Being part of a team will serve me well in corporate career
BY JENNA LONGO A
s I sit in graduate classes, I cannot help but reflect on the past and dream about the future. Throughout high school and
college, I dreamed of being a corporate em- ployee working as a public accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC in New York City. Now as a graduate student petitioned to graduate in May with my dream job awaiting, I still feel a heavy heart. Although I always had high aspirations for my career, I rarely thought about the days when competitive skating would come to an end. In what will most likely be my last season
of competitive skating, I can only be grateful of the opportunities I have been given and
thankful for the people I have met along the way. I am a firm believer that competing in synchronized skating for 15 years has been one of the most essential tools for securing my dream job with one of the big four public accounting firms. As established figure skaters, we can all
say that perseverance led us to where we are — successful young adults, honor roll stu- dents, or loving parents. However, persever- ance combined with teamwork has proven to be an unbeatable combination. Every single one of my teammates will forever remain with me. Each one of them has taught me some- thing that I will carry into the next chapter of my life. Some of the things are as small as eating a spoonful of peanut butter to get rid of the hiccups, but others are much larger, like holding your composure when things have not gone your way. The roller coaster of success and failure is
Jenna Longo and her mother, Christine Longo, enjoy the moment at the 2013 French Cup Parade of Teams.
a terrifying ride. However, coming home from an event that did not go the in the team’s fa- vor was made manageable because we went through it together as a team. This will forever cement the importance of morale and spirit when getting through tough times in life. It was my teammates who taught me selflessness; that only together with 20 indi- viduals invested and working cohesively can you achieve the impossible. Undying passion combined with communication and team- work will make you successful. In the middle of February, with U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships only weeks away, it was my teammates who led me through the hardest times in the coldest of rinks.
The Haydenettes embrace after performing at the 2013 World Synchronized Skating Championships in their home state of Massachusetts.
It was also my teammates who taught
me the complexities of personality and team dynamics in ways that management classes never could. It was the experiences skating provided me that I can now bring to the table as an associate that have shaped my unique story.
And it was synchronized skating that
helped clarify the bigger picture. Although throughout a season a team strives for perfec- tion, the small mishaps and imperfect skates early on make the near-perfect feelings at the end even more special. Similarly, in life things will always get in the way, but my teammates have taught me that what truly matters is how one handles them. Although the memories may slowly fade,
I will never forget what it feels like to finish a program and huddle together as a team. It was not me, or the girl next to me who “did it.” It was the team. Thank you U.S. Figure Skating for the
opportunities and thank you Haydenettes for the love and support you have provided me through all of these years. Cherish the good and the bad, for it is only teaching you the most important lessons about life. Jenna Longo is from Farmington, Conn.,
Jenna Longo and the Haydenettes display their talents at Synchro in the City in Ontario, Canada, in 2012. 32 JANUARY 2014
and has been a member of the Haydenettes for eight seasons and is a member of the AAC.
PHOTO BY ERIKA HOFFMAN
PHOTO BY ELINA PAASONEN
PHOTO BY NELLIE SCHAMAUN
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