September 18, 2013
Alicia Botero '82CBA knows that the decisions we make today can impact us for the rest of our lives.
Her choice to enroll at St. John's University was based on both necessity and preference. Her family was without the financial means to send her away to college, and she considered St. John's to be the best local university for Business majors.
She acknowledges that it was one of the best decisions of her life.
"After I graduated I went right into the insurance industry," she says. "From St. John's I was offered an interview with a very large insurance broker. I was hired almost on the spot, and I've been in the insurance industry for more than 30 years."
Although she has lived and worked in Florida for the past 17 years, neither distance nor the passage of time has diminished her connection to St. John's. She is active in alumni events in South Florida, and assists the University's Office of Admissions by speaking to parents and potential students in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area at college receptions and open houses.
"Being that I'm in South Florida and St. John's is so far away, a lot of the potential students and their parents who come to college fairs here really don't know that much about it," she notes. "I can talk to them about my experiences and the really positive way that the University has helped me, because I had a wonderful career because of St. John's. I think that's very helpful for them to hear."
As an experienced insurance professional, Alicia suggests that one of the best ways to support St. John's is by naming it as a beneficiary on your life insurance policy. She believes that naming the University as a partial or even full beneficiary will provide a strong sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that you'll be making a difference for young people well into the future.
"At a certain stage in your life, when your children are fine on their own, when you try to figure out who else you have to give to, I would always suggest giving to the University," she says. "So many students would love to go to St. John's, but their families don't have the means to do it. And that's why the University gives out so much financial aid, but there's always a need for more."
Get Started
Contact Susan Damiani at 718-990-7562 or damianis@stjohns.edu today to learn more about this simple way to help St. John's University students.