LATROBE, PA – For every first-year student, connections can be tricky to form and find, unless those students are lucky enough to come in with a handful already under their belt. Sean Callahan, an accounting major and a rising senior at Saint Vincent College (SVC), found similar troubles upon entering the school. However, he swiftly realized that SVC held a different atmosphere compared to other colleges, one that not only drew him closer to the school and inevitably led to him committing to it, but one that also allowed him to find those long-lasting connections.

When asked why Callahan chose SVC, he noted that the College initially was not on his list of schools to attend.

“I had visited four other schools, and one of them was my top choice,” Callahan recalled. “At my local community college fair, my parents pointed out SVC. I went to the booth just to say I did, and I left feeling hooked immediately. I visited the college curious, and I left knowing it was my number one choice. It was the only school I ever applied to.”

Despite his initial unawareness of the college, Callahan quickly fell in love with the school. One of his favorite aspects of the college is its close connection with the Catholic faith, and especially how open and welcoming the community is.

“I was in a conflicting spot with my faith during my senior year of high school, and again through my first few years at SVC,” he explained. “SVC was exactly what I needed before I knew it was what I needed. I can decide what I want my faith to look like, and because of this, I would argue it has never been stronger.”

The smaller class sizes and campus are another feature of the college that Callahan loves, as it allowed him to gain personal connections with each of the students and staff, helping him feel more connected with the rest of the college.

“The professors [know] me as more than just another paper to grade,” he said. “And I know the campus as well as my home neighborhood.”

This winter, Callahan will be working a full-time internship as a tax services intern for the Pittsburgh branch of RSM US, beginning in January. With plans to move to Pittsburgh and pursue a career in accounting after graduation, Callahan is hopeful to gain a full-time position at RSM US following his internship, though he’s open to simply following whatever path is laid out before him.

“I am trying to leave the door open for where my career may take me, since accounting has many applications,” he noted. “I enjoy the flexibility it offers for job options, and I am open to pursuing graduate school in the future.”

Although Callahan loves the challenges that comes with accounting, he also has numerous interests that fill his time when he’s not busy with schoolwork.

“Outside of numbers and statistics, I love writing,” Callahan further expressed. “When I’m not daydreaming about what to write next or the characters I’ve made, I love taking walks, binging TV series, watching the NFL and NBA religiously, and playing a good video game occasionally.”

Alongside his many hobbies, Callahan is the Editor-in-Chief of SVC’s own student-led paper, The Review, the current president of the Writers’ Club, and a member of both the AV Club and the Accounting and Finance Club. Callahan noted that all of these positions and accomplishments were formed as a result of his reaching out in an attempt to form new connections, even if he was uncertain of where it may have led.

With the fall semester rapidly approaching, new students will begin with a blank slate, ready to form new connections with other students, their professors—and perhaps even their faith, much like Callahan did his freshman year. Together with the support that Callahan has found over the last few years, we can’t wait to see what he does in the upcoming semester.

- Madison Kozera, English major, of Abingdon, MD