Here’s a quick glimpse at one of many impressive outcomes HPU graduates achieve.
Name: Mitch Labbe, Class of 2024
Hometown: Saco, Maine
Major: Business Administration, focus in Sales
Post-graduation plans: Labbe will be starting his career at UNUM, as a Small Business Consultant in Columbia, Maryland. His job will consist of building relationships with insurance brokers, agents and consultants to advise, educate, price and negotiate the best employee benefit offering for their employer clients.
How HPU helped you get there: “The life skills and professionalism that I was able to learn in and out of the classroom were crucial to my success in college. The connections and relationships I built during my time here helped me flourish towards finding the right post-grad role! I used the Office of Career and Professional Development to help with my resume and to jumpstart my internship search, as well as practicing how to conduct myself with the way I sit, talk, dress, send emails and fine-tune the values I already had to help stay professional but putting my own personality in it. I have also been a part of multiple lunches with innovators in residence. The dozens and dozens of speakers and conversations I had with people here have helped me prepare for what it is like to be someone who can have an appropriate conversation with successful people. I learned how to ask good questions without being nervous. Realizing that they were also in your shoes once and you have nothing to lose has also helped me. The more and more you engage with global leaders, the more it truly becomes second nature and it feels like you are talking to one of your friends.”
Most impactful mentor at HPU: “Professor Larry Quinn – there are so many reasons as to why. He bent over backwards to make sure I was on the right track. Finding the right schedules, finding the right job opportunities, any issue it could’ve been, a scheduling conflict, to a housing problem, or just wanted someone to run something by, he was ALWAYS available. He answers me as if I am his own kid. He runs his life through his values and honesty, and you can see why he has been so successful in all aspects of his life. He has given me advice for who I am with an unbiased opinion. He focused on ME, the individual. Professor Quinn maintains a level of professionalism that I have never encountered anywhere else in my life. He is the kindest, humblest and most impactful leader I have ever had.”
Most impactful moment at HPU: “I knew I wanted to go into business but had no specific direction within the broad spectrum. Then Professor Quinn came and spoke to my class, and I realized HPU offered sales as a major. I went and spoke to him after the class and went straight to the Registrar’s office and switched my major. Sales has been the career I have wanted to do since he came and spoke to my class, and I haven’t looked back since!”
How has HPU’s inspiring environment contributed to your success? “The way I landed my first sales internship was through a fellow student I met in French class. I tell that story to everyone I meet because you NEVER know who you meet and how they can help you. Everyone here wants to help you. If you give to others when they ask for advice, you will 100% see those blessings come back to you. HPU is fun and filled with individuals who want to help you. If you put in the work and have the will, you can get anything you want in this world.”
What are the life skills HPU helped you develop that prepared you for long-term success? “Professionalism is the top skill I learned. The way you dress, act and how you overall present yourself to others no matter what setting you are in is crucial to real-world activities.”
What are the values and virtues HPU’s campus helped you develop that you’ll take with you after graduation? “To continue to have a growth mindset. The learning doesn’t stop just because I am not in a classroom anymore. Continuing to stick to my values and want to push myself to be the best version of myself every day is crucial, as well as networking. You never know who you meet and what that relationship can do, not only at HPU but throughout so many other aspects and areas of your life.”
Advice for underclassmen: “Don’t wait! I was lucky enough to finish my undergraduate degree in three years at HPU, and it flies by. The people you meet can help you in ways you might not ever imagine. Don’t wait to start building relationships, not just professional, but also friendships. Life is short, and college isn’t the end all be all. This place provides you with all the resources you will ever need. Use the resources as a stepping stone to create your own unique path and understand what gets you out of bed every day. The habits you build in college can translate to your real life for better or worse. Work hard and stay true to yourself!”
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