January 16, 2008 Saundra Parker '81, speaker VP, PNC Bank retired "I had the pleasure of meeting Sandy before the Business Honors Seminar dinner and presentation.  She was one of the people that helped me greatly improve my interviewing skills this fall.  Until now, I was unaware of the problems that she had to overcome to make her career successful.  Sandy had quite the story to tell and I'm glad I had the opportunity to listen." ~ Aaron Terdle "Upon graduation from Thiel and starting a career in the banking business, Sandy was faced with some adversity when she was diagnosed with arthritis.  This was a battle she had to face through her whole career.  How did she respond?  She was voted the 7th best employee out of almost 18,000 throughout her designated banking area.  An important lesson I learned was that life is not always easy.  In order to make it through tough times you must stay strong and persevere." ~ Bobby Phillips "The whole class attended dinner and we all learned how to eat with proper etiquette.  The meal was very good.  I sat with Gary Witosky and he was very friendly and open with all of us, answering the questions we had.  He made the meal fun and made me laugh quite a bit when we talked about the eating etiquette.  I enjoyed everything about the whole night and this class is going to teach me a lot because I get to hear it from alumni that have been there before." ~ Thomas Butera "Sandy Parker is an exceptional woman.  She has gone through events in her life that most cannot even imagine.  With all of the setbacks that have presented themselves in her life, she overcame them and moved in a progressive manner.  I personally have experienced working with Sandy at PNC Bank and she is a remarkable manager that has the ability to motivate employees with grace that is admirable." ~ Christy Allen ""I asked her if she ever had trouble leaving her work problems at the office and not taking them home with her.  She told me that it was extremely difficult for her to do because the stress of the day would still hang over her shoulders when the work day was over." ~ Hayley Deems