On Friday, October 19, 2018, The Suffolk University Graduate Business Association (SUGBA) hosted their signature event series, Lunch With a Leader, to give graduate students the opportunity to gain business insights and career advice during their lunch break! This event’s honorable guest was Kevin Kelly, a Suffolk alum who is a Small Business Divisional Executive at Merrill Lynch/Bank of America.
Kelly lead the group through a discussion about his personal journeys, career path, and business advice. He received a bachelor’s degree from UMass Boston, and went on to earn his EMBA from Suffolk while simultaneously working full time. With no business experience prior to this first job at Fidelity, Kelly explained the importance of hardwork to get ahead. His successful endurance landed him five different leadership roles within Bank of America.
In addition to his occupations, he also discussed his involvement as a member on the board of the Boys and Girls Club. He realized at a young age that he could have a remarkable impact on developing kids, and carried that with him throughout his career in the working world.
Kelly was engaging, honest, and sincere. The biggest take away from his discussion was an emphasis on ‘good old fashioned hard work,’ as he said that working your hardest, and then working even harder from there, will open a lot of doors. But even beyond strictly tenacity, Kevin Kelly showed that you truly have to care about what you are doing and the impact you are having in order to not only be your best self, but to be the best for everyone around you as well.
If you are interested in attending an upcoming Lunch with a Leader, SUGBA typically hosts this series once or twice a semester. It is a great way to stay motivated throughout the semester and beyond. Keep an eye out on Handshake for future events in the series!
-Lia Gabrielle, MBA’19