From the Granite State to the Bay State

Waltham, MA. March 17, 2024-

2020 has often been portrayed as one of the worst years in recent memory. However, for many people, including Amherst native Lydia Tesconi, 2020 meant high school graduation and the beginning of college. Yet, as with most things, COVID had a major impact on Tesconi’s ability to form interpersonal relationships with her fellow Bentley University students. For that reason, come Sophomore year, she decided to take part in what is now called the Peer Leadership program. Through this program, she got the chance to teach first year students, alongside a professor, about all the ins and outs of campus life. Now a senior having taught 7 courses, Tesconi considers her time in the program as one of the most impactful experiences she’s had since coming to college as it assisted in developing her professional skills and gave her a community on campus. She explained that she was able to excel in the program because of the skills she learned while back home in Amherst.

Tesconi specifically pointed to her time at Souhegan high school as the place where she was able to develop her expertise. She said the schools structure gave her the opportunity to connect to her teachers and peers on a deeper level, explaining, “[I] became more comfortable every year communicating as the closeness of my classes forced me out of my comfort zone.” She specifically credits her time with her junior year social studies teacher, Chris Brooks, as having the most influence on the development of her skills. She worked with him on multiple occasions to develop presentations regarding religious diversity, which she would give alongside a group of students at Amherst Public Library. These high school experiences gave Tesconi the opportunity to develop her communication and research skills, both crucial to her time as a peer leader.

Tesconi is currently working on completing her master’s in business administration and is planning on graduating next fall. Her future plans involve working for Dell Technologies in their Finance Rotational Program. This would see Tesconi being placed in a number of different positions under the CFO, rotating through roles every six months. Tesconi explained that without the skills she learned as a peer leader and therefore also her experiences back home at Souhegan, she never would have received this opportunity. She is extremely excited to continue learning about business analytics and is hoping this role will naturally transition to a full-time position.

Lydia Tesconi is the daughter of Lizabeth Gregory