Thiel Happenings

Thiel College Match Day sets donor record for the eighth straight year

For the eighth straight year, Thiel College’s annual, one-day online giving event had a record number of donors.

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Thiel College duo grab PAC titles at indoor track and field event

Kaylee Suarez '23 defended her Presidents' Athletic Conference and set a conference record in the process in the high jump and title in the broad jump and Andre Williams '22, MBA'23 won the triple jump at the Indoor Track & Field Championships at Youngstown State University's Watson and Tressel Training Site this past Thursday.

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Thiel College’s new part-time MBA program offers pathway for working professionals

Thiel College is supplementing its successful Master of Business Administration program with a part-time program for graduate students, alongside its accelerated 11-month program.

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February TNT celebrates Match Day success and reviews graduate programs

Thiel News Time on Tuesday covered the success of Match Day, the Council of Independent Colleges/Association of College and University Educators program Belong: An Inclusive Learning Community webinar that was offered later on Tuesday and a review of the graduate programs and the College’s stratgegy moving forward.

Student News

Student-worker showcase in student life

Student Activities workers Branston Peese ’23 and Blessing Tete ’26, and Assistant Dean for Student Engagement, Than Oo, enjoying some downtime in the office.

• Student worker supervisors are encouraged to highlight their employees by sending a photo of students doing their great work to pr@thiel.edu.

Hambleton shares her Thiel story and provides advice to students

Hillary Hambleton ’14 was the featured speaker at the Feb. 22 Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar. Hillary is the Chief Financial Officer of GGC National Contractors in Pittsburgh, Pa.

“Our speaker this Wednesday was Hillary Hambleton, who graduated from Thiel in 2014 with bachelor's degrees in business administration and accounting. She did not know exactly what she wanted to do with her life but knew that she did not want to follow in her parents’ footsteps; her father is a golf course superintendent, and her mother is a business owner.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“Originally from the small town of Geneva, Ohio, she was an only child and spent her youth participating in a variety of sports. At the age of 13, she got her first job at a donut shop where she earned $4.25 an hour. She credits this experience with teaching her how to manage money.” Tyler Zere ’23

“Hillary came to Thiel because she wanted to continue playing volleyball, but this was very short-lived as she had two injuries within a year, which ended her career.” Matt Castles ’23

“Her junior year is when she knew what she wanted to do. She challenged herself that year by trying to balance an internship with school and her social life. With the influence and help of ‘Mr. Thiel’ (AKA Professor Miller), she graduated with a dual degree in business administration and accounting.” Emily Grandy ’23

“During Hillary’s junior year at Thiel, she obtained an internship at SR Snodgrass & Co., CPAs in Andover, Ohio. Something that stood out to me was when she was doing this internship, Thiel would send her off to work with a packed lunch from the café. The ladies at AVI would write her a note on the lunch, which shows you that Thiel is one big family.” Matt Castles ’23

“While at Thiel, Hillary worked for IT, Student Housing, Advancement, and also worked as a summer housekeeper.” Amy Jackson ’23

“After Thiel, she said the transition from college to real life was easier than she thought and said that if you try to immerse yourself in the college experience you are ready to face the real world too.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“Upon graduation from Thiel, she was employed by KFMR, a public accounting firm in Pittsburgh. She explained to us that she was very fortunate to have gone to Thiel because many of the other people she worked with were simply unprepared to start the job.” Tyler Zere ’23

“She has continued to climb the ladder as she sits as the Chief Financial Officer for her current company, GGC National Contractors. She told us to never stop job searching, even if you feel comfortable. I thought this was a great piece of advice along with many other things that she said.” Natalie Zgurich ’23

“After she was hired at GGC, there was a switch in ownership. All but two of the senior employees left, but she did not let that discourage her outlook on working there. She saw the opportunity to meet a new team and make new connections.” Ian Yahner ’24

“Upon graduation, she ‘lived as if she was still on a college salary’ and was able to pay off her debts – another thing she highly recommended that we do ourselves.” Allison Walsh ’24

“Hillary gave us tips while working in the real world. Those were to always have a strong work ethic, have a positive attitude, put other employees first, and have a smile. Everyone that you work with could be going through a difficult time, and it is key to have a safe and healthy work environment.” Asher Patton ’23

“The best lesson that I learned was to find joy in the little things. The tough times always pass, but good memories are to last. It is also my most memorable lesson now.” Inseo Chong ’23

“She emphasized how important a social life is because those connections have followed her.” Natalie Zgurich ’23

“Hillary said that it was so surreal driving through Greenville, passing Sheetz and Compadres. She made some of her best memories here in Greenville. Hillary loved her time at Thiel.” Ian Yahner ’24

“She shared with us some of her favorite Thiel memories: the Bistro’s buffalo chicken wraps, Professor Witosky’s intermediate accounting class (that she was not mentally or emotionally prepared for), and the family-like atmosphere.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“Hillary had a great presentation and she really praised Thiel for the opportunities that it provided for her and how they prepared her for her future.” Ian Yahner ’24

Lessons Learned

• “Embrace change.” Sujin Park ’23
• “Teamwork makes the dream work.” Emily Grandy ’23
• “Be able to not only explain what you’re doing but also why you are doing something. This proves that you fully understand concepts rather than processes.” Inseo Chong ’23
• “Employers do not care what you know. They care about your positive attitude and work ethic.” Natalie Zgurich ’23

• “Be a sponge and absorb the knowledge from others.” Amy Jackson ’23

• “Set realistic goals and expectations for yourself. Celebrate small things.” Seoyeon Choo ’23
• “Everyone’s journey is different, so do not compare yourself to others. I love that sentence, and it impressed me a lot, so it is now in my diary.” Sujin Park ’23
• “Always remember that people are human.” Allison Walsh ’24
• “Do not strive for perfection because you will not get there.” Ian Yahner ’24
• “Don’t be afraid to be yourself at work. Professional does not mean boring, and a lot of people forget that. Offices work better when the people get along.” Natalie Zgurich ’23
• “Go to lunch with people.” Allison Walsh ’24
• “Never burn a bridge.” Autumn Gourley ’24
• “Pay off your debt as fast as you can.” Tyler Zere ’23
• “Thiel Alumni and everyone at Thiel are a family.” Emily Grandy ’23
• “Please respect your housekeepers!” Amy Jackson ’23
• “Always go to school events.” Emily Grandy ’23

Dinner “Dishing”

• “Emily Grandy was the dinner concierge this week; she was awesome! The theme of this week's dinner was vegetarian food. At first, I was a little skeptical when I heard that it was vegetarian, but when I started eating the first appetizer, that thought completely disappeared.” Seoyeon Choo ’23
• “I enjoyed dinner because it was unique and different from what I normally eat. I didn’t know what to expect when the chef said, ‘Cauliflower steak.’ It was meatless due to Ash Wednesday, but this might be my favorite dinner thus far.” Amy Jackson ’23
• “I must admit, I was a little apprehensive about dinner tonight, since it was vegetarian. However, I really enjoyed it and even discovered a few new things that I like to eat! Cauliflower steak is one thing I’ve always been interested in trying, and it was a 10/10 experience.” Allison Walsh ’24
• “Dinner was something I thought I would never eat in my life.” Matt Castles ’23
• “During dinner, we discussed Professor Miller and how influential he was to everyone here at Thiel, which is upsetting because I never got to meet him. We then talked about Hillary getting hurt twice during her volleyball career. I related to that completely because the same thing happened to me, which ended my basketball career.” Emily Grandy ’23