Combining Business and the Law

Initiative, diligence and compassion have guided Alexandra “Lexi” Banasiewicz ˊ20 as far back as elementary school. When asked by her second-grade teacher to research something she loved and then advocate on its behalf, she sold lemonade and cookies to raise money to "adopt" a cheetah named Hermione through the Cheetah Conservation Fund. A decade later, at Bentley University, she has found a new way to tackle issues she cares about. 

“Today I advocate a little differently, knowing more about the world around me,” explains Banasiewicz, who is pursuing a major in Marketing and a minor in Law. “My work needs to tie into the causes — not the symptoms — of problems. So while symbolically adopting a cheetah helps maintain their habitats, I see that an even better way would be to fight for legislation protecting them from poachers and habitat destruction.”

The native of Windsor, Conn., considers marketing and law a natural fit. 

“I like to know how the world works,” she says of her passion for the law and legal theory. “I love marketing because, in its most basic form, it is communication. This combination allows me to advocate for things I’m passionate about while also providing the tools to communicate why I’m passionate about them.”

Bentley, like her long-ago lemonade stand, has been a base for Banasiewicz to break her goals into “actionable steps.” For example: Finding a job at a company where she can grow and learn. 

“I’ve worked in a lot of positions and industries, on a lot of different teams, to put my work in the broadest possible context,” she says of a résumé that includes marketing internships at the Edinburg Center, Greater Boston Food Bank, Reed Exhibitions and Cigna. “I’ve come to recognize what I do and don’t want.”

In the fall, Banasiewicz attended the Global Leadership Summit outside of Chicago with about 400 fellow members of business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma, which sponsors the event. Three days of networking and leadership development ended with a business case competition, where Banasiewicz’s team won for its “innovative and creative” solution to the case Crisis in the Opera House.

Even while solving business cases and pursuing internships, Banasiewicz stays true to her role as social advocate. Her work through the Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center has included tutoring youth at the Watertown Boys and Girls Club and for AmericaClicks!, which teaches technology skills to elementary school children. Now, she is lead program manager for Gym Buddies, which tailors the elementary-level gym curriculum to the needs of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

An additional role: helping the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center to explore ways to have the greatest impact. Through the Millennium Fellowship Project — a partnership between the United Nations and the nonprofit Millennium Campus Network — Banasiewicz helped identify ways that the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center could work with others to address social issues in Greater Waltham. 

“I had the chance to help Bentley impact more lives,” she says of being selected as a Millennium Fellow. “It was exciting to hear stories and work with other students from around the world who are also inspired to make real, global change.” 

After graduation, Banasiewicz is bound for a full-time position at global health service company Cigna. She will join the Marketing Leadership Development Program, a three- to five-year rotation in Cigna’s Marketing Department. Earning an MBA is also on her to-do list.   

“Bentley taught me there are many different ways to approach very similar goals. While I may be completing the same marketing degree as many other Bentley students, our very different experiences mean we’re able to learn a lot from each other.

“I’ve set myself up well to enter the workforce,” she adds. “I am really thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had and for all the people who were willing to invest the time to help me learn and develop. None of this would have been possible without their help.”