Riverdale, NY - Caitlin Bricketto '15 spent the past year as an associate for the Dubai Business Associates Programme, which offers outstanding and ambitious graduates an opportunity to study and do business in Dubai, through a partnership between the
Rory McIlroy Foundation,
Sport Changes Life and
Falcon and Associates.
We recently caught up with Bricketto.
GoJaspers: What were some of the most interesting aspects of your job this past year?
Bricketto: There are more than 200 nationalities living and working in Dubai currently and Americans make up less than 1 percent of the population. It was an amazing learning experience on how to find common ground in the business world between people with different backgrounds, education and cultural beliefs.
Q: How did Manhattan College help prepare you for this opportunity?
A: During the program, I pulled on all of my experiences over the six years I spent at Manhattan College where I received an excellent education that prepared me to be confident inside any challenge. While serving as the president of SAAC, the captain of the tennis team and later an administrator for the athletic department, I learned about leadership, hard work, commitment, time management, resilience and the value of diversity inside the college, as well as in New York City. All of these things helped me while living in Dubai. The excellent education and diverse environment I experienced at Manhattan College always inspired me to "never quit" and believe in myself.
Q: Who mentored you and prepared you in your career development?
A: First and foremost, it would be Marianne Reilly for the connection to this amazing program and second would be Gareth McGuire from Sport Changes Life, as well as the Rory McIlroy Foundation for the opportunity to have been a part of the Dubai Business Associates Programme. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone that was a part of the Dubai Business Associates Programme, including Falcon and Associates, the PWC Academy Middle East, Bon Education and Capadev for everything they taught me.
Q: We heard you won an award at graduation?
A: Yes, I won the Erin Langlands Award, which honored work ethic and professionalism throughout the program.
Q: What is next for you?
A: The Dubai Business Associates Programme sparked an international curiosity for me when it comes to business and I am very interested in furthering that curiosity and traveling in my next role. I just accepted a position with a company called Procept BioRobotics as the product specialist for the European Union.
