Alumni Spotlight
Q & A with Sean Barrett ’ 93
Tell me about your Fordham Prep experience . Who were some teachers / staff members who made an impression on you ? Today I recall many incredible and lasting memories , but overall , what I remember most about my time there was always being encouraged to seek and explore . My interests had always been the environment , ocean adventures and fishing . From my freshman year on , Peter McNamara began opening new doors for me into the realms of marine biology and coastal ecosystems using the science labs and classrooms at first .
So how did you end up from Fordham Prep to Dock to Dish ? What was the journey ? Fordham Prep provided me with a specific structure , faculty and environment that allowed me to - and very much encouraged me to - discover my passion in life and figure out exactly what I was put on this planet to do . Once that north star became clear and my compass was tuned , I simply set out on a path to pursue that passion . Ultimately that pursuit manifested itself as Dock to Dish , a sustainable seafood initiative where the environment , ocean adventures and fishing actually became my career .
Describe your experience as you started up Dock to Dish . There is a lot of serendipity in this part of the story , and a small army of people who helped get the program started originally . In navigating the startup phase , I really leaned back on my experiences at Fordham Prep when I had learned to work with diverse groups , teams and organizations . Chefs , commercial fishermen and environmental organizations are historically found in opposition or even direct conflict with each other , so having to establish that unifying culture and sense of community that I originally learned at Fordham Prep was crucial to our success as we started up .
What where the biggest challenges you had to overcome ? A rather large chorus of voices that said it would never work was the first challenge . But Prep teachers like Fr . O ' Malley had long ago taught me how to tune out a chorus of naysayers . Seeing fellow prep alums and friends out in the real world who were also pushing the boundaries of various industries also gives you strength and confidence to push forward . Nic Jammet at SweetGreen , FP Class of 2003 , is a great example of that .
Then the second and stubborn challenge for us was finding good , strong , hard-working people to join our ranks and carry the torch forward . This remained a big challenge , but then at the Fordham Prep senior-alumni breakfast this year in the New York Botanical Gardens , I stumbled across the exact candidate we needed to join our team and become the next generation of leaders at Dock to Dish .
Talk a little bit about meeting Timmy Facciola and how that introduction went at the Senior-Alumni Breakfast in 2016 . Timmy is such an incredible young guy , smart as a whip , hard-working and dedicated - and he has made such a wonderfully positive impact on our operations in Montauk this summer that we are already designing a bigger position for him for when he gets back here next summer after his freshman year at Boston College . It is also very cool how we met , and I will never forget it . Timmy marched right up to me after the senior-alumni breakfast at the Botanical Gardens this year . Just like me , Timmy had clearly identified his passion and calling in life while he was at Fordham Prep , and here he was at the breakfast , before even graduating , prepared and ready to engage in pursuing it .
What is your advice to current Fordham Prep students and young alumni about entrepreneurship ? Find your passion , and pursue it . Do what you love and love what you do - and you will never have to work a day in your life .
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