Young Alumni Panel Invites Honest Reflection on Life After Graduation

The Center for Catholic Studies, in collaboration with Campus Ministry, welcomed students, alumni, faculty and religious to the University Center Event Lounge on March 26 for a Young Alumni Panel focused on life after graduation. The event created a meaningful space for students to reflect on vocation, purpose, community and faith beyond college.

The evening opened with a welcome from Violetta Rzaca, a sophomore Biology major and student worker with the Center for Catholic Studies, while Patrick Manning, Ph.D., director of the Center for Catholic Studies and associate professor of Pastoral Theology, moderated the panel discussion. Together, they helped create a warm, student-centered atmosphere for thoughtful conversation and reflection.

The panel featured recent Seton Hall alumni Julia Gallo ’24, B.S. in Diplomacy and International Relations; Giselle Pineda ’22, MHA, B.S. in Biology and Catholic Studies; and Jaruwat P. Maendl ’23, B.S. in Chemistry and Physics.

Throughout the evening, the panelists shared candid reflections on the transition from college to post-graduate life. Their comments centered on the realities of job searching, the uncertainty that can accompany early career decisions, the importance of building community after college and the challenge of sustaining faith in a new season of life.

Julia Gallo reflected on the persistence often required during the job search and the difficulty of moving through a season of professional uncertainty. Giselle Pineda emphasized the importance of intentionally building community and remaining rooted in faith after graduation. Jaruwat P. Maendl spoke openly about the unpredictability of early post-graduate life, offering an encouraging reminder that difficult and nonlinear transitions can still lead to meaningful work and purpose.

The Q&A portion of the evening was especially engaging, as students asked thoughtful questions about networking, belonging, career discernment and the practical realities of adulthood after Seton Hall. The conversation offered attendees not only practical advice, but also a broader and more honest picture of what life after graduation can look like.

The event also reflected the mission of the Center for Catholic Studies by creating space for student formation and thoughtful dialogue rooted in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Rather than treating professional, personal and spiritual questions as separate, the panel invited students to consider how vocation, work, relationships and faith inform one another in everyday life. In that way, the evening encouraged students to carry the values and relationships formed at Seton Hall into the years beyond graduation.

Representatives from Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) North Jersey were also present for the evening. Matt Pana, a Seton Hall alumnus and Alyssa Lund joined the program to share information about YCP and connect with students interested in ongoing professional and faith-based community after college.

By the end of the evening, students had received more than post-college advice. They encountered a hopeful and honest conversation about transition, discernment, resilience, community and faith — one that affirmed that life after graduation may not unfold in a straight line, but can still be shaped by purpose and hope.

Categories: Alumni, Faith and Service