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I always like to tell students that, you know, find the right home for you. Um, when that's you're looking through the college admissions process, it is cliche, but when you land on that campus that you want to go to, you're going to know that it's the right spot for you. 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

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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 know. Did you know that there's a new opportunity for Manor College graduates at Neumann University? On January 29th, 2026, Manor College and Neumann University announced an agreement that provides the opportunity for at least

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three Manor graduates per year to earn a master's degree at Neumann. Neumann's programs include forensic accounting, cyber security, business and organizational leadership, education, forensic psychology, and sport business. This exciting program is a pathway for students at Manor College to receive continued education at an institution that has similar values. It is a place where students will feel comfortable, familiar, and will flourish. For more information, check out Manor College's

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latest post on the news section of our website at www.manor.edu/news. Today's episode is sponsored by the Manor College Bird Feed. Did you know that some Manor College students struggle with food insecurity? Minor College is proud to be an official PA hunger-free campus. Our bird feed food pantry provides a vital lifeline offering non-p perishable food and toiletries to those in need. But we can't do it without you. Your donation of canned goods, dry goods, or financial contributions help us stock the shelves

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and ensure that no one in our campus goes hungry. Learn how you can help by visiting manor.edu/birdfeed. That's manor.edu/birdfeed. Our guest today is a true staple of the northeast Philadelphia community and a proud product of Franklin Towne Charter High. When he first arrived on our campus, he dove head first into the full college experience, pursuing an associates degree in liberal arts. He didn't just attend classes, he led from the front. Whether he was guiding prospective families as a student

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ambassador or leading the charge on the pitch as a captain of the men's soccer team, his impact was felt across the entire campus. After graduating from Manor in 2018, he took his talents further a field, earning his undergrad degree at Shenandoah University before completing recently his master's degree from Neumann University. But as they say, all roads lead back to the blue and white. Influenced by mentors such as John JD Dempster, Joe Dr. Joe Gillespie, and John Simila, he decided to return to

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the halls where it all began. Today, he serves as a vital bridge for the next generation of students as a Manor College admissions counselor, athletic liaison, and the assistant woman's soccer coach. Please welcome to the show Damian Schweizer. Hi, Damian. >> Hi, Kelly. Thank you so much for having me today. >> Thanks for being on. and I'm so excited to talk to you and you're someone who h was at Manor then went to other institutions and then you found your way back. So I always love those kind of

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like coming home stories but take us back. How did you choose Manor? How did you find it and kind of what was it like making that decision? >> So growing up I was always a soccer player. So sports had a big uh decision or was a big part of my decision and luckily enough uh I had some interconnection to Manor right away. Uh my dad and JD actually went to high school together. They played soccer together at Lincoln High School under uh Mr. Patton who was an assistant coach at Manor at the time uh when I was a senior

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in high school. So that connection right away kind of made Manor a interest of mine. And then I came to campus after talking to JD a couple times. He was at a couple of our Franklin Towne games. And then he finally got me out on campus. My first time on campus, uh, I felt that you belong here slogan when I walked down the steps to enter Miss Anne, who is still here today, uh, greeted me right away with, uh, open arms, knew my name, which was something that in the recruiting process I didn't experience

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before. So Ann greeted me, gave me a cup of coffee as I waited for JD. And from that moment on, I just kind of knew that Manor was going to be the spot for me. >> Oh, that's great. I love that you had kind of like a prior connection and you had an idea that this might be a good place, but then when you actually came, you were reassured like this is actually a good spot for you and what you just described as like your your you know your opening um scene there coming down meeting an getting coffee. Has that

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changed today? Is that that's still pretty much what happens um at Manor? you know, which is kind of cool to think about. Here we are like a decade later and that hospitality has pretty much stayed pretty consistent. >> Yeah, I get a little flashback every single time I'm I'm meeting with a prospective student for a tour and I watch them come down and kind of do the same thing. I have that flashback of myself putting myself in those shoes, walking down those steps with my dad

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and, you know, seeing JD in the admissions office, which is a little different now, but uh it's still really special, >> right? little little deja vu there. That's so cool. >> So, how was it transitioning from high school sports to college athletics and then obviously like being a a team captain and having that experience? What was that like? >> It was it was definitely difficult. Um, it's very eye opening when you go from being the best standout to your team to

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going to college where college athletics is usually the best player on the best team in every single high school. So, you're basically uh raising your competition levels and really being put with people who you can compete with, who are going to push you every single day at practice. and it's not as easy as that, you know, high school level soccer or any sport. So, you know, you're with a bunch of all stars. Um, and it's really special to, you know, even get to that level of college, whether it's Jo

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to division one. Uh, it's all hard. Not that many athletes get to experience it. So being fortunate enough to earn my spot on a team was really special and it was fun to learn and compete with a lot of these a lot of my teammates. >> Absolutely. It's hard. It's fast. Everyone's like bigger, faster, stronger, you know, so you really got to step it up there to compete. But that's so cool that you had that opportunity to do that. So now you're an admissions

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counselor at um at Manor, but when you were a student, you were an ambassador and you gave tours and you kind of you kind of were like a little bit of a counselor then. So you probably have given a lot of tours in your day. What is like a hidden gem that you always include on your tours that like is kind of a special Damian touch to giving a great tour here at Manor? Uh, one thing I always like to uh, point out is when I bring a student into one of our classrooms, I always like to speak upon my experiences in the classroom

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since I was a student here. And the story that I always bring up is about Leslie Weinfeld. Uh, she is still a math teacher here today. And growing up, math was not my strong suit. I am not a numbers person. I'm more of a talker. I'm more of a visual. So numbers never necessarily crunched in my head. Uh and right away uh Leslie is very honest and upfront. So she asked us first day of class who likes math and who doesn't like math? And me being young, I right away raised my hand. I was like, I don't

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like it. Now I was one of probably three students who are actually honest in the class because I think they thought it was a test. Um, but she knew right away from that point on that I was someone who was going to need a little bit more care and a little bit more help throughout uh the subjects that we were learning because I was someone who didn't like it. So, I was easily frustrated and I was someone who would give up right away if I didn't understand it. So, Leslie took the time to really make sure that not only was

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she, you know, making sure the class was staying on track, but I was understanding what she was saying. Sometimes that left me, you know, staying after class 10, 15 minutes really to figure out some things that I didn't understand or if even if that was, you know, giving me a pretest or a practice test so I could use it as a study tool. Um, so that little touch is something I always like to bring up to students because that's not something that you're going to really get anywhere else.

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>> No, no, that's special. Not only can you tie in your own like experience as an alumni, but then you're showing faculty support, faculty care, kind of the culture that we really are proud of and want to make sure that we're like not just talking the talk, but also walking the walk. So, I think that's a great that's a great hidden gem to keep saying on your tours. I I love that. I did not know that. Um, so let's keep talking about kind of your education a

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little bit and then we'll then we'll get back to to athletics. But so you started with an associates in liberal arts and then you transferred to Shenandoah and then eventually you just got your masters at Neumann. How has like a broad foundation helped you um in pursuing your education? >> It's definitely an interesting track. Um when I got to Manor I wasn't necessarily sure what direction I wanted to go in life. I knew that soccer was something that I wanted to do and I knew

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that if I wanted to stay on the soccer field, I needed to have good grades. So, the best advice I got from my counselors here were, you know, take the classes that you know are going to be acceptable for any type of program. So, when you do figure it out, you are able to jump into that and run straight ahead. So, I started to, you know, float around, have some ideas. I uh took a couple psychology classes, took a couple business classes, and I think I took one education course to really try and figure out where I fit in the best. And

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business, uh, is exactly where I think I was most comfortable. It's a lot of talking. It's a lot of one-on-one networking and making connections with people, which is something that I find very easy to do. So, I found myself loving business. So, once I kind of felt that it was right for me, I kind of ran with it. When I got my bachelor's degree, I really thought that was going to be it for me with schooling. Uh, I never thought I would be going back to school to get a master's degree. And

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when I started working here at Manor, a lot of our leadership, uh, Jessica Zsoldos, who isn't here anymore, and Dr. Gillespie, John Simila, who at that time wasn't a director, he was just an admissions counselor like myself. Uh they really saw potential in me and that I could really grow in this business or this industry and as well as other opportunities that may come across uh my path in life. So, they really pushed hard for me to consider going to get a master's degree. Once I kind of put my

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foot halfway in the door, I started talking to some people that they arranged for me to talk to at Neumann and eventually with discussing it with my family, we kind of made the decision that it was right for me to go back and it was a very very good decision on my end. >> Yeah, that's awesome. I mean, think about it. In the last 10 years, you've gotten an associates degree, a bachelor's degree, and now a master's degree. that is pretty, you know, incredible. So, you should be really

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proud of yourself because that's really cool to have. And I'm glad to hear people were pushing you and mentoring you through that cuz it's a great thing to have and it will definitely come in handy, you know, in life. No one can ever take it away from you. So, that's really cool that you were able to do that while also, you know, working full-time. I know you do a lot of coaching um at Manor, but elsewhere as well. So, it's just it's a good thing to do for you. For sure.

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>> I want to switch gears a little bit and talk about um some of the athletic work that you do at Manor as a coach, but also as an athletic liaison. This is something that is a part of your title. So, obviously, it's really important to the work that you do. Can you explain what um being an admissions counselor, athletic liaison really entails? >> Yeah. So what I do is if there's a prospective student who is interested in playing a sport here at Manor, what I do is I will walk them through the

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application process of what is needed to actually get accepted into the college. Once you are accepted into the college, it's okay, great. How can I now connect you with the coaches and help you navigate finding your spot on the team? So, if you're interested in uh basketball or baseball, women's flag football, really all of the sports here, what I do is I walk you through that process. I get you connected with your coach. And then I'm also here to kind of help you and mentor you what it's like

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to be an athlete and, you know, a student athlete because academics definitely comes first, but we also want you to do well uh on the field as well. >> Sure. Sure. So, you're like the athletes goto person and not just for soccer. It could be any sport. >> Any sport. >> That's great. I love that. So, by day you're admissions counselor and by afternoon evening your assistant women's soccer coach. How do you balance having like a recruiter mindset and then getting into a coach mindset? And does

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one help the other? I think they definitely uh balance each other out and I think I use tactics from my admissions job on the soccer field and I definitely think the coach comes out of me even when I'm walking uh students through the admissions process because in you know reality we are coaching in a way we are you know telling them the next steps how to you know get these things in when they need to be in. So you really are instructing and guiding them as much as you would do on the soccer field or

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baseball field, me specifically soccer. Um so I definitely they go hand in hand for me every single day. Um I think coaching here at Manor under Tom is a very unique thing uh because Tom and I have a lot of the same ideas uh and we bring a lot of the same energy to the soccer field. So we're very welcoming. We always want new girls to come out and try out. Even if you've never played soccer before, uh we want you to come and learn. See if it's something that you can enjoy. So that open arms mindset

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kind of reminds me of what we do here at Manor, especially in the admissions. We're the first face you see when you come to Manor College. So that you belong here slogan really starts with us. So, we want to show that not only, you know, as you're going through the admissions process, but Tom and I want to show you that on the soccer field, you know. >> Yeah, absolutely. They definitely go hand in hand and you and head coach Tom Gi certainly have a good rapport with uh with the girls on the team. So, so

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Damian, I like to ask this question of all of our alumni and about like what is a myth or misconception about the work that you do that you want to debunk? something that people assume that you do and you're like that's just not true or the the you know it's maybe exaggerated something that you want to set the record straight. >> Um and I would just say this about all of the colleges and college prospects. Um we don't just read transcripts. I'm not going and looking at a transcript

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and deciding if Manor is a good fit for a student based off of their GPA. Yes, there are requirements, but just because you don't meet those requirements doesn't mean the conversation is over. We can definitely have a deeper conversation to figure out if there was, you know, some struggles that you may have affected your education or if something just wasn't going right in your high school experience. So these things, you know, students can be afraid sometimes to really throw themselves out

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there because they don't think they're good enough or their grades are good enough. And that's not something that is a worry here at Manor. We're an open opportunity that if you come and be honest and, you know, really open up to us, we're going to open up to you. >> Right. We're not just looking at one thing. We're looking at a whole picture, a whole person. That's great to hear. I'm going to pause this real quick because my computer is dying and I don't

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want to lose any of this. So, I'm going to pause it. So, Damian, obviously you've met a lot of Manor people along the way. You've had mentors as a student, as an employee, as a colleague. Um, but what is like the main advice that you give to students whether they're coming to Manor or not, they're college kids. um what's advice that you give them kind of time in and time out that you know is is really true and close to your heart. >> I always like to tell students that you

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know find the right home for you. Um when that's you're looking through the college admissions process, it is cliche, but when you land on that campus that you want to go to, you're going to know that it's the right spot for you. Uh, I always tell students who are here visiting, when I'm out at college fairs, that, you know, start making a checklist of things that you really like when you're visiting a college. Some colleges are going to have a lot of the same things, but there's going to be one or

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two things that really makes them different. And also start thinking about some of the things that you don't like at schools. Um, having this type of checklist really makes it easier for when you find that school that you think is the one. If the things you didn't like, they're not there. They're not existent at that school. And the things that you really liked at other places are there, that's your spot. And I think, you know, remaining open and not, you know, just going to the first school

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that you think you like is your school. I think take your time figuring out where your next four years are going to be. >> Yeah, it's a big decision. It's a lot of your really like pivotal years that you're going to be spending there. So, make sure it's the right thing for you. Not everyone wants a small close-knit community. You know, some people want a bigger campus or a city campus or something else. So, that's really good advice. Making a list is very helpful.

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Um, thank you so much for that. Okay, we're going to play a little uh calling it a 215 quickfire. So, these are all Philly related questions for you to answer um as kind of a a go-to like North Philly person. Um so, kind of we we'll go through these quickly. So, best spot for a cheese steak. What's your favorite go-to spot? >> So, right now it's Marmaris. It's in trevose, so right outside of the city. But, uh, ask for Veto or Phil. Make sure they're making your cheese steak and

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it's going to be delicious. I promise. >> Okay. Mama Russos. Um, are you getting a Wawa Sizzli? Are you getting a soft pretzel? >> Uh, Sizzli. >> Okay. Are we going to the beach or are we going down the shore? And what's your shore point of choice? >> Down the shore 100%. And it's Wow. >> Nice. Did you see that there's um people are ice skating on the Wildwood beaches right now? >> I did. And so my my mom and brother live down there full-time. So uh when I heard

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that I, you know, had to check in and make sure it wasn't my brother out there. >> I saw that video and I was like, "This is wild." Oh my goodness. It's crazy. All right. So growing up in Northeast Philly, did you use crayons or did you use crayons? >> Crayons. Crayons. All right. Do you prefer a union game at Subaru Park or an Eagles game at the link? >> This is going to be a tough one. I I do love the Eagles, but I am a Union fan through and through. March 1st is their

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home opener and I already bought my tickets. >> Okay. All right. Uh, Gritty or the Fanatic? >> Philly fanatic. >> No brainer for me as well. All right. Can you use the word John describing something about Manor College in a sentence? >> Uh, it's Manor College is a good John. >> All right. I love that, Anthony. We got to clip that right there. That was good. >> Um, and what is one thing that people get wrong about Northeast Philly? >> Um, that's a good question. I would say

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that people describe Northeast Philly people as crazy. Um, I think crazy is a little bit of a harsh word. I would just say we are fully committed to our sports, to our families, and things that we love. >> Passionate, right? We're just passionate. All right. Well, Damian, thank you so much for joining us today. It has been a pleasure to get to talk to you and just to get to know you a little bit more and um we wish you nothing but the best and uh as we like to say, you belong here always.

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>> Thank you. Thank you so much for having me today. >> Thank you for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube. Stay up to date with all new episodes by following Manor College on social media 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.