Summer Vacation Turns Into Full-Time Vocation
Summer vacation can be filled with
many sites and sounds for a college student. Jill 
Piacquadio, a senior on the field hockey team, had her share of
sites and sounds, but they may not have been as typical as other
students experienced during the summer.
While other students saw their hometowns, Jill Piacquadio saw the world. While other students saw the beach, Jill Piacquadio saw her future. While other students sought summer employment, Jill Piacquadio found her career.
For the past two summers, Piacquadio worked at General Electric and honed her work skills with an internship that led to a full-time employment offer beginning in May, 2010. In today's economy, such an offer provides Piacquadio with the peace of mind that will make her the envy of Fairfield University's class of 2010.
"I definitely feel less pressure as a senior knowing that I have a position with a great company waiting for me after graduation," Piacquadio said. "There is a great amount of pressure on college seniors and I'm fortunate to be able to escape some of it by signing early. I am very excited about my senior year and knowing that I have a position lined up has made it that much better."
Pressure should not be a problem for Piacquadio after managing an off-shore team in India through the design, development, and testing of a new tool for GE Corporate's Technical Service team. Her day began with a meeting with her off-shore team which consisted of members in India and California. The biggest challenge of those meetings was working through three different time zones. After the call, she would write up a summary and send it out to everyone on the team. She would follow up by meeting with her manager to relay the team's progress.
"The internship was very challenging but I was impressed with the amount of responsibility I was given as an intern," Piacquadio said. "My role grew substantially as I returned for a second summer and was able to use all of the skills I developed to manage teams and oversee the development of several projects."
Upon her graduation, Piacquadio will begin her career with GE in the Information Management Leadership Program, which seeks to develop technical and project management skills over the length of a two-year span. The program consists of four six-month rotations within GE Corporate.
"I am intrigued by the idea of moving to a new location every six months because of the exposure I will have to new teams and upper management, plus getting to live in four different cities."
But for now, Piacquadio is happy to live in Fairfield and help the Stags field hockey team in its quest to make the America East tournament.
"Our team's most important goal for this season is to make the America East tournament," Piacquadio said. "Our team has placed a strong emphasis and focus on the small things, which will lead to bigger wins. Personally, my goal was to grow into a leadership position as a senior and be able to translate our hard work from the off-season into a winning championship season."
With the leadership skills she learned at GE, her leadership on the field hockey team should offer her teammates a great deal of promise. For the most up-to-date information about the field hockey team, please click here.
