Alum Tackles the Challenges of Wall Street

Written by: Tony Quattrochi, Faculty Member

Garrett Leffelman, Class of 2007, left St. Joe’s with an eye on the Big Apple, as he made his way east to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, before heading to New York to pursue a career in finance.  After playing four years of basketball at Brown and majoring in economics and political science, the Capital One Academic All-American decided to take a chance on Wall Street where he currently works as a financial analyst for Morgan Stanley. 

The skills Garrett needs for his job are numerous and varied.  “In a general sense, time management, the ability to multi-task, and good communication are the skills that help me the most on a day-to-day basis but

on a practical level, roughly 75% of the work I do happens in Microsoft Excel. As a financial analyst, the biggest thing that people look for right out of college is attention to detail. Almost all of the work my group puts together goes in front of the CEO and CFO of our client companies. The advice I would give to high school and college students today to prepare for the working world would be to develop good habits now of a) making the outputs of your work look clean and easy to understand, b) double-checking that all calculations are accurate, and c) being able to defend any work that people have questions about.”

In the world of big business, the opportunities to cut corners or get ahead by questionable means are numerous but Garrett anticipates no problems with the temptations.  “I believe the important thing is to make sure that I remain the person I was brought up to be. My dad always tells me, ‘When you get there, just remember where you came from.’ It is critical on a daily basis to remember the lessons I learned through my Catholic education at St. Joseph and then my experiences in dealing with people while at Brown. I find that staying grounded to my family, friends, and faith helps me see the bigger picture and not get too caught up in the corporate culture or the race to move ahead as quickly as possible.”

But what does Garrett do each day? “On a daily basis, my job involves building and managing financial models and client presentations. The models I create in excel are dynamic and complex files that seek to capture a company’s current financial situation and the impacts of various scenarios going forward, such as whether or not the company undergoes a merger or makes an acquisition, sells a part of its business, issues stock to the markets, or finances a new project. We then draft presentations to explain to our clients how the new strategies will help their businesses and how we can help them execute the transactions. The work we do helps major brand-name companies continue to deliver their products and serve their customers around the world. The job becomes fulfilling for me when I take a moment to truly understand how our work at a high level eventually trickles down to create a lot of social good for individual people in America and around the world.”

Aware of the volubility of the economic scene, Garrett is not overly focused on the near future.  “Professionally, I hope to have built up a few good years of great experience that I can leverage to start the rest of my career in whatever I may be very passionate about at that time. Personally, I look forward to one day being in a position to start a family and perhaps attending graduate school.”

Garrett continues to stay in touch with classmates from St. Joe’s and he looks forward to visiting the school the next chance he gets.

Congratulations and good luck, Garrett!  We’re proud of you! 

On behalf of the entire St. Joseph Famiy, we would like to thank all those that supported the 1st Annual ChargerFeast 2012!

We hope you had a great time!

Please check out the list of Chili Cook-Off and Super Raffle Winners in the link below.

ChargerFeast News 

Faith in Action

Written by: Tony Quattrochi, Faculty Member

Brian “Benny” Morten, Class of 1995, was raised with a strong Catholic background.  A graduate of St. Odilo (Berwyn), St. Joe’s. and Notre Dame (with a degree in finance), Benny applied his faith professionally as soon as he completed his undergraduate studies.  “I wanted to do some service work before entering the business world.  I was accepted to Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Service through Teaching Program.  While completing my Masters degree in Education, I was placed in Brownsville, Texas, where I taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade Math and Science at Saint Anthony Elementary School.  After six years in Texas, I moved back to Chicago and was hired to be the principal at Saint Ann Catholic School in the Pilsen neighborhood where I continue to work to this day.  During my seven years at Saint Ann, I also completed my Masters degree in Educational Administration at Notre Dame.”

Benny’s work has always been tied to his faith. “Knowing that there are many Catholic schools in need and the future of our church rests on the development and cultivation of the youth and their faith, I felt the pull to stay in Catholic education.  Through my own experiences as a student in Catholic schools, I recognized the importance of developing our faith in Jesus Christ, realizing the impact we can have on our society through social justice, and strengthening the sense of community that is found in a Catholic school setting.”  To that end, Benny puts in long hours leading a school that had experienced some hardships. “I am very proud of the growth of Saint Ann School over the past seven years.  We have reversed the trend of decreasing enrollment going from 187 to 233 students while adding two Preschool classrooms for three and four-year-olds.  In addition, our 8th grade graduates go on to the top schools in Chicago including two students who will enroll at St. Joe's next year.”

Benny and his wife, Sandria, (who is also a principal of a Catholic school), are expecting their first child in mid-May.

St. Joseph High School is very proud of this young man.  Congratulations and best wishes, Benny!

Save the Date – Friday, July 27^th

FORE the 36^th Annual St. Joseph High School Golf Outing

Sponsored by the Alumni Association

St. Andrews Golf & Country Club • West Chicago

      Shotgun Start - 12:00 pm - Scramble Format

      Golf Committee:

Pat Burke '87, Jim Conley '74, Pat Conley '71, John Christopher '83, Ron Czajka '66, Mike Gamauf '88, Tom Hayes '76 (President of the Alumni Association), Randy Hribal '86, Mark Kelly '84, Kevin O’Rourke '82, Ken Rank '64, Joe Serpico '70, Joe Tortorich '99 and Jim Tunney '88

Click here to view the flyer

A Music Man for All Seasons

Written by: Tony Quattrochi, Faculty Member

He was a young man of many instruments while in high school and he is now a man of many talents in the music business. 

Doug Hammerschmitt, creator and owner of Dreamworld Productions and Design, located in Boston, knew before graduating from St. Joe’s in 1985 that he was destined to be a member of the music industry.  “There is no such thing as a typical day when you’re in a business like mine,” Doug reflected. That business is running a “project studio,” a concept that lent itself to a man of Doug’s background. “I wanted to avail my experience to people who could use it.  I sit down with clients, listen to their vision and then they let me contribute.  And those contributions could mean any of a dozen things. Right now I am working with a classical composer on creating a modern variation of a score through my own suggestions.  I also rehearse recording artists who are preparing for a performance or who simply wish to expand their repertoire.  I might also be hired to do audio restoration, cleaning up older recordings.  I write jingles, work on film scores or work on my own music. Every day is different!” 

Doug did not jump into the studio business out of music school.  He wrote and performed music on the piano for numerous bars and clubs before deciding to develop his own business. He built his studio piece by piece and opened it for recording in 1992. In 2000, he moved to a house and a much larger studio, complete with three isolation rooms and a grand piano.

Doug’s professional and private life intersected in a great way when he met his future wife in London in 1989. Emmanuelle, while originally from France, was studying at a business school while Doug was participating in an exchange program. Doug auditioned for a piano gig at a pub and Emmanuelle was visiting her friend bartending there. The rest is history.  Doug and his wife formed a business team as Emmanuelle applied her talents in graphic arts to the development of the websites and clients’ CD and poster designs. “We complement one another very well,” Doug added.  Doug and Emmanuelle will be celebrating their 20^th Anniversary this summer with their two sons.

St. Joseph High School is very proud of this Charger and we wish him well!

 A Special THANK YOU to our ChargerFeast Event Sponsors!

The St. Joseph Soccer Alumni Association is holding its First Annual Dodgeball Tournament on Saturday, June 9th! 

Teams of 11 will play for cash and prizes.  Come out and enjoy a fun atmosphere with food, drinks, and the ever famous 50/50 raffle!  

All proceeds will benefit boys and girls soccer at St. Joseph.  

Click here to view the flyer, obtain additional information and rules or to secure your spot in the tournament! 

We hope to see you for this fun 21 and over event!

*Don’t want to play?!  Can’t throw a ball?!  That’s ok!  We need a few volunteers to help us out during the games.  (Yes, we’ll feed you dinner and take care of you!)  If you happen to be interested, please contact Stan Niemiec 708-562-4433, ext. 247 or sniemiec@stjoeshs.org. Thanks!

Paul Vanderplow, Class of '89

Written by: Tony Quattrochi, Faculty Member

Knowing your future is rare amongst high school students which made Paul Vanderplow, Class of '89, relatively unique.  Paul, who works for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), knew as a kid that he wanted to be in law enforcement.  Before graduating from St. Joe’s, Paul sought warmer weather by applying to colleges in Arizona and Florida.  He soon found Arizona State University his home for the next four years before joining the Internal Revenue Service for the following six years.  “We had a family friend who was in the IRS,” Paul said in a phone interview from Washington, D.C. “but I soon pursued a childhood dream and joined the ATF.”

Paul completed assignments in Detroit, Pontiac, Grand Rapids (where he met his future wife), San Jose, Chicago and then Washington, D.C.  “I loved being on the streets,” Paul recalled. “You had no concept what was going to happen that day when you woke in the morning.  I especially enjoyed working arson investigations, where we had our share of math and science to deal with.  I also remember getting a call on 9/11 and working a 72-hour shift in anticipation of problems on the West Coast. There never was a dull moment.”

Because of Paul’s success and his experience in logistics and accounting, he was “drafted” into working at ATF’s Headquarters in D.C. as a Branch Chief.  He is responsible for the organization’s finances as all 25 field divisions across the country seek his assistance and approval in making their field operations happen.  “There are a number of engaging aspects to my job but the most enjoyable, by far, is being able to problem-solve.  I enjoy resolving a problem whose solution has evaded others. In addition, I also work with the ATF’s senior leadership to advise them on their current and future projects.”

Besides work, Paul enjoys time with his wife and two children and his visits with his family back in the Chicago area.  St. Joe’s is proud of the success of this Charger!

A New Way to Give! 

• Ticketholders turn their unwanted seats over to St. Joseph High School, and qualify for a tax deduction
• Ticket purchasers choose from these great seats, and receive reasonable pricing (tickets are offered at fair market prices).
• 100% of ticket proceeds are given to St. Joseph High School!  

Welcome to our new online community.  Membership is FREE and available exclusively to our alumni and friends!

This is St. Joseph's/IHM's private, online community created exclusively for high school alumni, faculty and friends.   It is a secure, password-protected environment established by the Office of Alumni Relations.

Once you register, an email will be sent to confirm your membership and validate your email address.  Be sure to click on the link in this email so your account can be activated.

Please be patient with the site as it's being developed and content is being added.  *Most of the information on the site is for testing and development purposes and will be replaced with better content as soon as possible.

Become a member and take advantage of the following services:

• Reconnect with faculty and former classmates
• Organize class reunions
• Discover ways to support your school
• Share alumni news and activities

Features include:

• Message boards for In Memorial, Lost/Missing Alumni, Career & Volunteer Center, Class Notes, School & Alumni News
• Subscriptions to keep you updated by e-mail of classmates and message board updates
• Alumni directory that's searchable by class, by name or by occupation
• Lost / missing alumni directory to help find people that others are looking for
• Social networking (Facebook, Skype, MySpace and LinkedIn) support

Search for friends and make new connections with the online community!  All you need to do to take advantage of all the community has to offer is to proceed through the registration process to establish an account.

This site is made possible by donations from our sustaining members:

Advertise your business here!

We are looking for back issues of the St. Joseph school newspaper for our archives. Anyone whom wishes to donate their back issues please contact the St. Joseph Development Office:  708-562-7488 or email gpingatore@stjoeshs.org.

Be sure to check out the list of reunions and events posted to the left in "Upcoming Events".  If you are a planner of a future event, be sure to read "Event planning information / add an event" for tips and information to make your event a success.

Stephanie Morton, Manager of Development Operations

Keep your e-mail and mailing addresses current and you'll receive the details for all alumni information, activities, events, and reunions.