to get a

12:15
bachelor's before I could go to law school, so I had to finish that. But it was kind of at that point that I knew that that's where I wanted to end up um ultimately. Oh, that's so cool. I think um and I love that you I love that you named out Diane Pevar. You certainly and when I think of like manner like legends particularly like people who really have made an impact on so many Diane Pevar is a name that certainly comes to mind. She's retired now and we're happy for her in that retirement life but she

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certainly was so influential in starting so many great programs here. Paralegal being like a one of the flagship ones. Um we now have pre like a pre-law and a public policy. We have a pre-law and a law um articulation agreement with Widener University where I know you got your um JD from and students can take three years at Manor and then go three years at Widener for that total JD um degree which uh we're still working on finding students who have completed all of that because I would love to have

13:21
them on the show and have kind of that like alumni story. Um, but that that's so cool to hear and I think that's so special that you were able to realize like, okay, I'm good at these things. I'm not good at math. Maybe I could follow this. That's good self-awareness. And I think a lot of people really struggle with knowing like what should I do and how does, you know, XYZ lead to this? It's hard. It's a hard thing to figure out, right? I think it's so frustrating, too. And I and this

13:52
is another reason why I think Manor was just so, you know, great for me and it is just great for for students in general. You know, people in high school, they sit down with their advisor's and they say, "What do you want to do in life?" And I just think it's such an unfair question because how do you know like you haven't had life experiences, right? And Manor kind of for me was like, well, what are you interested in? Like it was a different frame. It was framed differently when I sat and met at matter and I was like

14:19
well you know this is something I could be interested I know I'm not interested in math because I know I'm not. So it was kind of like we ruled out things. It wasn't an approach of what do you want to do in life because how do you know right? So that investment in people and really getting to know people's interest I think is just something that Manor strives at you know it's not like I sat with an adviser and they say what do you want to do in life like I didn't know you know I I had no idea so many options

14:49
I mean it's not just like okay doctor lawyer teacher like there's so many things right and honestly what I thought I wanted to do like when I went to my first school I thought I was going to be a psychologist like that's what I thought cuz I was like, "Okay." And turns out that's not what I ended up doing. And it probably was not going to be a strength of mine. But if I didn't end up at Manor and had the questions kind of posed to me in that way, I probably would have picked something different because like you said, you

15:18
hear these things like, you know, marketing or right, you know what you know. You that's all you just know what you know. you need other people to come into your life and like make you either think differently or present different options or kind of like pull it out of you, you know? Yeah. Yeah. And I think that that's something and advice that I could give to students, you know, don't worry about where you're going to end up. Focus on what your interests are and you know, you'll be guided by people

15:46
in your life and things that'll ultimately get you there. Sure. Yeah, that that's great advice. like follow your interest and then align careers will align with that and you'll be much happier frankly if you're doing something that you're interested in opposed to just kind of following a career. So true. So true. That's great. Um, so, so Karen, can you talk to us about like your career and, um, I guess what is it, what is it like being a trial attorney and kind of in your role um, that that people would find

16:18
maybe interesting or they didn't really realize and kind of what is it like in a like a a career as a full-time lawyer? So to answer that question, I do need to give you a little bit of history because as I said, I went through the Manor paralegal program and at that time you were required to have um an internship. So as part of the program, Manor aligned me with a law firm. Um and I did my internship with the law firm and I ended up being hired there as a paralegal and worked there for several years. So that

16:52
was kind of like my first job. Um, so ultimately, you know, I did my undergrad, I went to the Wharton School, and then I went to Widener uh to complete my JD. And because of my first internship, I became interested in personal injury. Like that's what I did for my internship at Manor. That's what I've learned. Um, and that's what I've stuck with. And so for for me, my journey as an attorney was actually founded in my paralegal experience because I learned to help victims of all different types of not

17:31
only injuries, but like right now I do uh sexual assault cases and people don't think of that in a a criminal sense or in a civil sense. They only think of it in a criminal sense. So on a civil side, I'm able to help victims of injuries, but it's not just like a car crash, you know, people who are devastated by things that happen to them in life. So, so it's been a journey. It's always, you know, it's in every day is different. Um, you know, it's a it's always a struggle with time management and

18:05
balancing life, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who does that in in my career um as an as an attorney. But you just got to, like I said, be focused on something that you're interested in. And, you know, I think if you can do that, you'll thrive and survive and do well in whatever area you choose. I can't believe that what you did as an internship, you know, 30 plus years ago is still, you know what I mean? What you're doing now. I think that's pretty remarkable and and really cool to show that um that interest really sparked in

18:40
you and here you are still passionate about it. That's really neat to see. It's also neat that, you know, where I did my internship, I still talk to that firm and throughout my career, you know, if I ever needed anything or needed guidance, I would pop in or stop in and um you know, to this day, I think they'd probably take me back um as an intern as an intern or an attorney, frankly. But um you know but it just goes to say like the foundation and the work ethic that kind of Manor instilled in me um you know has kind of

19:16
made a reputation for me you know so many years later. So um again it really did kind of change my trajectory in life by going to Manor. Oh wow that's awesome. I love I always love it when um alumni can kind of reflect back and see that like Manor was like this foundation you know it was kind of like my base my home. my foundation and then like I built things upon that. I think that's really a beautiful like picture and illustration for um perspective students and students to be like I'm living I'm

19:46
living the college life right now and it's hard and I'm frustrated and some classes are harder than others but like it's hard to see that like you're in the foundation right now. Um but it's good to hear it from alumni who've like been there done that and now can have that reflection moment. Yeah. And for me like definitely built upon that you know I was paralegal and then I went and got my my bachelor's degree and then I got my my uh law degree and then after that you know I started working as a lawyer

20:15
and then eventually made partner and now I'm in statewide organizations. I'm going to be president of that. So I mean you have to build on right a good foundation and definitely Manor is that for me. That's awesome. So, what's like a myth about lawyers that you want to you want to bust? What's something that um people assume from like television and like popular media that like they get wrong that's really not true about lawyers? Anything that comes to mind that's kind of interesting or fun? Um, I would like to think, you know,

20:50
especially in personal injury, I think sometimes there's a little bit of um cynical, you know, people are cynical like, "Oh, you're an ambulance chaser." And, you know, they don't really appreciate what we do. I mean, we do change lives. Um, and we do for fight. We do fight for people that don't have voices. And it's really an honorable profession to be in. But you know there's a lot of jo lawyer jokes out there and people make fun of the profession but you know it it's some it's very empowering to be in front to

21:24
be in court to be a trial lawyer to be able to again help someone who either didn't have a voice or didn't know how to get the help that they needed. So um so I think the myth is you know don't make so many I think the message should be don't make so many lawyer jokes right it's not a joke it's not a joke it's an empowering feel that's changing lives I mean that's that's definitely the crux of it sounds like um and as a as a female I mean I think lawyers are one of those professions where it's still

21:56
pretty heavily male-dominated um any any things that you've observed over the years how industry is is changing for the better in that sense and how women are getting more of a voice and and just getting more there are more women attorneys. Yeah. So there definitely is a change going on. I mean I've been practicing now for seems like forever. And when I started practicing I mean I would be the only female in a room and you know I have to say frankly that still occurs. You know I'll be in a deposition and it's me versus you know

22:30
six six men. So I do see more women coming into the field. You know I'm a trial lawyer and it's it can be grueling and you know there is statistics that a lot of women don't want to be trial lawyers because it's just a lot of time demands. So for me um I do see some change in the legal field in general but there's not a lot of trial lawyer coming through that are women just because it's just tough. It's just a lot of time. It's a lot of demand. I was lucky enough to have a husband who

23:06
helped me balance that. Um, you know, when I couldn't be at something, he stepped up and there was never an issue. But you definitely need people. Um, it's definitely not a profession I think that you could kind of do solo. You need support for sure. So, but I am grateful to see, you know, more women getting into the field even if it's not becoming, you know, trial lawyers. um you know people women are rising in all all different kinds of areas of the law. Well that's good. That's good that more

23:35
more women are doing that and it it takes a village certainly. Um and it's good that you had a good marriage partner who was going to kind of kind of be there for you and kind of support your career. That that's awesome. So Karen, as we kind of follow um follow up and kind of close out our episode here, what's some advice that you have for current Manor students who are in just the beginning of their their journeys? What advice would you give for them? So I think I have a couple things. I think

24:06
time management should be an issue with all kinds of students. Um I think that's one of the biggest things that you have to learn in um business in whatever type of career. Um I just see more and more that people tend to you know procrastinate and think they can do it and you know it's just hard to manage everything. So whatever you need to implement tools you know time management for students I think should be focused on and I don't know that you can really teach that right. So, it's just something I think students need to

24:40
be aware of. The second overall thing is, you know, your story is not going to be everybody else's story. And if your path isn't the path everyone else is taking, then that's fine because you'll find your way. And I certainly didn't take a path that everyone else did. And I would like to say that I found my way. So, when you think you're down and out or you think that, you know, this isn't the way it's supposed to be, for some reason, you will find your way out. and it is the way it's supposed to be. That's great. So,

25:12
believe I love I love both of those. But, so for time management, what's like um something that works for you or like it's a good like tip that you've learned that like oh, this is really really helpful. So, for me, I think you have to look at yourself, right? So, for me, I'm a morning person. So, for me, like I have my to-dos in the morning. my kids, they're in college and they can work on things at seven o'clock at night where that's like where their strengths are. So, just kind of getting a

25:43
structure that focuses on your strengths and also be able to say to people like, "No, I need to do this for me right now." Um, I think so many time students want to take on everything, you know, be involved in everything. It is okay to say no. you know, just be good at what you're doing and manage what you're doing. I always say like um finding balance is really hard, but like if you just choose to like focus on, okay, I'm going to focus on this one task for 45 minutes, that's better than you have focusing on

26:20
like five tasks at the same time, right? you know, like really zone in, get it done opposed to like having like imagine having all those like open like window tabs in your mind like you just can't do it. Just have one tab open, focus on it, move on in the next tab, right? And it's okay when that tab is open to say, "Let me get this done right now." You know, like I will talk to you, I will get back to you, I will meet up with you, I will put the phone in a drawer or, you know, like take out the distractions. Yes.

26:49
Yeah. And I love also what you said about like having your own story, following your own path. We find often that students at Manor are coming with all different backgrounds and stories. And we have a lot of students who come from transfer schools or community colleges. Like not no two students are the same. And that's good. That's what makes us different. And that's kind of what kind of enriches everybody with their own experience. Um, it reminded me of we just had graduation this past May and we

27:17
had we always have two student speakers at graduation. We have one that represents our associate degrees and one that represents the bachelor degrees. And it's kind of a a newer tradition that we have that started when we had our first group of bachelor degree students. And I love this year particularly the two student speakers were so different. one student took mostly online classes, worked full-time. Um, and she said like, "I was not here involved. I was not in the cafeteria hanging out. I was working full-time,

27:53
taking classes online, emailing professors, and like that's who I was, and I love that experience." And then the other student speaker, she was involved in lots of campus activities. She was a leader on campus. she was physically present on campus and that was her experience and she loved it. And I just I I kind of love these two different pictures of what a college student likes looks like at Manor because I think it's giving permission to others. Like you can pick your own story, what works best for you

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in your life. And that's a good thing, right? But that's exactly what Manor is. like both of those students felt like they belong so much to Manor that they're speaking at graduation and they had both completely different experiences, right? And that's okay. But I do think, you know, there's a lot of pressure for high school students to be like, here's what you have to do. Here's what you need to follow. And I think when you get to Manor and you don't have that cookie cutter student, it just opens your eyes

29:01
to like, I'm going to be okay. like I am going to be able to do it and I may do it a different way but I'll do it. Yep. Yeah. I love that. Um well Karen, thank you so much for spending time with us today. Um it's been really just exciting to talk to you and I think really informative too. I think you've given a lot of good perspective on what your experience was like but then also encouragement for um to others. We really want this podcast to be informative and encouraging. And I think you've hit you hit both. And I always

29:32
like to tell alumni when um I talk to them. You know, our mission at Manor College is to prepare students to graduate to serve society effectively and compassionately and hearing about your career journey and what you're doing. You certainly are doing that. So, thank you so much for um fulfilling the mission of Manor College without really even know realizing it that you're doing that and just all the great work that you're doing. It's so important and um thank you for for spreading that to others who just need

30:04
it. Oh, well, thank you for having me and I'm grateful. Thanks for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube and stay up-to-date with all new episodes by following Manor College on Instagram at Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of the nest, stories about life after Manor College. Remember Blue Jays, you belong here always. [Music]

00:00
[Music] Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Manor College. I am your host Kelly Peiffer vice president of marketing communications and this is the best part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you, making you feel like at Manor College you belong here always. Before we get to today's guest, it's time for a segment of the show I like to call Did You Know? where I will share some fun facts about Manor College that you may or may not know. So, did you

00:36
know that Manor College's current president, Dr. Jonathan Peri, is the first lay person to lead the college? He has been at the helm since 2015, and under his leadership, Manor has launched bachelor degree programs, expanded humanitarian efforts, particularly in support of Ukraine, and solidified our place as a top value institution in the region. We have been mentioned in the New York Times, in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Wall Street Journal as being one of the top schools in um the Northeast region for intergenerational

01:09
mobility, which really means bringing students and families from one socioeconomic um area or level to a higher one. So really changing that family tree through the power of education. But Dr. Perry is part of a rich legacy of leadership at Manor College. Before him, Sister Mary Cecilia Jurasinski led the college for an impressive 30 years. From 1985 to 2015, she helped transition Manor into a fully co-educational institution and expanded its many academic offerings amongst many, many other accomplishments.

01:48
Fun fact, Sister Mary Cecilia Jurasinski was an avid Phillies fan and I remember um her having a bright red Phillies windbreaker that she would wear often around campus. So way to support the Phillies. Going back further, Sister Miriam Claire Kowal served from 1976 to 1985, introducing key programs such as Vet and paralegal studies, both still popular degrees. Before Sister Miriam Claire was Sister Olga Kish um and she welcomed the first male students and helped our growing evening course programs. Sister Jerome Roma was the

02:29
president in the 1960s and she guided Manor to having full accreditation and oversaw the opening of our beautiful library. Each of these leaders helped shape Manor into the student centered mission-driven community that it is today. Today we've got an awesome guest on the show. I'm particularly excited for this guest because it's our first alumni who's a priest born in Ukraine coming to the United States at the age of 10. They've made their home right here in Philadelphia, graduating from Northeast High School. Our guest then

03:01
pursued his associates degree in liberal arts with a focus in philosophy and religion, graduating from Manor College in 2015. Then they transferred to the Catholic University of America to attend seminary. Today he serves as a priest in the St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Shenandoah. Please join me in welcoming Father Bohdan. Welcome, Bohdan. Thank you so much for being on the show today. Thank you, Kelly. Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited. It's my first official

03:35
interview like this. Oh, well, I'm honored. I'm honored that Manor College is your first and that's so that's so special. Um, so kind of start us off. How did you hear about Manor College and why did you choose to attend Manor? Well, at that time I was attending there's a just few blocks over a St. Michael in Jenkintown Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and so every time every Sunday you would go to church we would pass by Manor College and oh boy it has a beautiful territory Manor College. So

04:13
you always stop and you look at it. Um, and among the Ukrainians, I guess that Manor College was quite known. Everybody knew about it, but everybody knew about the sisters. Um, so I guess there wasn't much choice in deciding. I just it was Ukrainian, it was Catholic, and that's kind of where I wanted to go. And I had a beautiful experience there. Oh, that's great. So, we checked off, we were Ukrainian, we were Catholic. Easy easy decision. all of that and especially it's kind of you go where also try to see where your

04:50
friends are going at that time my English was not that well not that good so I saw where all my friends most of them went to Manor college so I was like yeah why not oh perfect good oh that's good college as well oh good so you came in already with some familiarity to like the culture the campus and that kind kind of stuff. Yes. Yes. Oh, that's great. That's always so helpful when students can kind of start um with like a little little step ahead, you know, they're not starting from completely from zero because starting

05:26
college is already pretty intimidating and a really big life life moment and life change. So, that's awesome to hear. So, you were a liberal arts student. Kind of what was your Manor experience like? What how were your classes? and kind of kind of take us back. What was it like being a student? I always give a big credit to Manor College because at that time before I came to Manor College, I was in Northeast High School and that's that was the time when I guess the school district lost a lot of money. You had

06:03
the same teacher teaching different subjects because they had to lay off a lot of professors. Uh so going to Manor College it was just so beautiful classes were small uh the professor professors were able to put a lot of emphasis a lot of focus on individual students so it was much different you actually got to feel very special in Manor College and just the atmosphere itself it's a beautiful territory it's very peaceful there um oh that's great yeah and um delight in being there. Oh, that's awesome.

06:42
I love how you were saying how comparing it to your high school experience where it was maybe like crowded and congested and large, you know, and a lot of students and only one teacher, but yet Manor, it's a smaller um we call that a student student-to-teacher ratio or faculty to student ratio where it's maybe 10 or 12 students in a class and only one faculty. So, they definitely get to know you and vice versa. They still rem they still have that. But I it was something one of the biggest things that I

07:13
remember that that focus that you have that extra time you have just to speak with the professor afterwards. Definitely. I think um having like supportive faculty members and you know really getting to know the students and not just oh their name or their major but really getting to know oh he's from this town and he has this backstory and he struggles in this and really getting to know the students is definitely something that makes Manor unique and special and something that I hear a lot from alumni that really stuck out to

07:47
them as just so helpful in in getting that support that you need to maybe finish your degree or get a job or go on to another institution for another degree. So, um were you involved in any campus activities or athletics or any kind of clubs when you were a student? Unfortunately, not. I was present there. I was all over, but I never officially signed up for anything uh with my timing because my schedule was always changing. always had to do something, be somewhere. Uh, so did you work? Did you

08:23
work while you were a student as well? No, I did not work, but it was just like a family stuff and especially being the only one in a family who was able to translate to go to support uh everybody else. So, sure. I guess, you know, I never really thought about that a ton and and this is just my own ignorance, but like being the only kid maybe in a family and you're you're you know, you're a son and being the the person who has to translate for an entire family, that's that's kind of like a job right there.

09:01
Oh my goodness. Yeah. You got to go with mom or dad or siblings or other family members to be their translator. That's um has others in your family learned English since then or is that still very much um something that you help with? It seems like it's not just my family but anybody else like that older generation. They get got to the point where they can understand say basic responses but they don't speak. I mean there's a lot of now especially in Philadelphia, northeast Philadelphia, a

09:34
lot of stores, a lot of doctors, anybody that knowing the language is not so essential anymore as it used to be that you had to know in order to survive. Now it's much more I would say opened to other right there's things like online check-in and like more technology that maybe makes it less face to face. Well, even like Ukrainian stores, Russian stores, you have Ukrainian banks and everything. So, it's much easier now. You can you're able to get along now much better than how it used to be. That's good. That's a That's a cool um

10:12
I've never thought about that. Facilities like even doctors, all of them have those I don't know blue phones or what they call that. You call a translator, you have it there and now it's much it's much easier now, I think. Oh, that's great. Yeah. Well, that's that's awesome to hear that we've made those kind of strides in a society so that um people like you don't have to always be like a physical translator um because you know you got to do your own stuff in your in your day as well. Um so when you were a student at Manor, was

10:42
there any professors or staff who were particularly influential on you that you recall you had a class with and you really enjoyed their class? Anything like that? Yes. At that time uh there was a professor called uh his name was Michael Sims and he taught religion class and I think for my two years there I think every semester I had some sort of class with him. I think by last by the the last year of my my staying there in Manor College they ran out of all the classes of religion so I had one-on-one

11:22
class with him. Uh but why I'm emphasizing that religion class? Because from middle school to high school, I went to the public high school and middle school, you don't have religion class. So that was so different just to be able to express to speak about this topic. It was just you felt different. You felt um I don't know how what's the best way to describe it, but kind of relief you feel just to be able to speak about this. And we even though the Manor college was uh Catholic not everybody was Catholic we

11:59
had atheists we had other religions there as well present so there was no pressure but you express you go through the history of religion and that plays a huge impact on people how they see the world how they communicate how they live their lives sure absolutely I think it's it's so cool that you were able to realize like I never had religion classes and then I come to Manor and I have a few of them. Um, sounds like you had an independent study where you were just like the only one in the class. So, Michael Sims had

12:33
nothing else. Right. Right. But that's but sometimes those are the best kind of scenarios you can really go at your own pace and you get really um in-depth with a topic. So that's kind of neat. So that's a great transition into. So, you graduate from Manor and you decide that you're going to go to um Catholic University and did you know at that point you wanted to go into seminary or kind of what was that decision like? Yes. Yes. Uh I already was working with the well with um at that time they already I had my

13:13
first interview with the metropolitan at that time who was Metropolitan Stefan Soroka uh and he told me stay here see if you want to still pursue that career and in little time come and talk to me again and we'll have something set up for you. So I was really considering that path of seminary when I was uh in Manor College. That's why I kind of pushed myself for the religion courses more as well. Right. Right. That seemed like a natural a natural fit. Oh. So, um, so you go to seminary and is seminary like we are setting up to

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become a priest or is seminary still, um, we're we're still learning and we're not entirely sure what the career is going to be at the end. Well, a seminary is you already know what you're set for. So, the way for us it was you live in a seminary. uh you have in the morning you have divine liturgy in evening you would have vespers night prayer uh that would be pretty much every single day and right after the liturgy you'll have it I think it was 7 a.m. And after that you would go to Catholic University which is just

14:28
across the street. You'll have all the first if you enter right away from high school from not high school from college you would have four years of philosophy and then four years of theology. So with philosophy, you'll have general classes as well, language classes, but you still you pray every day, you learn something, you strive for that life as a future priest hopefully. But that's also kind of your time to get to know yourself. If this is the actually the path that you want because some people also think

15:08
that that's what they want, but they find out I feel like I've been called for something else. Maybe I feel like I can do more as this person or that person, not specifically a priest. It's kind of also way to find yourself there. So in that experience when you were in seminary, did you feel obviously you felt confirmed or what is that feeling like of like confirmation like oh no, this is what I'm supposed to do? Like can you explain that? In uh in high school, I really I loved technology. I liked working with

15:47
computers. I loved photography. I I loved something with technology, more or less, putting things together, photoshopping things. I was all over with that stuff. And I was I was quite good. Um but I didn't feel like this was enough. I felt like there was something more I want like this doesn't matter that much. I applied right after high school. I applied also to the right university. I received it was a very big scholarship from them. Uh they accepted me and everything. And then I met one priest

16:31
and he asked me so what are you doing? And I explained that to him. I love computers. I love this. I want to do that. It's like, no, you got to be a seminarian. So, he kind of and it's like I loved being in church. I felt calm. I especially later on when they asked me to serve. That was a great joy for me. I found very big peace in that. It's not something easy to explain, but it's just like you feel like when you're at home, like I like this. I like what how what I'm doing and he's like no when I

17:08
met that priest like you got to be a priest. So he took me to the metropolitan and he said this is going to be your future priest and that kind of set my goal. So all my plans changed. I never went to the ray. I went to Manor College. I went to Catholic University and then uh last I was transferred for theology to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Mhm. Isn't it amazing how like one person like that that one person said to you, "Oh, no. You're going to go to seminary and and I'm going to help you." And he's like, "I'm going to help

17:43
you get there." It sounds like and like that one person just sees something in you and it kind of changes everything. Isn't that I think that's so incredible um that that happens. And I'm so cool. I'm so glad that that happened for you. It sounds like he was the right person to to speak into that, you know, and I think that's how it is cuz a lot of people assume going to seminary it's such a big deal. Oh no, it's only if you're holy, if you're this. It's no, it's not that on your holiness. It's you work on

18:20
that. Nobody is holy right away. Something you have to fight for. I'm not holy. But it's it's a beauty when a priest can call children who they who they see are active in churches like come do you want to serve at the altar do would you want to pursue in this you look like you find interest in this and that opens up because none of us think about it I I wouldn't say a lot of people growing up I'm going to be a priest like that it's something you just come through especially with the mentality of people. It's like no, you want to be

18:59
successful, you want to make money, you want to be wealth, you want to that doesn't go well with the priesthood. So it's like nobody tell their kids you want to be a priest. So it's good when a priest can actually speak to the kids and say this is open to all of you. Anybody can enter seminary, anybody can go through this. At um especially we as Ukrainian seminary, we were very small. We were very tiny. The Roman Catholic seminary was huge. I remember meeting some of those seminarians and one of the

19:34
guys said something that really got to me. He said, "Even if we were to leave the seminary today, what we got, what we learn is going to stay with us. You cannot get rid of this." That's a dedication to God you go through. And a lot of them left because they wanted to be married. Um, but the way they still live, you see, they still have that in their heart. It's very beautiful. Mhm. Find that. Yeah. I mean, what great like discipline obviously, but also it's teaching you a closeness to God.

20:10
Regardless of if you go through and become a priest or not, it's still um and that's, you know, totally invaluable for your life and for others. Um I I love that. So, what's something about being a priest that maybe is a misconception that people think one thing and you want to like debunk it? you want to set the record straight. You know, what's something that um you want to people maybe think like, oh, priests are this is something that I thought but it's actually not true. Anything like

20:42
that? There is one thing that was very popular and the people still say, "Oh, priest doesn't do anything. He has so much free time." That's not true. He doesn't have any time. Okay. Oh, he said the liturgy. He said the mass. He prayed. He's done. He doesn't do anything. He goes home and he sleeps. No, there is so much financial. There's so many things you have to do. There's constantly work that needs to be done in the office and then constantly you're on or awareness. If somebody calls to visit, they're sick. In the hospital,

21:25
bring communion to those who are home. There's always something. Even here, I am blessed. I have two great secretaries. They're helping and we're still so busy with two parishes. And that's every single priest. It's like he barely they get any free time. So, I think that's a big miscommunication. Oh, you don't do anything. There's always so much uh that you have to prepare for, do, and set up for church even. Sure. Yeah. There's no like scheduled, you know, 9 to5 hours and it's kind of it's kind of on call.

22:05
That's a good one. Well, thanks for mythbusting that one. That's a good one. Um it's been so interesting to talk to you, father. It's really it's really just fascinating I I find to hear your story. So, kind of as we wrap up here, um two more questions. So what why would you recommend Manor College um for others? Why would you recommend it as an institution? It's a it's a it's a beautiful area and like we spoke about the student to a professor ratio. You are seen in class. You are heard in class. You get

22:44
an opportunity. Professor knows you. They give you time and they help you grow. You're not just lost in a huge classroom. In Catholic University, I know I had one classroom when I was there was like 200 students. I don't think the professor ever knew me there at all. If you stay quiet, they'll never even know about you. That's not with Manor. Manor works with you. And there are many other opportunities that you can get there. I know when I was there, it was only a two-year college. Now it's a four-year college. Mhm. I also know

23:18
they had great resources. I love to spend time in a library and anytime I needed a break, there's a beautiful park nearby. Even at Manor College, you can find nice space outside just to sit, reflect, enjoy life. Oh, that's great. I think and it's so true. like you said when you were at another institution you know a class of 200 if you just kind of hang hang back and don't make a lot of um you know noise you could totally go under the radar at Manor even if you hang back and don't make a lot of noise you're

23:52
still not going to go under the radar we're still gonna we're gonna even actually for the quieter one sometimes I feel like we know even more so um it's kind of the opposite um that's that's so true and we do have attention because I was a quiet one like how you do it, how you do it. I always get asked, right? Right. Um so the my kind of my final question here is about um what's happening in Ukraine currently? Obviously someone who was born in Ukraine and has a lot of ties to Ukraine. Um what is something

24:25
that we as you know Manor College where the we're a campus community, our our history and tradition is founded in Ukraine. We care deeply about the people of Ukraine. We also care deeply about Ukrainian Americans who are in the states right now. Um, what do you recommend that we do to help the war that's happening in Ukraine and just show support that that was not easy what happened with Ukraine. And one of the things that I would say this is how Ukraine actually became known through the war because not many

25:05
people knew where Ukraine is, what is Ukraine. But remember where the war escalated, everybody was talking only about Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine. So that was a very nice thing. And then the support that we got was incredible. It was incredible. I know uh this actually happened to me in a store. It was American store and it was me and my mom were talking at the register as we were in line and somebody just turned out are you Russian? It's like no Ukrainian. Good. Good. It's like they they seen that unfairness.

25:43
What I want to emphasize the most is the prayer for Ukraine. M you might not think it does much but in the beginning where the whole world started stop stopped and prayed for Ukraine all these spoke about this the miracles that happened there the Russian invasion when they were supposed to take over Ukraine in a week time few days they were not able to you had bombs landing in people's houses and never blowing up you had many miraculous stories that were shared with me that they say it's unbelievable that that

26:21
happened. That all happened because the whole world started to pray. Prayer is has actually very big power and significance in that for Ukrainians. A lot of miracles did happen. A lot of churches survived. People survived. Bombs did not explode. There had to be Ukraine still stands due to the prayers. That's the most important. And then donations that they received was great great support especially for for the soldiers because even Russia they're much wealthier bigger their soldiers don't have what we have we have volunteers we

26:58
have constant support sending them uh a lot of volunteers a lot of people stood up uh to help Ukraine so don't lose hope that's a thing keep praying and there's a lot of ways to help Ukraine especially donation s I I'm not sure. I'm sure Manor does its own thing as well. I know the biggest uh source that I know is actually the Archer Park of Philadelphia. They've been sending a lot of support to Ukraine and yeah, that that is great. I think I think emphasis on prayer is huge and I'm a firm believer in that as well.

27:36
And obviously finding resources to support if you can, whether it's through the Archie Parchie at church or whether it's through other humanitarian efforts. I know we have at the college, we have a a support Ukraine web page where we have a list of kind of our top ways to support and some of it's through donation, some of it's through um giving in in other ways. So, we definitely can link that in here in the show. But I think just not losing hope is really key. So, I'm glad you shared that.

28:04
Um and just keep praying because pray prayer is working and it's helping those miracles continue to happen. Um but thank you so much father for joining us today. It has been truly a joy talking to you and um I hope our conversation uh like I like to say in my intro encourages, inspires um others who are listening as well, whether they're Manor students or alumni or just Manor fans. Um, we certainly want to continue to spread the word that Manor College is a great place for people to be and to

28:36
get their education from. So, thank you for sharing and I wish you nothing but the best. Thank you so much. Thank you, Kelly. Thank you for having me. Thank you so much for doing what you do. Thank you for getting the voices back to Manor that they still speaks showing that how much Manor influenced others graduated. So, thank you. Thank you for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube. And stay up to date with all new episodes by following Manor College

29:06
on Instagram, Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of The Nest. Stories about life after Manor College. Remember, Blue Jays, you belong here always. [Music]