Hi Hounds! This week on Highlighting Hounds, we are featuring senior Jack Kinsella ’25! Jack has made a lasting impact on the Assumption University community through his extensive involvement in various campus activities. From his role as a student-athlete to his leadership as an orientation leader, senator, and member of multiple student organizations, Jack has immersed himself in nearly every corner of campus life. His dedication to fostering connections across diverse groups, including student government, CAB, esports, and more, has allowed him to positively influence the campus culture. Driven by a desire to make the most of his undergraduate experience, Jack has worked to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for his peers, ensuring that all students feel a sense of belonging at Assumption. His experiences have shaped his career aspirations, with a focus on higher education and student affairs, where he hopes to continue making a meaningful impact on students’ lives. Read more to learn about Jack’s experiences, and what advice he has to offer.
Give a brief overview of your campus involvement and impact on the Assumption
community.
I like to think that I have my foot in the door in just about every campus area. Whether it be with my student-athlete friends, my resident assistant friends, my student government friends, my CAB friends, my esports friends, my PAWS friends, etc. Being friendly and involved with a wide variety of activities and people around campus has helped me positively grow our Assumption community in my own ways, even if it is just by a little bit.
What inspired you to become so involved, and how did you obtain these
positions?
I’ve always told myself that you only get 4 years of being an undergraduate student, so
why not make the most of it? The person who inspired me the most to become so
involved on campus is Ted Zito. Ted always used to give a presentation to student
leaders about how all you need to do to graduate from Assumption is to pass your
classes. However, there’s so much more to college than just waking up, going to class,
and going back to bed. The way in which he explained it sounds a lot more eloquent
than me, but that’s what gave me my background and motivation to get more involved. I
obtained these positions by just signing up for stuff that sparked interest in me, with little
afterthought.
How did your role as an Orientation Leader influence your perspective on the
first-year student experience? What do you think is most important for new
students to feel when they come to campus?
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it till the day I die: being an orientation leader is the most
important job you can ever have on this campus. Being an orientation leader has helped
me understand the first-year student experience a lot more than your average student.
By being on the team for the past 3 years, I have been able to see every single class
below me grow up right in front of my eyes, and that makes me so happy. The first time
that a Hound steps on campus for their Summer Orientation is an extremely vital time in
their career, and orientation leaders play the most vital role. Orientation leaders need to
make every student feel as though they belong here on 500 Salisbury Street. While
nobody is capable of reaching every single student, The overarching goal is to create a
positive first impression so that when first-year students move on to campus in August,
it minimizes their worries.
As a Senator for the Class of 2025, how did you represent your peers, and what
initiatives did you work on to improve student life?
As a senator for the class of 2025, I am always active in Senate meetings. Whether that
is asking tougher questions to campus police, being very open about being against new
policies (not just complaining about it but seeking out solutions), working with my
event planning committee to make sure that all Student Government traditions continue
to run smoothly, and just being an active listener. One of the more recent things that the
rest of the student government and I were able to get approved by the school was
the addition of printers in each of the residential Halls. We are also in the works of
adding Amazon lock boxes to campus. I care about the school and the community
within it, and I just want to see everybody enjoying their four years as much as they can
and just enjoying life as a college student.
What are your career goals? How will this internship help you reach those goals?
Upon graduation in May, I will be attending either the University of Rhode Island, the
University of Vermont, or Boston College to pursue a degree in higher education. I’ve
never really had an actual internship, but all my involvement on campus has helped me
build up my resume a lot, especially in my applications to these schools.
What are your key takeaways from your experience?
The biggest takeaway that I’ve had from my time with the first-year orientation team was
within the interview process. I’ve had to run my fair share of interviews over the last 2
years, and I’ve been included in a bunch of meetings about selecting the actual team.
My biggest takeaway from this is that people surprise you. I’m not ashamed to admit
that in the past, we have invited orientation leaders to the team who may not have been
my first choice. Yet, every single one of these people has surprised me and has been
able to grow so much with their involvement in the orientation team. This has taught me
that it’s always important to give people opportunities to succeed, even if you might not
be that sold on them.
Will you continue your education? If so, what are the key factors that will
influence your decision on where to continue your education? And what type of
impact do you hope to make in higher education, particularly in fostering a sense
of community and belonging for students?
The reason why I am deciding to pursue a career in the higher education field is that I’ve
had such a positive undergraduate experience here at Assumption. I want other
students, no matter what school I end up working at, to have as good of an experience
or even better of an experience than I did. A particular part of student affairs that I am
interested in would be working with student-athletes who may be going through a hard
point in their college career and working with them on ways they can work to help
improve their mindset.
Reflecting on your time at college so far, what’s one experience that’s had the
most profound impact on your personal or professional growth?
One experience that has helped me grow the most on a personal and professional level
would definitely be my 3 years in the first-year orientation program. Each year of
orientation brings unique challenges that I have had the opportunity to face and resolve.
However, at the end of the day, as long as the first-year students are having a positive
experience, that is all that matters.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in your
leadership roles or any lessons you wish you had learned sooner?
Being a student leader is oftentimes a thankless job; this is something that I wish I had
been able to learn earlier on in my Assumption career. While all of these positions that I
have been fortunate enough to obtain have helped me grow in many ways, they are
also very demanding and time-consuming and take away from me doing normal college
stuff that I would be able to do if I wasn’t so involved. I’ve come to the point where I
have been able to accept this, but there have been times that I wish I could have
learned earlier.
How did your skills as a student-athlete translate into these positions?
My skills as a student-athlete have translated into all of the positions that I’ve held on
campus. The biggest is my willingness to accept criticism. On the field and in
athletic-related activities in general, I have always been told how it is by my coach,
whether it be something that I messed up on that we see on film or any team-related
activity. Coach Bourden will always give me his honest feedback and not sugarcoat it,
which I respect. This has helped me in various aspects of my Assumption career,
especially instances where I have been in the wrong. I don’t take anything personally, I
learn from whatever the situation might have been and move on
If you are interested in being featured on Highlighting Hounds or know of any students who would be a strong candidate, please email us at careerdevelopment@assumption.edu!
