Patricia “Trish” Kiczuk
Class of 1983
Major: Marketing/Management BS
Her Campus Bentley: What was your first job when you graduated from Bentley?
Patricia Kiczuk: I was fortunate to get a position right away with United Technologies Building Systems Company. I was even more fortunate to be part of a small group of about 10 people who would be responsible coordinating the “automation” of City Place, which was still under construction at the time. UTC was responsible for the life support (lights/heating/Otis Elevators) and also for putting a mainframe computer system in the building that we were hoping would serve the entire building with “dumb” terminals. In addition, I was responsible for providing training from IBM on how to use the PC’s that they leased within the building. These were beasts of computers which ran off of DOS operating system and only ran Lotus 1-2-3 and Multi-mate word processing. So after the building opened and we were moved in, I would go to the various tenants in the building and teach them how to use the computers. Eventually I wrote and conducted training sessions and was also part of a team that started to use modems for voice/data transfer – a “new” innovation at the time.
HCB: Where do you work now?
PK: My interests and experiences changed vastly through the years after that first job. While training was somewhere in the background, to this day it evolved into positions in Human Resources; I went on to work at The Hartford, and later managing multi-million dollar contracts as a Contract/Vendor manager; now I’m a HR Professional with Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, CT, where most of my work involves Employee Relations.
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HCB: How well do you think Bentley prepared you for the real/working world?
PK: I would not have traded my years at Bentley for anything. After a few years with UTC I took time away to raise my children. When I was ready to return to having a full time career, having Bentley University on my resume opened doors for me; there was no question that hiring managers respected the college and the reputation that came along with it. They seemed to assume I was intelligent to just to have been able to make it through! Bentley definitely prepared me academically but just as important, it gave me the campus life and “family” that I formed while there. Through the years when you meet new colleagues or acquaintances and it is discovered that you both were grads from Bentley (no matter if there was years of difference in dates of attendance) you have an automatic alliance; I’ve been able to network through those contacts since. That network is how I was able to get right back into working after taking a few years off.
HCB: What was your most memorable moment at Bentley?
PK: That’s a hard question, there are so many. I would have to answer by saying that what is most memorable and will forever mean the most to me were those 4 years of growing up. Learning how to be an adult, be responsible and learn what it means to give and receive friendships, a true sense of belonging to something special / somewhere special. Some of the best 4 years of my life.
HCB: What did you love about Bentley the most?
PK: A sense of community, the people , the support from staff and other students. The like-minded students who were there to become more and learn but also there to have the time of their life doing it!