For many students, Bentley is a family affair. To celebrate Bentley’s Centennial Class of 2017, we talked with graduates with connections to past commencements. These five students share what they’ll miss most about their time on campus, where they are headed next and why Bentley is so important to their families.

Tori Rotermund
MAJOR: Marketing, minor in Information Design and Corporate Communication
PLANS AFTER GRADUATION: Inbound sales coordinator at HubSpot
PHOTO: Main photo: Tori Rotermund played defense for the Bentley lacrosse team. Inset: Tori’s father, Christopher Rotermund, played on the Bentley soccer team in 1987.

Tori Rotermund became the third member of her family to play a sport at Bentley. Her dad played soccer for the school and her uncle played lacrosse.

“My dad and uncle never put pressure to go to Bentley,” said Rotermund. “They just told me to go wherever I wanted to go. But I had been in touch with the Bentley coach, so I came to visit and really loved it.”

In addition to playing lacrosse, Rotermund was involved in Bentley’s Office of International Education as a peer advisor where she mentored students going abroad. Thanks to her coach’s flexibility, she studied abroad in Barcelona during the fall semester of her junior year.

 “Our coach encourages her players to go abroad because it’s such a great experience,” said Rotermund. “I knew I was never going to have the opportunity to travel for four months straight after college and I’m so happy I went.”

Rotermund will graduate this week with a Marketing degree and go on to work in sales for Hubspot in Cambridge, Mass. When asked what she will miss most about Bentley, her answer was simple: everything.

“Bentley’s such an awesome place,” said Rotermund. “The school’s culture is very driven, but it has given me the motivation to work hard for everything in my life because all of the people I’m surrounded by. I just love it.”

Nick DeLois
MAJOR: Finance
PLANS AFTER GRADUATION: Deciding between two job offers in sales and recruiting
PHOTO: Inset: Nick’s mother (left) gets ready for a night out with her friends on the fourth floor of Cedar Hall. Main photo: Nick (left) and his friends recreate the photo.

Bentley was on Nick DeLois’ radar long before he began the college application process. His parents met at Bentley in the late ‘80’s and often told stories of their time on campus. But it was ultimately the university’s high job placement rate that sold Nick on a Bentley education.

“Employers love to hire Bentley students because they know they are the best of the best,” said DeLois. “In school I always liked working with numbers, so I knew business school was the right choice for me.”

DeLois’ time at Bentley served him well. In the days leading up to graduation, he is deciding between two job offers – an inside sales position in Pembroke, Mass., and a recruiting position in New York City. He  credits his Bentley education for providing him with two exciting opportunities.

“Since my freshman year, Bentley has taught me many things about the business world, including how to market myself,” said DeLois. “I am confident that Bentley has prepared me to succeed in the working world.”

Samantha Sorabella
MAJOR: Marketing
PLANS AFTER GRADUATION: Incoming marketing specialist at Vistaprint
PHOTO: Main photo: Samantha next to a statue on campus between LaCava and Morrison. Inset: Samantha’s uncle next to the same statue in 1988. 

Bentley was the first school Samantha Sorabella visited during her college search. Since her uncle graduated from Bentley in ’91, they thought it would be the perfect place to start.

“Bentley had always been in the back of my mind, but I originally told everyone my number one choice was Providence College,” said Sorabella. “When I went to the accepted students day for Bentley I thought ‘never mind. I totally see myself here.’”

Academically, Sorabella found marketing to be a perfect match for her interest in social media. The summer after her sophomore year at Bentley, she started the Instagram account Capeology, where she curates and posts photographs from Cape Cod, Mass. Today the account has 18,500 followers and has put her on the map as a social media expert.

Sorabella has since completed marketing and social media internships at ShoeBuy.com and Bentley’s own Marketing Department where she runs the university’s Instagram feed.  After graduation, she looks forward to a new job as a marketing specialist at Vistaprint.

Colleen Lindberg
MAJOR: Actuarial Science, minors in Business Studies and Global Studies
PLANS AFTER GRADUATION: A job in product management in The Hartford’s Early Career Leadership Development Program
PHOTO: Inset: Colleen’s father (center) poses with friends beside Boylston Hall for his senior formal in classic 1980s attire. Main photo: Colleen (center) recreates the photo with friends.

Colleen Lindberg knew Bentley was for her as soon as she stepped on campus. As a New England native with a large family – her younger siblings are quadruplets – she knew she wanted to stay in the Massachusetts area. She first learned about Bentley through her father who graduated in 1984 as a marketing management major.

“I just fell in love with the Bentley from the moment I saw it,” Lindberg said. “It's beautiful.”

As someone who likes to stay busy, Lindberg found plenty to do during her four years at Bentley. She worked as both a writing and math tutor in academic services. She also became involved in Bentley’s Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center after taking a class in her first year.

“I’ve been volunteering with the same group of children at an elementary school in Waltham for the past three years, tutoring them in English,” said Lindberg. “It was really hard to have to say goodbye to them.”

Colleen will graduate this week with an Actuarial Science degree. She is slated to begin her job in product management in the Hartford’s Early Career Leadership Development Program this summer where she will be able to combine her passion for solving complex quantitative problems with her strong organizational skills.

She will still have a reason to come back to campus, though: Her brother is wrapping up his first year at Bentley and is scheduled to graduate in 2020.

Jeffery Favuzza
MAJOR: Economics-Finance
PLANS AFTER GRADUATION: A job in investment banking at BMO Capital Markets in New York City
PHOTO: Inset: Jeffery’s father reads a book in between class in LaCava. Main photo: Jeffery recreates the scene on a recent day.

Almost everyone in Jeffery Favuzza’s family has a connection to Bentley. His grandfather enrolled after serving in the Korean War when Bentley was located on Boylston Street in downtown Boston. His father and uncle followed and graduated from the Waltham campus in the 1980s. Meanwhile, Jeffery’s grandmother lived across the street from the university and worked in the registrar’s office. She sent all of her children to Bentley including Favuzza’s mother.

“I was obviously very familiar with Bentley when it came time to start looking at colleges,” said Favuzza. “It ultimately came down between Babson College and Bentley. But I knew Bentley was the place for me.”

Favuzza will graduate this week with a degree in Economics-Finance. He will start his job in investment banking at BMO Capital Markets’ New York City office this summer.

“I was always interested in Wall Street and the stock market,” Favuzza said. “I tried to take as many classes as possible that were related to it during my time at Bentley.”

By senior year, Favuzza became the president of the Bentley Investment Group, a student organization that is responsible for managing a portion of the university’s endowment. This year the group’s portfolio is valued at more than $900,000 – up from the original allocation of $250,000 from the Board of Trustees in 1997.