“
I came to GMercyU with just two older
sisters, and I left with 40+ brothers.
”
SHAWN RYAN
Business
Life as a student-athlete can be chaotic. Between practices,
classes, workouts, study sessions, and games, there is little free
time left in the day. to just being a ‘number’ in a lecture hall,” Shawn said. “These
professors not only wanted to see us succeed in the classroom,
but also in life.”
Having strong time management skills and a solid support
system is key to success. When he wasn’t on the field, Shawn was actively involved on
campus. He served as the inaugural president of the Investment
Club, worked in GMercyU’s Intramural and Recreations
Department and participated in numerous recruiting events for
the School of Business and Education.
Luckily for Shawn Ryan, he had both.
Shawn was a four-year member and two-year captain of
Gwynedd Mercy University’s men’s lacrosse team. He chose
GMercyU after his first meeting with Coach Dana Lindstrom,
and knew it was the perfect school to continue his academic
career while still playing the game he loves.
“From the first day my class arrived on campus, my entire
lacrosse team was a single, cohesive unit. From freshmen all
the way up to the senior class, there were no cliques or divides,
simply great friends that share the triumphs and failures of
being a college lacrosse player,” Shawn said.
“I came to GMercyU with just two older sisters, and I left with
40+ brothers,” Shawn said.
Shawn initially planned on majoring in Criminal Justice, but
the summer before his first semester he decided he was better
suited for business. He switched his major to marketing but
after taking a couple of accounting classes, he knew he was
meant to work with numbers. Shawn ultimately decided that
majoring in finance was best suited for the career he wanted.
“Having never had a class larger than 40 people in the program
allowed me to have a friendship with my professors, as opposed
8
TODAY
Last summer Shawn interned with Holman Enterprises in the
Accounting Department of the Holman Ford Lincoln Maple
Shade Car Dealership. While interning, Shawn learned of
Holman Enterprises’ highly competitive Financial Analyst
Program, a three-year program geared towards creating
financial leaders in the company. With more than 100
applicants, Shawn was offered one of the coveted five spots
available.
“It was an incredible feeling to go through my senior year
knowing I had a job lined up,” Shawn said.
Shawn rounded off his successful college career by racking up
numerous awards at graduation. He was the recipient of the
Outstanding Business Graduate Award, the 2018-2019 Male
Senior Scholar-Athlete Award and the Donahue-Elliot Senior
Scholar-Athlete Award, which is given to the senior with the
highest GPA majoring in business.
Shawn will spend the next three years rotating through different
entities of Holman Enterprises. First up is a one-year rotation
as an analyst with Auto Truck Group based in Bartlett, Illinois.