Broken Experiences Lead to Whole Person, Whole Career
By Jane Johnson Vottero G’10, Publications Director
OnA SuRFACE LEvEL, it may seem that Jarrett Royster ’91 ended up at Springfield College and the YMCA by accident. Although if you’re the type to believe that nothing happens by accident and that some things are meant to be, you will see that this was one of those very things. A track and field athlete from Providence, R.I., Royster was recruited by the university of Connecticut and had decided to attend. On the eve of his high school graduation, however, he had what he called “a philosophical disagreement” with the uConn coach and decided not to go. Mario DeStefano ’62, then athletic director for the Providence
Lars Segerdahl (left) with comedian George Lopez
world experience with his success. “Being able to open the doors to quality internships was huge,” he says. “As for the coursework, there were a bunch of classes that I still relate back to and use in my daily work. Whether it was public relations with [Associate Professor of Sport Management and Recreation Robert] Accorsi or sports information with [Associate Professor of English Dennis] Gildea, those professors really made an impact.”
Allison Maynard G’09
In her time as a graduate student in the School of Social Work, Allison Maynard kept herself busy. In addition to her schoolwork, she worked for the South Middlesex Opportunity Council and volunteered for the College’s AmeriCorps program. Shortly after earning her degree, she was hired as the executive director for Open Pantry Community Services in Springfield. As a Springfield resident, Maynard was drawn to the College
because of its involvement in the community. “Springfield College has a great reputation,” she says.
“AmeriCorps gave me a great appreciation for the community. (The AmeriCorps experience) just made me that much more aware of the issues facing the city, and more passionate to continue working in the city with the disadvantaged.” At Open Pantry, Maynard oversees all of the organization’s
programs — which includes the Loaves and Fishes Kitchen, Open Door Social Services, the Teen Living Program, and two recovery homes for women. “I was able to have the credentials to apply for the job at Open
Pantry because I got my master’s degree at Springfield College,” she says. “If I had gone elsewhere, I wouldn’t have been able to get experience in such a broad area. (The advanced generalist program degree) has helped me manage staff and programs. At other schools, I wouldn’t be able to get that same comprehensive training program.”
Continued on page 39 TRIANGLE 1 Vol . 82, No. 1 11
school system and a friend to Royster’s family, told Jarrett he was “too good a kid to be hanging around this community.” “I told him I want- ed to major in sport medicine,” Royster recalls. “He called John Wilson, [assistant dean of students and director of Multicultural Affairs] and the next thing I knew, I was enrolled at Springfield College.” As a sophomore, Royster had a life-changing experience. The moth-
er of a friend from the College committed suicide. When that friend asked Jarrett to attend the funeral with him, “It was the first time I realized that the way I grew up and the way he grew up wasn’t right. We came from broken communities, broken experiences,” he says. “I wrote an essay for Byron Koh [then-professor of English]. He read the essay and sent it to two presidents of YMCAs.” One of those Ys was Pittsburgh, whose president asked Royster to come visit him. “So there I went, in my
Jarrett Royster
$99 suit, and the CEO agreed to pay the remaining portion of my tuition if I committed to the Y for two years after graduation,” he says. So he interned in Pittsburgh during school and moved there to work full time after graduation. “I lived in the dormitory those three summers. It was populated predominantly with homeless or drug- addicted men in transition. The experience made a really deep impact on me on what the Y could mean; the impact the Y could make in these lives.” Royster has made an impressive career trajectory in the YMCA and,
last September, was named national director of urban and educational development, responsible for leadership and strategic direction as the YMCA expands its capacity, presence, and position in serving low- income and underserved communities. “It was John Wilson, Byron Koh, and Track and Field Head Coach
Ken Klatka who taught me the power that one person can have in another person’s life,” Royster says, who recalls that he was chal- lenged to get involved with the community while he was a student at Springfield College. “All those [community] experiences really helped me early in my Y experience.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35