Today Magazine Summer 2019 | Page 10

“ 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.