Celebrating Lesley with family and friends

Many of these professionals over the weekend spoke about how Lesley prepared them for these important callings, sharing their stories at a variety of alumni panels.

Stephanie Spadorcia, acting dean of our Graduate School of Education, earned her bachelor’s degree at Lesley. She said her education helped her see the possibilities of a career in education beyond the noble profession of classroom teaching, adding that it has been invaluable to her role as a consultant and, eventually, as an academic administrator.

Michael Coleman, a 2018 Graphic Design graduate of our College of Art and Design, said Lesley not only helped him prepare a robust, diverse portfolio to launch his career, but also encouraged him to take chances and follow his artistic vision while preparing for the workplace.

“Moving out into the graphic-design world, you really need a great portfolio,” said Coleman, a senior grahic designer for Stark / Raving Graphic Design + Digital Marketing, a Boston-based design studio.  However, he added that Lesley helped him “branch out and stay curious,” which added to his value in a competitive field.

“Staying true to your interests and not trying to people-please,” is how Coleman put it, saying that employers like his appreciate creativity and originality, since hiring managers can tell if you’re just submitting something that “you were told to do.”

“Learning how to learn is really something I appreciate learning here at Lesley,” he added.

Other alumni also extolled the virtues of Lesley’s caring, supportive lifelong instructional and mentoring model, particularly those who graduated from our Threshold Programs for neurodiverse learners.

Speaking to an audience of about 70 people in the University Hall amphitheater, Threshold alumni spoke about their various employers’ appreciation of their hard work and promptness, recollections corroborated by Threshold Executive Director Jennifer Thorell and Amanda Matarese, assistant vice president of Enrollment Management, Visitor Services and Events and Enrollment Operations.

“We hear from employers all the time about the positive experiences they have” with Threshold graduates and students,” Thorell said.

Matarese added that employers have told her that Threshold graduates “make the best team players” in their workplaces, from early childhood education centers to hospitals to hardware stores.

In addition to panel discussions, Family & Friends Weekend attendees enjoyed a comedy show, a stage hypnotist, a carnival and more. They also took campus tours and participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking on our South Campus in front of Reed and Burnham Hall, which is undergoing extensive renovation.

“We are excited about how this renovation of the Reed-Burnham Hall will contribute to the life of campus and Lesley as a whole,” said Lesley Board of Trustees Chair Hans Strauch, an award-winning architect, during a talk in our St. John’s Memorial Chapel, which will be renovated for an multidisciplinary arts center.