91吃瓜网

by Joe McGasko

It鈥檚 been said that life is like a game of baseball鈥攜ou step up to the plate, take what life throws your way and, if you鈥檝e trained well, occasionally you might hit one out of the park.

Patrick Lively is well on his way to that home run. A senior at Adelphi, he is already on a major league path toward a career in business that he has been preparing for since he was young.

鈥淚 always had a passion for business,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen I was in high school, I was pretty good at math. But, for some reason, putting a dollar sign in front of the numbers made figuring out problems so much easier. When I started at Adelphi, that carried over right away.鈥�

Lively鈥檚 interest in finance led to an internship this past summer that showed him how to turn his passion into practice. From June through August, he worked 40-hour weeks at , a highly respected brokerage firm.

鈥淲orking there really sparked my interest and put it through the roof. It was a lot of work, but it was very rewarding.鈥�

Lively credits Adelphi鈥檚 with helping him acquire the skills that made securing the internship possible.

鈥淚 first got involved in the program through [Thomas J. Ward Jr., executive director of the Center for Career Development], my business communications teacher,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 also took the Internship Preparation Seminar, which taught me how to excel at interviews. The career center helped me look at my r茅sum茅 and format it a better way.鈥�

Once he had secured his internship, Lively also found it rewarding in ways that he didn鈥檛 anticipate.

鈥淭here was one client who had medical issues. He was going for major surgery and wasn鈥檛 sure if he was going to make it. We were able to grow his account to help pay the bills and take care of his family. While doctors were operating on his physical life, we helped his fiscal life.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 how it became real to me that finance is not just about making money for yourself, but it鈥檚 also for helping those less fortunate than you. That鈥檚 really where the passion is for me.鈥�

Lively鈥檚 other passion, one that he shares with Ward, is baseball. He coaches teenagers at a baseball training center part time.

鈥淚 love the game of baseball,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd any way I can give back to youth and help develop their game is rewarding for me.鈥�

Lively sees many possibilities in his future, from getting an M.B.A. to attending law school. He鈥檚 already on schedule to graduate from Adelphi a year early. His priorities are simple鈥攚ork hard and follow his passions.

鈥淔or me, the key to success is to do something you love, whether it鈥檚 baseball or finance. I have a strong passion for both of them, so, hopefully, if I can keep on track like that in the future, I鈥檒l have a pretty successful life.鈥�