Communication and Sports Administration double major Gianluca DiGiocomo came to John Carroll knowing what his passion was, and found a team that helped him build his resume and blossom into who he is today. With the support of mentors, advisors, and peers, Gianluca turned that passion into real experience and real impact.
Transcript
I think that I really had a great idea of what I wanted to become and that stayed consistent for me throughout the course of college.
So I think what John Carroll did for me is it really made me realize how much of a passion I had and how much of an impact it had on other people.
You know, to Joe Kinley, to Dan Lodenovich, to everybody in the Sports Information Department and Blue Streak Media that have helped me not only build my resume here,
not only build myself as a human being here, but helped me kind of spray out to beyond the John Carroll realm.
Thank you guys.
You know, I think that what I’ve done has had a long-lasting passion and I don’t think I could have picked a better place to have me as a human being blossom into what I am today if it wasn’t for the community,
the curriculum, and really the themes and mantras that John Carroll has taught for all these years and continues to teach.
For Cecilia Mrosko, the support and accompaniment of her Peer Navigator helped with everything from where to find resources in the library to her discernment process in selecting a major. Cecilia wanted to pay it forward and became a Peer Navigator to help first year students by serving as a member of their team and walking alongside them on their JCU journey.
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Coming into John Carroll, I was a really nervous freshman.
I didn’t know how things worked on campus and I wanted to decide my major and find my people.
I went in my first advising class and that’s where I met my Peer Navigator, Nell, and she helped me with everything.
I had her number and she helped me with all the silly little things like where to find things in the library and also more important things like scheduling and actually picking a major.
And she helped me with that and so I wanted to help freshmen.
That’s why I became a Peer Navigator.
So that I could be a part of their team like Mel was on mine and help them on their journey here at JCU.
Prior to coming to John Carroll, Jae Tomanovich heard that a career in sports wasn't realistic. At JCU, he found a team of mentors and peers who believed in him and helped turn his dream into reality. With their support, he's gained real-world experience with the Cleveland Guardians and is taking on the role of Ballpark Runners Supervisor.
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When I was a freshman first coming to John Carroll, I just didn’t know what to expect.
I was always told in high school that, you know, the sports path, it’s not very realistic.
Not many people are able to go into that path, but being here at John Carroll, that has opened my opportunities to way more than I ever expected when I was 18 years old.
Just from some of my biggest mentors to name them, Kim Malley, Sean Cronin, Brian Collian, Brian Vigge, they’ve all pretty much guided me to who I’ve become today,
and I’m very thankful for that.
As well as the John Carroll Baseball team and my best friend Eric Crowell that decided to come here as well with me.
They’ve all given me endless opportunities to end up with the Cleveland Guardians, and I’m really hopeful to return with them next year in either fan services role or a stadium operations role.
For Nick Colbert, the amount of professors and students who were willing to help him navigate his journey and not feel overwhelmed during his first two years fueled his personal and professional growth. Their guidance and support inspired him to become a Peer Navigator his junior year to apply what he learned by serving as a mentor for the next generation of JCU students.
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I would say one of the biggest things about John Carroll is just the amount of support that you get from students, faculty, and everyone else on campus.
One of the biggest things that I encountered within my first two years is just the amount of professors and students who are willing to help you navigate your journey because college can be overwhelming at times,
but there were multiple professors who came in, helped me along the way between accounting and finance, looking for internships, looking for opportunities for me to excel, students who were willing to help me study that were upperclassmen that just wanted to help me carry the torch of being a great student here at John Carroll.
That led me to becoming a Peer Navigator for students where I was able to take what I had learned within those first two years and pass it along to the next generation of John Carroll students,
and I feel that is one of the best traditions that we have at John Carroll, where students are able to learn not only from professors in the classroom,
but also informally through other students and help themselves better themselves as they enter a new chapter of their life.
So I feel that is one of the most important aspects of John Carroll is the support system that you have here.
Arriving at John Carroll University feeling uncertain about his major and future vocation, Elijah Williams found clarity through his team of mentors and advisors that met him exactly where he was. With these dedicated faculty and staff members walking alongside him and supporting him, Elijah was able to navigate the process of self-discovery and find a clear, confident path forward.
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When coming to John Carroll University, I truly didn’t know where I was going, what major I truly wanted to do, nor what my vocation was going to be in the future.
I was lost.
But at John Carroll, there are resources for you to find that help, to talk, and to completely understand where you are supposed to go and what path you’re supposed to take.
Thankfully, we have great administration, staff, and faculty to help walk us through those process, to hold our hands, and to fully make us understand who we are.
Maddie Harrington ’28Communication & Peace, Justice & Human Rights (double major)
Coming into John Carroll, Maddie Harrington was unsure which academic major she wanted to choose. With guidance from her Peer Navigators, she turned her initial uncertainty into a focused double major in Communication and Peace, Justice & Human Rights, with and a calling for nonprofit marketing down the road. The significance of this support inspired Maddie to become a Peer Navigator herself and help other students discern their path.
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Coming into John Carroll, I was unsure of what major path I wanted to take.
But in my freshman year advising class, I developed and learned the necessary skills to hone in on my interests like being a part of the Arrupe Social Justice Scholars Program.
Peer Navigators in this course guided me in my decision-making process.
They helped show me different opportunities here available at John Carroll University, ultimately helping me decide in becoming a Communications and Peace Justice and Human Rights double major,
to which now I know I want to go into nonprofit marketing down the line.
Because their help was so significant to me, I myself decided I wanted to go see a Peer Navigator.
I had the opportunity of guiding students like myself in their decision-making process.
Whether it was helping them focus on different majors or explore different opportunities available here, it was all about showing them that they had a team to support and rely on,
Through close guidance from his team of mentors and advisors, Luka Pranjeta is turning opportunity into action. Guided by a JCU alumnus mentor who navigated the same balance of academics, soccer, and work, Luka is using his AI minor to launch his own business and shape his path after graduation.
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So when John Carroll announced my sophomore year that they added an AI minor in, I quickly added that to my four year plan and I began working closely with a JCU alumni who actually played soccer just like me.
And you know we have weekly meetings where we kind of talk about how he juggled both classes, soccer, work, and even his own business which has now led me to start my own business where I build websites for businesses,
my own AI agency.
So being given this opportunity and ability to work with a JCU alumni and having this minor will really set me up for success in my career.
Psychology major Mary Calo was eager to get started in the Accelerated Dual Degree program for School Counseling as an undergraduate student. With guidance every step of the way from her advisor, she's been able to get her foot in the door taking graduate courses early and feel more comfortable stepping into her Master's Degree program.
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Hi, my name is Mary.
I’m a senior here at John Carroll.
I’m getting my undergraduate in psychology and I’m a part of the Accelerated Dual Degree program.
So I can start my masters in school counseling a little bit early.
And Dr. Kanda has helped me through this process every step of the way, which has been so awesome.
I’ve been able to get my foot in the door with taking graduate courses.
And it’s just really made me more comfortable stepping into the program.
I’m really excited to keep going.
And get to know the community better.
And yeah, just get started with the rest of my classes.
Guided by faculty mentorship Rachel Ciotti merged her passion for working with high school students and her love of English into a multifaceted path featuring an internship with JCU's Office of Admission and a landmark undergraduate teaching assistantship. Through support from her mentors and advisors, she's transformed her various interests into a clear vocational trajectory toward one day becoming a college English professor.
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Hi, I’m Rachel Ciotti.
I am a junior English major here at John Carroll.
When I came to John Carroll, I knew that I wanted to work with high school students.
So what I thought that meant was teaching high school English.
That actually meant was working as a tour guide here for a few years and then becoming the Office of Admissions intern next year.
So what I’ll get to do is work with high school students and kind of work with them through their college application process.
But I also wanted to merge my love of English into my career.
So I will hope to become a college professor of English one day.
But in the meantime, I will be the first undergraduate teaching assistant in the English department teaching Intro to Shakespeare in the fall.
But in the meantime, I will be doing a summer undergraduate research fellowship this summer, discussing Shakespeare and ego criticism.
But it’s really because of my mentors here at John Carroll, especially Dr. Jean Feurick in the English department, who sat down with me and helped me merge all of my interests from the Office of Admissions into the English department.
Supply Chain Management major Riley Higgins wasn't sure which path in business was right for her at first. With guidance from her team, she explored her options, found her fit in supply chain management, and is ready to gain real-world experience through her internship this summer with The Lubrizol Corporation.
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Hi, I’m Riley Higgins.
When I was graduating high school from Notre Dame Academy in Toledo, I was still deciding what I wanted to do with my major.
I knew I wanted to do something in business, but I wasn’t quite sure of supply chain, marketing, management, so my advisors and Peer Navigators recommended that I take all three classes at the same time before the semester I had to decide my major.
I am happy to say now I am majoring in supply chain management and I will be an intern at Lubrizol all this summer.
Communication major Caitlyn Minney was able to secure two internships as only a sophomore. With support from her mentors and advisors in WJCU, John Carroll's award-winning radio station, Caitlyn interned with WLKR/WKFM helping to promote the station, and with the Lake County Captains, a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, working behind the scenes to run the show for the game.
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Hi, I’m Caitlyn, a communications student here at John Carroll, and with my time at WJCU, our award-winning radio station and sports information, and underneath the mentorship of Jason Sokol and Joseph Gindley has been amazing.
I’ve been able to get two internships as a sophomore, one with a small market radio station, WLKR WKFM out in Sandusky, Ohio, where I worked with promotions and promoting the station,
and one with the high A minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, Lake County Captains, where I worked behind the scenes to run the show for the game,
Through JCU's Inside/Out: Modern Social Problems course, Sarah Hastings studied alongside incarcerated women, discovering that true advocacy begins with intentional listening and meeting people where they are. She brought that spirit of accompaniment to her role as a Peer Navigator, ensuring every new student felt seen, heard, and supported from day one.
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Hi, my name is Sarah Hastings.
I’m a senior this year.
Looking back at my time at John Carroll, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to take Dr. Clark’s Inside Out class.
This is a class we take alongside incarcerated women at the prison in downtown Cleveland.
This class not only taught me the importance of advocating for others, but also listening with intention and meeting people where they’re at.
This showed up a lot in my role as a Navigator this year, as I was able to meet a lot of incoming freshmen, but also work with a lot of people across campus that I hadn’t worked with before.
After a professor's mentorship connected her with a JCU Board member at American Airlines, Abby Walker traveled to Texas for interviews and secured a summer internship at their Dallas headquarters. In her revenue management role, Abby will work on ticket pricing and have the opportunity to interact with many JCU alumni in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
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During the fall, I was taking one of my Boler Professional Development courses and one day after class, BPD Bob asked me if I had any interest in possibly working in Dallas over the summer.
And I was interested in that and I just wanted to learn more.
From there, he connected me with an alum and board member, Jim Moses, who works for American Airlines and is very well established there.
So I was able to meet with Jim on campus.
And then from there, I began the interview process.
And it was really exciting because I was able to fly down there for the interviews and be a part of a really neat experience that I had never been able to go through before,
just in the application process.
And eventually I did get the revenue management internship for this summer.
So I’ll be working on ticket pricing and I’ll be able to interact with many John Carroll alum in that area.
Jim already has planned some events where we’re going to go to Rangers games and go out to dinner together.
So I was really just reminded of how much the John Carroll community looks out for the students and everyone involved.
Partnering with her professors to conduct research, Lauren Koppelmann had the opportunity to present her findings at a national conference for Sports Psychology. This immersive experience allowed her to network with professionals in her field of interest and has inspired her to conduct future research.
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The summer after my junior year, I attended a national conference for sports psychology.
This would not have been possible without support from John Carroll faculty and staff.
I was able to work with professors here at Carroll and develop my study, submit it with their help, and get accepted.
I was financially supported to go and present my research at the conference.
I was able to network with professionals in my field of interest, learn so much about sports psych, and I was inspired to do more future research.
This would not have been possible without John Carroll, and I am forever grateful.
First year student and Communication major Delaney Dalman translated her passion for journalism into immediate action by joining both The Carroll News and Blue Streak Media. One of her first assignments for The Carroll News was to interview Carolyn Noll Sorg, at the time JCU's VP for Enrollment & Marketing. Currently, Delaney's gaining media production experience by partnering with Integrated Communications & Marketing to work on InFormation, Noll Sorg's podcast as President-elect of John Carroll University.
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Hi, my name is Delaney and I’m a first year student here at John Carroll University.
I’m from the Akron, Cleveland area, so I’m local.
And going into John Carroll University, I knew I wanted to do journalism, so I’m a Communications Central Media major and a Poli Sci minor.
The first thing I did when I got here was join the Carroll News.
And one of the first things I was able to do with that was interview VP of Enrollment, Carolyn Noll Sorg.
And expanding on my Blue Streak Media realm, I joined the radio station and then studios in this semester, I’m currently working as Dan Solance’s Blue Streak Media Assistant.
And with that, I’ve been partnering with IMC to work on Carolyn Noll Sorg’s podcast now as President-Elect.
So it was very cool to see that transition from meeting her at the beginning of the year to now working with her as President-Elect.
As a member of JCU's inaugural nursing cohort, Kayla Trogu balanced three jobs while excelling in the classroom, in the pool as a student athlete, and in clinicals, earning her the Mark A. Kadzielski '68 Distinguished Nursing Student Award. After graduation, she'll begin her career in the Emergency Department at University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center.
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After transferring after my sophomore year, Dr. Bodos was able to help guide me through the transferring process.
She helped look at each of my classes that I came in with and helped match them and keep me on track to graduate on time here at John Carroll.
Dr. Bacher and Dr. Melissa Cole have also been a huge help in supporting me in my transferring process as well as creating connections for me with other hospitals and managers to then land me a position after graduating from John Carroll at University Hospitals Ahuja in their emergency department.
The staff here have also graciously nominated me for the Distinguished Nursing Student Award here at John Carroll.
Exercise Science major Will Rahill spent 10 weeks in Ireland this past summer as a physical therapy and strength and conditioning intern with youth Gaelic football and soccer teams, embracing new environments and perspectives. This experience directly influenced his approach to grad school as he'll be attending the Army-Baylor Doctor of Physical Therapy program and will serve as a military physical therapist in the US Army after earning his DPT.
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I’m really fortunate that I have Professor Biggie in my corner.
He helped me find this Ireland opportunity to intern over this past summer.
I got to work as a physical therapy and strength and conditioning intern with youth Gaelic football teams and soccer teams and pushing myself to new environments to opening my mind with new perspectives was something that I didn’t want to take for granted.
And over this 10 week period, I saw my impact on youth populations, but also with my coworkers who all had different backgrounds than me and seeing how I still had this purpose that I gained from John Carroll and the people that I met here was really special and is directly influencing how I’m approaching
grad school in the future and the opportunities that come with that.
With support from his team of instructors, mentors, and coaches, Tom Wasinski learned not what to think but how to think, how to overcome challenges, and how to wrestle with difficult questions. They championed both his accountability and growth, reaffirming his desire to become a theology teacher in the future and repay the favor of a Jesuit education to the next generation.
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Coming into John Carroll, I knew I wanted to study theology and play football and no better place to do it than John Carroll.
So that made my decision making process really easy.
I came in here and I met great people both in the academic field and the athletic field.
Specifically my team of instructors such as Dr. Hanenberg, Dr. Murphy, Dr. Jun, many more.
But those three specifically have really just taught me so much.
And they haven’t taught me what to think, but they’ve taught me how to think and how to overcome challenges and how to wrestle with difficult questions.
And for that I’ll forever be grateful.
And that has just reaffirmed my passion for wanting to teach theology in the future and repay the favor of the Jesuit education to the younger generation.
And on top of that, in the athletic field, I’ve met some of my best friends here being on the football team.
I met a group of guys that I could count on, that could hold me accountable, that I could wake up early in the morning with and grow on the field,
in the classroom, in the weight room.
And specifically Coach Polian and all the other coaches for believing in me and knowing that I have more growth inside of me and pushing me to be my best self each and every day.
After being selected as the 18th NBC/John Carroll University Meet the Press Fellow, James Feeks will join the team behind Meet the Press, NBC's longest-running television program, for a nine-month fellowship this fall. James credits the connections he made across campus and his well-rounded Jesuit education that propelled him into this next step after graduation with clarity and confidence
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Hi, my name is James Feeks, and I’ve been selected as the 18th John Carroll University Meet the Press Fellow.
Coming into John Carroll, I wanted to become a business major and hopefully go to law school afterwards.
Throughout my time at John Carroll, I always heard about the Meet the Press Fellowship, but really didn’t know much about it.
That was until the previous guy, Tape Farinacci, the current Meet the Press Fellow, told me all about this wonderful program and the experiences that he had while working across the street from the Capitol.
Through this, in learning about the program, as well as the guidance from BPD Bob, which was huge in perfecting my resume and my cover letter, as well as Dr. Broseman,
Dr. Swearengen, who really helped me prepare for the final interview in Washington, D.C.
All of these together really made me a successful candidate, as well as the well-rounded Jesuit education that John Carroll has provided me all four years.
Together, I feel that I can now, as a business major, go on into this journalism and political world and have success.
Driven by a lifelong dream of becoming a doctor, Dan Sunyak combined rigorous internships with transformative global immersion trips and retreats through Campus Ministry. These experiences forged a deep seeded Jesuit passion for service and learning, shaping him into a uniquely compassionate and highly competitive medical school candidate.
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Coming to John Carroll, I knew I wanted to be a doctor.
Medical school was the plan.
So you have a set set of courses along the way that you’re going to be taking, but it also gives you the freedom to take different kinds of courses that your mentors and your counselors really help guide you along the way.
Experiences that I’ve had here have been life-changing.
Going to Honduras and Chicago through Campus Ministry’s immersions have been amazing as well as the retreats that offer.
And after John Carroll, the plan is to go to medical school and John Carroll has made me such a competitive applicant to get into internships that have been absolutely amazing and life-changing as well and make me a competitive applicant to actually get into medical school and succeed.
So becoming a true lifelong Jesuit and just showing John Carroll throughout my life has been absolutely amazing and I hope I can continue to do just that.
