There’s a lot you don’t know about Marymount’s fantastic new college counselors. Here at the Anchor, we talked to Mr. Graham and Mr. Petrone about Marymount, their lives, and the things they love. Enjoy!
What were your first impressions of Marymount?
Mr. Graham: I first visited as a college rep. I was a panelist for sophomore college night, and I also spent two days in every 11th grade human development section. At that point I had visited a lot of schools and one of the initial indicators to me that this was an interesting place was, when I came in and spoke to the current seniors last year during human development, they were very comfortable with just letting it go and being themselves. That was really impressive. Then when I arrived, my first impression was that everyone was remarkably nice. Coming from NYU, which isn’t a warm, cozy, put-your-arms-around-the-place type of experience, here it was just really, really friendly. From Bill at the front gate to the students, it’s awesome.
Mr. Petrone: That’s interesting because the first time I came here I was actually visiting as a college admissions counselor, and I saw [Marymount] as this hive of activity. From the outside it was calm and collected but once you got inside you realized there was just so much going on academically, extracurricularly, through the arts. Now that I am here, I’ve found my first impression to be really justified because I see how much the faculty and the staff and the students are all doing on a daily basis. So [I was] definitely impressed.
What influenced you to become a college counselor?
Mr. G: I’m from a very poor background. I grew up in a small town where only 19% of my graduating class went on to college. When I was lucky enough to end up at Hamilton, [it] absolutely without question changed the course of my life. At Hamilton, I became a tour guide and then became a senior intern. [I did] anything I could to get closer to the admissions office. Immediately my dream was [to] be the Dean of Admission at Hamilton College. So I worked in admissions at Hamilton, and then at NYU. [As I was] going through that process, speaking to students and families, I started to realize there are so many secrets about the admissions process. As an admissions officer, you only can say so many things without getting in trouble. [That was] the impetus for me to switch to this side of the desk and share my knowledge of the admissions process.
Mr. P: I had a number of years on the college side, and [it] felt great to offer opportunities to students at the one school where I worked, but I knew there were so many different types of schools out there, and I wanted to be able to open students up to all of those opportunities. I’ve always been somebody who likes to share information when I have it, and it’s nice to come to the high school side and share how it works on the college side. Additionally, when you’re a college admissions counselor, you get to meet students, but you don’t get to really know them all that well. As a college counselor, I’m able to have deeper and more meaningful relationships with students. I get to celebrate their accomplishments and also help them get through times they’re struggling with.
Out of all the college campuses you’ve visited, which have been the most impressive?
Mr. G: Wellesley College with a thousand exclamation points (!!!!!!). It’s more impressive than Hamilton. Hamilton is like a family member who I would do anything for, but Wellesley blew me away. I hope some of our girls will look past their original negative reaction to a women’s college because Wellesley is wildly impressive.
Mr. P: Mr. Graham said Wellesley didn’t he? It’s his new love. One place that really stands out for me is the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It has this great mix of urban and very classic architecture from when the school was started hundreds of years ago, and it’s kind of this oasis to the city. There are different types of personalities on different sections of campus. Another great campus is Duke. The chapel is beautiful. Although it was built in the 30s, that’s kind of misleading because the impressive architecture is from a much older age.
If you weren’t a college counselor, what would you be doing right now?
Mr. G: I’d be working in admissions.
Mr. P: If I hadn’t gone into counseling, I think I’d probably be a marine biologist. As a student, I always really respected Jacques Cousteau. The ocean was probably my first love, but now I get to work with sailors everyday.
What are your hobbies?
Mr. G: I like to bike, and do anything outdoorsy or active. When I’m not active, I have an almost unhealthy obsession with going to the movies. I love everything from the movie popcorn to the previews. I will go see anything except scary movies. I like to see at least one movie a week. I also read a lot.
Mr. P: I like going to the beach. I enjoy being outside, and I’m definitely a runner. I volunteer down at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, so that keeps me busy a good amount of the time.
What are your favorite books?
Mr. G: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
1776 by David McCullough
The Greater Journey by David McCullough
Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough
Mr. P: Challenges by Dr. Robert Ballard
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
What’s the best part about living in LA?
Mr. G: Are you kidding? I grew up in upstate New York where right now in my hometown it is 28 degrees and snowing, and tomorrow it will be 14 degrees and still snowing. Today in Los Angeles it is 72 degrees and sunny.
Mr. P: The first thing that comes to mind is my wife is here. That’s why I moved to LA. I love my life here, but if it wasn’t for my wife I don’t know if I’d be so far away from my own family and friends back on the East Coast.
What are your favorite movies?
Mr. G: Rudy (1993)
Good Will Hunting (1997)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Mr. P: Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi (1983)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Gran Torino (2008)
When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?
Mr. G: Probably a professional athlete. Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like every little kid wants to be a professional athlete.
Mr. P: I totally wanted to be Jacques Cousteau.
What was your favorite subject in high school?
Mr. G: I had a terrible high school experience. It wasn’t challenging for me, and I didn’t have to work hard to earn As. Maybe math because I liked the precision of it.
Mr. P: In high school I really liked physics. It was probably because of the teacher. He was a little bit of a nutty guy, as I figure many physics teachers are. They have to love science, which makes them interesting in many ways.
What was your favorite college course?
Mr. G: My favorite class of all time was a class with a professor named John Adams. He was a professional speechwriter prior to coming to Hamilton. He worked in the White House. The class was called Speech Writing. We’d be assigned a certain scenario and person, and [we would] have to research the person’s voice, their writing style, the way they talked. It was really challenging but very interesting.
Mr. P: There were two classes I really liked, and I took them both early in my college career. One was marine recourse development. It was kind of a survey course of the physical, geological, biological, and chemical aspects of the ocean. I enjoyed that class. I also took a course on critical thinking using the assassination of JFK as a model. It was very interesting. It taught me there are shades of grey and there are unknowns in history, and sometimes you just have to make the best argument you can for one side versus the other because 50 years later there are still so many questions.
Who are your favorite musicians?
Mr. G: Martin Sexton.
Mr. P: Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.
Have you ever had a near death experience?
Mr. G: No.
Mr. P: There’s nothing where I saw the light or anything like that, but there have been a couple of occasions where a change of fate could have really affected me. One was just a couple of weeks ago. I was on a run in Pasadena, and I took a wrong turn and ended up climbing out of a ravine. I had gone so far that I couldn’t go back the way I had come because it was too dangerous, so I needed to go through an even more dangerous area to get out of the situation. I’m still bruised from that. Another time was when my best friends and I in middle school decided we wanted to go on an archeological dig in their backyard. I was in the bottom of what was probably a 10- or 12-foot deep ditch, and a pickaxe fell into the ditch. If I had been putting my shovel into the dirt at that point, the pickaxe would have hit me on the back of the head and God knows what would have happened.
What’s your favorite breakfast food?
Mr. G: I love pancakes, but on a day-to-day basis I’ll eat a banana on the drive to work.
Mr. P: There’s something to be said about scrambled eggs and corn beef with hash browns on the side. That’s amazing and delicious, although I’m not huge on breakfast. I would much rather eat some leftover, cold lasagna.
Do you prefer dogs or cats?
Mr. G: Without question dogs.
Mr. P: I’m allergic to both, but I like dogs better. You can take dogs on a run. You can’t really take a cat on a run. Also, my wife has two dogs, so I have two dogs that are kind of mine.