Suffolk University Alumni Magazine 2008/2009 - (Page 62) after college//AWARDS TexT//DaviD D’arcangelo ’96 IMAGeS//JUSTin KnigHT THe ouTsTanDing alumni aWarDs The outstanding alumni awards ceremony, held during alumni Weekend at the Prudential skywalk, honored four members of the alumni community for their exceptional contributions to suffolk and society. Two recipients were college of arts & sciences alumni—the cas alumni achievement award was presented to Doreen i. Vigue BsJ’87 and the alumni service award was presented to Dennis Walczewski Bs’70. Alumni Service AwArd Alumni Achievement AwArd Dennis H. WalczeWski Bs’70 Dennis WalczeWski recalls Doreen i. Vigue BsJ’87 Doreen (iuDica) Vigue now taking the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority, precursor to today’s MBTA) from his house in Chelsea to City Square in Charlestown where he made a bus connection that would bring him to his classes on Beacon Hill. In those days, virtually all Suffolk University students had to commute and nearly as many worked full or part-time jobs to help them pay their way through college. Reared in a Polish immigrant family and the first person in his family to graduate from college, Walczewski attended classes and worked at the Chelsea YMCA after school. His family instilled in him a strong work ethic and an emphasis on education, both of which were supported by Suffolk’s mission. While a student, Walczewski became the business manager of the Suffolk Journal. He remembers covering everything from Vietnam War protests and peace sit-ins on the Boston Common to the first Earth Day in Washington, D.C. Perhaps the first forensic chemist to graduate from Suffolk, Walczewski got his degree, joined the army and then worked for the US Department of Justice in New York City, where he became the first DEA special agent to have a mixed background in enforcement and forensic chemistry. “I was a Special Agent and my assignment was breaking up clandestine laboratories.” Recently Walczewski has helped Professor Doris Lewis and the rest of the chemistry/biochemistry faculty by serving as an adviser for Suffolk’s innovative chemistry and business program. He takes time to mentor students and is quick to emphasize that “a science major needs to have a business background. So, go for an MBA or get your master’s because the rest of the world runs on business.” He credits Suffolk with supporting his can-do attitude and goal driven approach. Now, as a CEO of a mid-sized biotech company, Woburn-based MBL International, he is able to reflect on winning the Alumni Service Award from the university that he is so proud to have attended. “You must give back to the things that helped make you successful.” wonders how she managed to take a full schedule of classes while working three jobs during each of her four years at Suffolk. Whether it was working on campus for Suffolk icon Lou Connelly, at a hair salon in Faneuil Hall, or as a work-study student for the Boston Globe, she now recognizes that the long hours and hard work actually helped prepare her for the rigors of professional life. The daughter of second generation Italian immigrants and youngest of four children, she was the first person in her family to graduate from college. Coming from a bluecollar family in East Boston, Vigue credits her parents and siblings with supporting her throughout school. “I have a clear memory of my mother making me a pot of coffee at 3 in the morning because I was up studying for a final.” She remembers back to her senior year of 1987, a time when Suffolk was strictly a commuter school with no dormitories. Her daily routine was demanding. She would arrive at campus early in the morning, attend classes during the day, work all afternoon to pay for school, then study at home throughout the evening. After graduation she felt a strong attachment to Suffolk and returned frequently as a guest lecturer, then as a teaching assistant. At one point she taught three journalism courses in the College. As she progressed in her career, Suffolk proved to be a constant presence. Now, as a vice president and director of communications for New England Cable News, (NECN), Vigue attributes much of her professional success to her ongoing connection with Suffolk University. “I got the best journalism degree here at Suffolk. Doors were opened for me. I was able to launch my career and achieve my major goal of working for the Boston Globe. Suffolk has always been there to support me.” [62] SUFFolKARTS+SCIENCES//2008/2009 alUmni magazine
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