"No essay required." When asked why they chose to apply to Fairfield as high school students, this was one reason StagMates Shannon (Barry) and Steve J. Siwinski '92, P'16 jokingly shared. While it may have been a factor that prompted them both to consider Stag Country, it is not what ultimately compelled each of them to stay.
All alumni, no matter how their career or life has progressed, have an opportunity to inspire students by just taking a phone call, responding to an email, or sharing stories of their own failures and successes.
— Shannon (Barry) and Steve J. Siwinski '92, P'16
"For me, it was the feeling of being at home when I came to visit the campus," said Steve, who grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. "I was accepted into other great Jesuit and Catholic schools, but the familial connection I felt at Fairfield was something I appreciated at the time and was very important to me."
The charming campus and strong sense of community solidified Shannon's decision.
"I enrolled with the intention of only staying a semester and then transferring to Notre Dame," the Chelmsford, Mass. native admitted, "but I made amazing friends and fell in love with the mystique and grandeur of Bellarmine Hall and the view of the Long Island Sound.
More than 25 years later, Shannon and Steve have no regrets about choosing Fairfield — especially because it is where they met — and they are filled with gratitude for every academic, social, and spiritual experience they encountered while students.
As an operating partner at High Road Capital Partners who majored in accounting and finance and received his MBA from New York University, Steve attributes a lot of his career advancement to the well-rounded education he received at Fairfield. "The University provided me not only with accounting and finance training," he said, "but also critical thinking and communication skills that enabled me to succeed at Ernst & Young for 17-plus years, before moving into my current role."
The Siwinskis also appreciated Fairfield's networking opportunities, which were integral to Shannon's career. "I majored in biology, but while an undergraduate working at a pension fund in Boston for the summer, I met alumnus Bill Boyd '67, who was working at Lehman Brothers.
He thought I would excel in the sales and trading world." Boyd's advice inspired Shannon to take a leap that led her into a 26-year career at J.P. Morgan Securities, before accepting her current position in 2018 as director and senior trader on the short-term fixed income trading desk at Bank of America Securities.
The doors that Fairfield opened for them, as well as the memories and lifelong friendships they made while students, are why the Siwinskis volunteer their time and give back to the University. Shannon became a member of the University's Trustee Advisory Council in 2004, before joining the Alumni Association Board in 2009. She served as Alumni President from 2014 to 2016 and continues to mentor young alumni today. Steve has been on the advisory board of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business for more than 14 years.
For nearly three decades, the Siwinskis have also supported University priorities and students' needs. Both were members of the Parents Leadership Council while their daughter Sarah '16 was an undergraduate student, and Shannon this year became a member of the Women's Leadership Council in honor of the 50th anniversary of women at Fairfield.
Steve and Shannon encourage fellow alumni to stay involved with Fairfield by supporting the University and volunteering their time as mentors. "All alumni, no matter how their career or life has progressed, have an opportunity to inspire students by just taking a phone call, responding to an email, or sharing stories of their own failures and successes," Shannon noted.
Currently residing in Montclair, N.J., the Siwinskis are a Fairfield legacy family. Their daughter Sarah graduated in 2016 with a double major in finance and marketing; she works at BlackRock in New York City. Steve's brother, Jamie Siwinski '96, received his BA in English from the College of Arts and Sciences.