FALL 2021 | 13 EILEEN KOWALSKI Eileen Kowalski is a member of the College of Business Advisory Council at Kutztown University, an organization that is dedicated to creating opportunities to help prepare students for life after college. She is also the Senior Vice President of Training, Quality Control, Recruiting, and Diversity/Inclusion Manager for the Business Credit line of business of PNC Bank NA. But before she was either of these things, she was a graduate of Kutztown University’s College of Business in 1986. Starting as a Computer Science major, Kowalski wasn’t sure it was the right fit. She switched to Business after she realized that, at the time, Computer Science revolved around coding. She took a business class and soon after switched her major to accounting. Kowalski talked about how beneficial an internship would have been for her. Internships are important for hands-on experience that can be applied to future jobs and can help put class material into context. Therefore, if students choose to pursue an MBA, Kowalski recommends taking night classes, so that you can take your lessons into work the next day. She has worked at PNC for 18 years, beginning as a Field Examiner until she moved to her current role several years ago, and the best experiences she has had are from hands-on, interactive moments in her career. But while Eileen Kowalski puts countless hours into her work, she also balances it with her favorite activities, one of which is gardening. Kowalski has grown to love spending time at home after traveling for work and taking care of the plants on her property is a great way to relax. Gardening also teaches patience. Because certain plants won’t yield results for many years after they’re planted, it requires Kowalski to trust the process and her skills, much like she does at work. As a piece of parting advice to the students of Kutztown University, Kowalski asks that they use the Advisory Council and their events as a way to prepare for the future. She says, “I love talking with students to help make their experience at Kutztown better. We have so many resources to help make students ‘ready for work’, and they’re free for all students, not just those in the College of Business.” ADVISORY COUNCIL
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzcxOTE=