Complete Interview with Sebastian Grasso

Name:  Sebastian J Grasso

Company:  Windham Group

High School Name:  Pinkerton Academy

City:  Derry

State:  NH

What classes influenced you most?  Senior English with Mr. Roderick and Psychology with Mr. Stuck.

College(s) attended: 
Northeastern University, Boston & University of Massachusetts Amherst; Bachelor’s
Assumption College Worcester; Master’s

What was your major? How did you choose your major? How does that major relate to your job today?  My major was political science. I endeavored to attend law school after graduation. The major doesn't necessarily apply to what I do today however I have no regrets as it has been in understanding business and how it relates to national and world politics.

What started you thinking of college? 

I began thinking about college in the seventh or eighth grade.

Who inspired you to go/supported you while you attended college? 

As a kid, I was interested in law and medicine. My mother reinforced the need for me to attend college if I intended to pursue a career in either of those fields. While I was in college, I was self-motivated because I was funding it.

What was your greatest challenge associated with going to college?

Money! I worked full time for a year after high school to save money for college. My mother and father were unable to contribute much, so I worked while in school, during vacations and made use of Pell grants and Stafford loans.

What was the best part about going to college?

If you allow it, college offers the greatest amount of individual growth to occur in a short period of time. Some of the most important lessons learned do not occur in the classroom, like life lessons such as balance and moderation. And of course the friendships that are forged in college are a bond that will last a lifetime.

Do you currently participate in any alumni events? 

Are you still connected to the campus(es)?  Not particularly. I think there will be a time in my life where I will become involved, but now is not that time.

What was your first summer job?

My first full time summer job was during my seventh grade summer when I worked at Di's Food Boat at Salisbury Beach.

What was your first job out of college? 

I worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, assisting individuals injured at work find new jobs within their capabilities.

What advice would you offer to an 8^th grader thinking about whether it is possible/important to go to college?

I would tell them that now is the time to dream about what you'd like to become and understand that college is probably necessary to make it a reality. I would also make them aware that it is normal to have their interests change over time and therefore not to feel pressure to etch a decision in stone about what they want to do when they get older.

(Continued...)

Offer a few words to a high school student considering whether or not to go to college. Based on your own experience, describe the impact college will have on his/her own life.

I would advise them that college creates opportunities. College is a trial run at real life beyond the educational learning, is the social learning that mimics what they will experience in the real world. They will be better prepared for success or to rebound from failure based on the total learning experience of college.

What advice would you offer to a college student about choosing a major?

Unless you're looking to get into a specialized field then don't stress out about it. Take some classes that interest you and you will eventually direct yourself into a major that suits you. Post graduation the individual holding the degree is more important than the degree itself.

What advice would you offer to a recent college grad about the job search?

Don't mentally paint yourself into a corner. Getting to your dream job is a process. Take the opportunity that is available now.

Many tasks and skills that you learn in a job that is unrelated to your dream job will be transferable to the dream job. Work hard and remember that the best time to find a new job is when you already have one!