About

Gina D’Angelo-Mullen '93 was our guest speaker for our Excelsior Enrichment Friday Program assembly on Leadership via Zoom for all students, faculty and staff on Friday, October 15, 2021. Mrs. D’Angelo-Mullen is the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at Optum, Tri-State.

Nearly 30 years after she graduated, Mrs. D’Angelo-Mullen credits SHA for instilling faith and an educational foundation that led her to build confidence to take chances on herself and her career.

Mrs. D’Angelo-Mullen’s inspiring presentation helped us to look within, consider our futures, and how we fit in and represent ourselves in the world.

Key Takeaways :

Consider Your Brand. Discussing her non-linear but dedicated path striving for success, she illustrated the importance of believing in yourself and being authentic to your personal brand. Like major companies' brands, a personal brand is unique to symbolizing you. You have to work on shaping what that brand looks like and with avenues such as Instagram and LinkedIn, you can tailor how your viewed from the outside looking in.

Communicate with Purpose. Like tailoring your brand with intention, it is essential to hone in on how you communicate, whether it is to a classmate, colleague, or to a broader audience through asocial media platform. Exercise compassion and patience. Listening is a skill that is as vital as communicating.

Be a Leader. Mrs. D’Angelo-Mullen encouraged students to “say yes” often to trying new things. Even if that experience you said yes to isn’t necessarily a great fit, there is a lesson to be learned in each of your failures. To be a leader one must work hard, be authentic, and remain humble. Take chances on yourself!