CAMD student Olivia Giorlandino in currently on co-op at John Hancock, where she recently had the opportunity to work at the Boston Marathon and meet Governor Baker. She is a Communication Studies major with minors in Graphic Design and Business Administration. Learn more about her co-op experience, below.

Tell us why you worked at the Boston Marathon this year!

I am on co-op at John Hancock in the Corporate Responsibility and Government Relations departments. In my position, I helped orchestrate the John Hancock and St. Francis House marathon sneaker drive, which is projected to have raised over 1,000 sneakers for homeless men and women in Boston. My team is also responsible for the nonprofit marathon program, which provides about 1,000 marathon bibs to runners who then raise money for non-profits of their choice.

Did you enjoy your experience?

I loved the experience. From working with my John Hancock team to watching all the race finishers to celebrating Desi Linden’s win afterwards; it was honestly such an inspiring day, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even the rain made it incredibly memorable.

What do you do at the co-op are you on and how has your experience been so far?

On the Corporate Responsibility side of my co-op, I support all John Hancock community engagement and philanthropic efforts, particularly volunteerism. On the Government Relations side, I assist in educating local, state, and federal officials about the impact potential legislation could have on John Hancock’s primary industries (particularly the insurance industry). The experience so far has been enlightening, exciting, and honestly so much fun.

How did you meet the Governor and what was it like?

I met the Governor at the pre-race brunch hosted by the B.A.A. My Government Relations team works closely with state officials often, so I asked a member of my team for an introduction to the Governor. We explained to him that I was a Northeastern co-op taking over the school’s Snapchat for the day, and he happily posed for a picture. He is much taller than I thought he would be, and he is also funnier; he made fun of me when I generalized where in Massachusetts I was originally from!