Alumni Spotlight:
Maria Sirois ’82
Major: Political science
Hometown: Gloversville, New York
Current Job: Inspirational Speaker, Consultant, Author and Positive Psychologist
What I Do Now: I offer consulting, teaching and training in the field of resilience to corporate groups, community and non-profit organizations.
How the Hartwick Experience Impacted My Professional Life: Because my Hartwick professors cared so much about my development, I was able to navigate the challenge of figuring out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to do it. Being named a John Christopher Hartwick (JCH) Scholar furthered that recognition and really made me feel seen as a leader. They showed me that Hartwick valued my desire to grow, to try and to work hard.
Challenges in the Field: The challenge in the corporate world is to understand that resilience isn’t something you learn once and then you have it. Resilience needs to be built into the workplace culture. And that itself is a challenge as so many of us are still fighting against the belief that facing things on our own is a mark of resilience. It’s not! It is crucial that we unlearn that “bootstraps” mentality and recognize that working together as a community is how we can build resilience.
My Favorite Aspect of My Career: I love that I get the opportunity to not only cultivate hope but also see that hope take seed in a constructive, life-giving way in the people I work with.
My Advice for Current Students: Do what you can to not be shy about asking for help. Find mentors who are doing what you are interested in and learn from them. And remember that no matter how difficult the moment, you have strength within you.
