Gaels Go Further Mentoring Program Kicks Off Second Year
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Iona University’s Gaels Go Further Mentoring Program recently commenced its second year with an opening ceremony at the LaPenta School of Business.
Launched under the leadership of Iona President Seamus Carey, Ph.D., and sponsored by Jim Oates ’95 and Monica Oates ’95, Gaels Go Further Mentoring is an initiative developed to advance students’ professional careers by connecting them with successful alumni.
Students had an opportunity to officially meet their mentors and discuss their career goals at the event as they networked and enjoyed refreshments.
Opening remarks were given by Interim Provost Tricia Mulligan, Ph.D., in the Henry Lecture Hall. Jim Oates, principal of Eventum Risk Advisors, LLC, also spoke about the excitement of the mentoring program. Afterward, several students expressed how getting mentors is a meaningful benefit to their academic experience.
“Having a mentor...lets me know I have someone looking out for me but now I also feel the pressure of wanting to live up to someone else’s expectations,” said senior and Media and Strategic Communications major Cameron Deshnad ’23. “I think it will end up pushing me to do better, which is something the event helped reassure.”
“Having a mentor alleviates some of the stress from worrying about connections,” said senior and Media and Strategic Communications major Jason Piccolomini ’23. “Life is all about who you meet and the people you know, so having someone already established in their career definitely helps my mindset throughout the beginning of my own career. I’m excited to get started with my mentor and am very fortunate to be involved with Gaels Go Further. It’s always encouraging to see someone who was once in your shoes make an impact.”
Gaels Go Further utilizes Iona’s network of over 50,000 alumni across a wide array of industries. Students are matched with alumni mentors based on common career paths and interests. In addition to “flash” mentorship sessions offered on the GaelsConnect platform, long-term opportunities are available through a two-credit course that runs the full academic year.
Learn more about the Gaels Go Further program here.
Students had an opportunity to officially meet their mentors and discuss their career goals.
Jim Oates ’95 and Monica Oates ’95 sponsor the Gaels Go Further Mentoring programs.
Students expressed how getting mentors is a meaningful benefit to their academic experience.
Interim Provost Tricia Mulligan, Ph.D., delivered opening remarks.
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 national list of “The Best 390 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.