The Cabrini College Admissions Office has many counselors who all get along like family. However, counselors Marissa Bowlby and Andy Halstead have an even closer relationship.
They have been best friends since working together in the Immaculata Admissions Office while attending as undergraduates, and their friendship just continues to grow as they work together now at Cabrini.
“We were friends in school since [the summer before] junior year,” Bowlby said. “We were tour guides together.”
Their friendship started out slowly but has blossomed into the beautiful relationship it currently is over the past seven years.
“He would normally see me walk around campus and I would never say hi to him but he would always say hi to me,” Bowlby said. “But then we started to work together and we had a lot in common, so we hung out.”
After graduating from Immaculata, Bowlby went on to work at Gwynedd Mercy University as an admissions counselor and Halstead went on to pursue a career in education. Soon after, Bowlby learned about openings at Cabrini through Sarah Lasoff, associate director of Cabrini’s admissions.
“Marissa said that there was a job open here [at Cabrini] and I was like ‘well, I guess I could try that,’” Halstead said. “I had worked in undergrad at a small school similar to Cabrini so I kind of knew how it worked.”
At the time when they were applying for the positions at Cabrini, they downplayed how close they were. Since Bowlby began working October 27, 2014, and Halstead began a few weeks later on December 8, their close connection has been undeniable. Their friendship is now openly known to all of the other counselors in the office.
“Andy is pretty much the closest thing I have to a brother,” Bowlby said. “They [other counselors] actually think it adds to our dynamic here.”
Both Bowlby and Halstead feel as though their relationship helps them to succeed at work and allows them to feel even more comfortable, both coming from the same background.
“I think it has been awesome for me because Marissa has been in this business before and I was going to a completely different format,” Halstead said. “So, just having someone to go to that you can kind of confide in and be like ‘I have no idea what I’m doing right now, can you please help’ and having someone who can be a mentor and friend I think is really helpful to me in transitioning.”
“The fact that I knew that he was coming aboard made me feel more at home here to start,” Bowlby said. “It helped me fall more in love with this school because I had someone to share it with.”
Bowlby and Halstead could not be any happier with their transition together from Immaculata to Cabrini, and are excited to continue on as counselors together.
“I love Immaculata and the time I spent there was time well-spent and was where I was supposed to be when I was there but I’m ecstatic and stoked to be here, part of Cabrini’s family too,” Halstead said.
“Ditto,” said Bowlby.