"You Can B Yourself — Pat Kelly ('23, Professional Sales)
Pat Kelly has always been a “floater.” Before coming to Bentley, he was involved in several organizations in his high school, such as sports teams, band, and student government. Coming into Bentley his freshman year, Pat knew that he wanted to continue this on a greater scale. Currently in his junior year, Pat is a Career Edge Social Media Manager, a Co-Philanthropy Chair of Delta Kappa Epsilon, the Vice President of Public Relations of the Interfraternity Council, the Vice President of the Bentley Marketing Association, an Athletics Marketing Intern, and a Resident Assistant. To some people, this list of involvements may seem daunting, but this is what Pat enjoys. He values “creating events and opportunities for other people to get engaged and learn about things.”
And by working behind the scenes in many Bentley organizations, Pat has learned a valuable lesson – “organizations are just people doing things.” We become disconnected from our fellow student leaders when we think of “BMA” having an internship panel or “CAB” having a concert, to give some examples, because at the end of the day it is a group of students putting on events for other students. Pat’s outlook on organizations changed when he started to perceive them, really, as students. These are living people that you can go to and have a conversation with.
“We are all just falcons!”
Pat attributes his “sense of purpose” to his involvement on campus, because not only can he work on his own education, but he can use his time here to “do better for others.” One of Pat’s biggest goals is to “leave Bentley better than [he] found it,” and he is already making strides in creating positive change in the athletics department. Pat would like to see athletics become a bigger part of the school’s culture. After a carefully crafted survey to better understand student perceptions of athletics, the function of the athletics team has already “fundamentally shifted” since Pat joined. He takes pride in the hard work the athletics team puts into all their events, but even though hours go into the planning process, the one word that Pat would use to describe his role as an athletics marketing intern is “fun!” Even after planning for the year over the entire summer and working on budgets, “Once the events actually arrive it is about [them] having a good time and relaying that experience to students.” Pat’s proudest moment with athletics so far has been the recent Orientation football game, since it was so “surreal” to see students filling the stands again after so long and watch the team’s efforts pay off. Pat is excited for the upcoming sports seasons and is thrilled to see how well Bentley athletes have been performing.
“I think we are winning because people are going to the games!”
All of Pat’s involvements have come with some challenges for him to overcome. With so many things going on at once to wrap his head around, it can become difficult to compartmentalize thoughts. But Pat says this also “breeds an opportunity to cross over into different things,” and the lessons he learns from one leadership position can carry into another. The challenges he has faced have made Pat grow as a person and as a leader and he is happy with the trajectory he has been on at Bentley.
“If it does not challenge you, it will not change you.”
Pat would advise any freshman to simply be themselves. He believes that “lions do not lose sleep over the opinions of sheep,” and that everyone needs to do what is best for them. There are people out there who are going to fit well with you, so the “worst thing someone can do” would be to try to change for others. He always encourages others to “keep going” and to “look for the silver lining” since he knows that a lesson can come out of anything and there are always opportunities for growth.