Full of Spirit: Elizabeth Saraceno

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Elizabeth Saraceno, Class of 2009, Brooklyn NY

What are you up to? I manage sales for a liquor brand in Brooklyn.

How'd you get here? I moved to New York at age 18 for college at Pace University and I spent a year in Westchester, New York, about an hour north from midtown NYC. I quickly decided it wasn't for me. I ended up transferring to the city campus and moved into an apartment. I bartended throughout college to make extra money and ended up really falling in love with spirits and the cocktail scene. I spent my free time studying liquor and flavor profiles and traveled to distilleries and breweries to learn more. I got my first job working for a distributor selling small craft liquor in the lower east part of Manhattan. It was tough, my rent was $1,350 a month and I made $400 a week.. do the math. However, being surrounded by so many successful and progressive people only made me work harder. I was the youngest and one of the few females in the industry.. I had the odds against me but it only pushed me harder. I eventually moved into a different job, working directly for a supplier. I went from managing an area in Manhattan to managing a brand in all 5 boroughs. It was great for a while but soon I left to go back to a different, yet bigger liquor distributor, which is where I am now.

What are your goals? To become a manager for an entire division at a large liquor distributor, to live alone in Brooklyn, and to have a washer/dryer/dishwasher in my apartment.

What has been your biggest challenge? Moving to NYC at age 19, completely by yourself, is a struggle in itself. I see a lot of people I went to high school with that live in New York City stick together and that’s great, but I pride myself in moving somewhere and making new friends, a NYC family, my life. I feel like when you’re a kid and you’re growing up you adapt to the life your parents chose and you know nothing else; but to move to a place when you’re so young unafraid, I think that’s a challenge in itself. I love the life that I created, but the biggest challenge was doing everything alone; finding an apartment, moving in with strangers, starting new jobs, walking into new bars and restaurants to form relationships for work, and even something as simple as making friends. I’m grateful, a lot of people give up on NYC after the first couple years but I’m going on my 9th year here.

What has been your happiest moment? My happiest moments are always when I walk out of a bar (an account for work) and feel that I nailed the meeting. The account may have placed a large order and given me a cocktail placement on their menu, and I swear there’s no better feeling than feeling like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Advice for WHS Students? You don’t have to do what you go to college for. Your major is just a guide to get your degree and if you’re passionate about something off the beaten path, there’s a job for it. Also, move out of Watertown. Get out of your comfort zone. Be friends with people who are different than you. Have conversations with people of different races, cultures, religions, upbringings. People have some crazy stories and you learn so much when you just listen. Also, nobody cares about who you were in high school. The real world doesn’t care. You don’t put prom queen on your resume.

If you could tell your high school self one thing, what would it be? I would tell myself to spend more time caring about people that matter. I spent a lot of time caring about all of the wrong things. I also stressed myself out over minuscule things.. things that I can’t even remember now because they’re so irrelevant. I would also tell myself that I’m really proud of you, for having the courage to move to NYC, because I truly love my life.

 

Sponsor Highlight - Labonne's Market

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We are super excited to announce our newest sponsor LaBonne's Markets. LaBonne's Markets is a vital part of the Watertown community, from hiring WHS students and graduates to providing important weekly groceries to the neighborhood. 

From horse and buggy, to main street butcher shop, to three stores and over 300 associates, Labonne's has an important history in our town. We couldn't be more excited that they are support us and our efforts.

"We have had over 50 marriages from people who met while working at our store, including me and my wife Shelley who a was a cashier at our original store. I tease my dad, that was his best hire ever!" - Robert LaBonne Jr.

This was an 80's (you can tell by the big hair) Christmas party with a lot of WTN students. This was most of the front end cashiers.

This was an 80's (you can tell by the big hair) Christmas party with a lot of WTN students. This was most of the front end cashiers.

Have you worked at LaBonne's and graduated from Watertown High School? Share your story today, we'd love to hear from you!

Website offers way for alumni to share stories of their lives

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WATERTOWN — Watertown High School alumni Colleen Murphy wants to share the stories of her fellow graduates. To that end, she has created the website Town, found at www.townmag.co.

“I started thinking about it in college,” Mr. Murphy said. “I was doing a lot of cool things, travelling, doing internships; in high school, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible.”

Ms. Murphy, a 2009 WHS graduate, noted that Watertown didn’t have an alumni network for graduates to share their stories and experiences. She wanted to tell the stories of the little guy, not just the “heroes” that other alumni groups seem to focus on. She wanted to tell the stories of teachers and people who fix the roads.

Town collaborators include Miranda Weidemier, Chelsea Kyle, Julian Focareta, Chad Boulier, Mike Garceau and Demosthenes Gakidis.

According to townmag.co, “We are out to connect and strengthen Watertown High School. Through creativity, honesty, and empathy, we are determined to create a more informed WHS class. Our mission is to tell real and raw stories of success and failure to bridge the gap between alumni and current students. This is a new kind of alumni network where we value ‘success’ with an open mind.”....... Read More

Read more from Town Times

UConn Alumni: We Need Your Help

The current proposed state budget will cut $200 million to $300 million dollars from UConn over two years and will affect funding for research programs, Division I athletic teams, financial aid and scholarship funds.

This can directly impact our WHS community. 20% of TOWN Mag's alumni who submitted stories went to University of Connecticut. On top of that, around 50% went to state schools including Central Connecticut State University and Eastern Connecticut State University. As Watertown is a middle class community, these cuts will directly affect students who do not have enough resources to attend UConn; cuts will affect financial aid and scholarship funds.

Our very own WHS townie and UConn MD Candidate, Adam Bartholomeo, spoke out last week against these budget cuts. 

"The level of cuts proposed could make UConn School of Medicine and Dental Medicine and Urban Scholars unaffordable for many students/families, potentially shut down programs like UST, and drive excellent students and our future workforce away from the state, perhaps permanently. Connecticut needs knowledgeable doctors, and an investment in UConn SoM/DM is an investment in CT’s own workforce."

Read more of Adam's statement here.

Want to get involved? Reach out now to your local state legislators. Call, write, or e-mail that you are against the budget cuts to UConn. One of our representatives is also a WHS alumni and may agree that these budget cuts to UConn directly affect our Watertown community.

Joe Polletta, joe.polletta@housegop.ct.gov860.240.8700

Eric Berthel Eric.Berthel@cga.ct.gov860.240.8800


We are curious to see just how many WHS Alumni went to UConn for their education. We're waiting to hear back from the high school from their data, but in the meanwhile, let us know if you attended UConn.

Source: http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-uconn-s...

Life In Watertown Survey

We had a little fun asking Juniors at Watertown High School about life in Watertown. The results were pretty hilarious to read and brought us back to our high school days. Some were really positive responses, but a lot were negative outlooks on Watertown (we asked students to make a hashtag for Watertown and one response was #dontcomeheretohavefun).

Of course, the negative responses make us question how the town and community can step up it's game. We are all for adding a skate park (one request from the survey), which has been something townie teenagers have dreamed of for years. We guess the town budget would have to pass first before we think the town will get a skate park, but hey, a townie can dream. On a serious note, we think that more things for teenage townies to do would really be a benefit the community overall and we're all for supporting these type of community initiatives.

The responses really brought us back to the days when we used to say, “I can’t wait to get out of this town.” Now that we are out.. well.. we love going back.

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After High School - Money Survey

We asked students about money and their understanding of loans, interest, and finances. We won’t lie, these results weren’t exactly straight A’s. We found that many students feel confused or unconfident when it comes to finances. We’re now wondering how the community can help make information about money, finances, and loans more accessible and understandable to all students so that they can make solid financial decisions. Let's get to 100% of students who understand loans, interest, and feel confident in their finances. 

After High School Survey

In January of 2017, Juniors at WHS took a survey from TOWN Mag in their SSP class. Our goal was to get a picture of who students are, what they want to be, and where they are going. The answers we received were positive and inspiring. We can tell from their interests they are a diverse set of students, but many share the same hopes and dreams for a bright future. They are a confident, determined group of students and we are excited that they’ll soon join us in being WHS alumni.

Watertown Ancestry: A Look at Our Diversity

We think diversity can serve a community and allow it to be more prosperous, interesting and empathetic. Also, who wouldn't want ten delicious pizza shops to choose from? At some point in time, our ancestry leads us back to immigration (for most of us in the US). Ancestry is one's family or ethnic descent (the evolutionary or genetic line of descent of an animal or plant). A few weeks ago we asked Juniors at Watertown High School about their ancestry and ethnicities. We were curious to hear about the diverse set of students that walked the halls and the families that have helped shape our community.

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We asked how many generations of family have lived in Watertown. Exactly 50% of students surveyed said they are second or third generation living in town. The chart to the right represents our findings. We also asked students about their ancestry and an overwhelming amount of students come from Italy, Ireland, and Albania. Also, around 33% of students reported having multiple ethnicities. Now we are wondering, are you a WHS alumni and where do you come from?

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Townie Turned VP: Matt Frappier

Matt Frappier

Matt Frappier, Class of 2001, New York, New York

What are you up to? I work as a Vice President in charge of Earned Media at Edelman, a global PR firm based in New York City. To break it down, I work with consumer brands that we interact with every day (think Dove, AXE, Porsche, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HEINEKEN, the list goes on on and on...) and develop strategies to generate coverage in the news.

How'd you get here? It's been a long road getting here! After high school I entered Iona College as a journalism major. I was going to change the world writing stories for the New York Times.. until I took a copy editing class that nearly killed me. My academic advisor suggested I switch my major to Public Relations and the rest was history. Given that my college was so close to NYC I was able to intern throughout my last year in school and kickstart my career. After graduation I looked high and low for jobs LITERALLY pounding the pavement all summer going on interview after interview until something finally came up. Sadly, what I thought would be my dream job wound up with me being laid off. So, I regrouped moved back home and figured everything out.

Little did I know that six weeks later I would get an offer that would literally change my life and actually get me on the right path. Since that fateful day in April 2006 I have done anything you can possibly imagine - plan hotel openings on New Year's Eve in Las Vegas, handle programs on behalf of people like Arianna Huffington and even take celebrities to the secret 103rd floor of the Empire State Building! I am thankful for everything I have done and where my career is headed.

What are your goals? I want to continue to evolve and grow in my career. Even though I have been doing this for over a decade now the industry is changing and to stay relevant I need to continue to grow with it.

Advice for WHS Students? NEVER GIVE UP. After I got laid off I was so disappointed and depressed, but after a couple days I got myself up and started interviewing for jobs. If I had never done that I doubt that I would be anywhere near as successful as I am today.

What do you feel grateful for today? I am grateful for everything I have achieved, it's been a long, crazy ride and I am thankful for everything that has been and that will be.