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Growing up, Stephanie O’Leary had a dream in common with other young girls her age—she wanted to be a competitive ice skater.  With the help of her parents, Stephanie lived the dream.  She had a grueling schedule that required many hours on the ice both for practice and developing her routine.  But her commitment paid off when she won the silver medal in the National Collegiate Ice Skating Championship in 2001.  Today, even while working full time as an accountant for Toce Brothers, she’s a coach for other young girls who dare to dream of becoming an ice skater. 

Even with her background as a competitive ice skater performing in front of people, Stephanie came to ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´, in her words, “…extremely shy.  I was so uncomfortable engaging with people on a certain level.”   Slowly but surely, Stephanie began to come out of her shell and come into her own.  “One of the first jobs I had at ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ was to be a tour guide for admissions.  I had to interact one-on-one with people, and at the same time it exposed me to amazing diversity.  The prospective students came from everywhere.    Often, I had to break the ice, because they were shier than me. It was a confidence builder.”

A criminal justice major as an undergraduate, Stephanie was so comfortable in the small, supportive atmosphere at ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ she returned to earn an MS in Accounting and MBA.  Presently, she is an accountant at Toce Brothers in Torrington, CT, but soon she will be moving to a new position at KPMG as an IT audit and risk advisory consultant in risk management. 

Stephanie proudly admits that ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ was her launch pad to success, and that’s why she is still active as an alumnae and does not hesitate to give back.  A member of the Alumni Council, she has hosted Dine with Nines at her home, spoken at admissions events, and offered her services to Munchie Mania.

Perhaps, she is most proud of being the youngest member of the Legacy Society by making ¹ú²úÓ´Ó´ a beneficiary in her life insurance plan, and being a BOLD donor.  “I think of what I am doing is an investment in people.  The rate of return is priceless.  Also, all of my gifts are in honor of my mom and dad.  For different reasons, they were both unable to go to college.  I am living their dream and I am so grateful for all they have done for me.  I want to help others who face undue hardship in college to have the chance that I did.”

In many ways, Stephanie is not a dreamer, but a visionary…a person of action.  She makes dreams possible.