Goldey-Beacom College Features Alumna at 2024 Convocation

Goldey-Beacom College (GBC) held its fourth annual Convocation on Friday, August 23, 2024. Beginning at 11:00 a.m., more than 300 students, staff, faculty and trustees gathered in the Event Center to kick off the 2024-2025 academic year.

Alumna Dianna Gatto shared her Goldey-Beacom experience as a student who lived on campus. She encouraged the incoming class of 2028 with sound advice.

“You’ll face plenty of challenges during your time here but working through those difficulties and figuring out how to adapt in the not so ideal situations, is what will really help you in life. I encourage you to have confidence in yourself and your abilities.

As you start your journey here at Goldey, I’ll leave you with some advice: go out and enjoy every moment. Meet new people, make memories, and cherish every second of it. Discover the balance of college life—figuring out how to juggle school, work, sports, your social life and anything else you might want to get involved in. The work ethic and character you develop throughout your time here will be just as important in the workforce as the knowledge you gain. Some of the greatest lessons I learned came from professors who went off-script and shared their personal work and life experiences. I hope you find those moments too, and when you do, soak them in. Looking back, some of my greatest moments lead back to this school and I hope that when you leave here in four years, you can say the same.”

Gatto is currently the senior director of digital marketing at Avenue Z, a media technology company. She oversees the digital marketing team, driving initiatives across social media advertising, search engine optimization, influencer marketing, and email marketing.

Gatto earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing Management 2019 and an MBA in Marketing Management in 2020, both from GBC. 

In its third year, the President’s Service Award is a donor-funded award that recognizes employees for extraordinary service to the College. This year’s recipient, Paula Finnefrock, is currently the longest-serving employee having started at GBC in1983, making this her 42nd year. She has played an integral role in advancing the College’s mission and supporting its growth and development.

“As someone who works closely with Paula every day, I can tell you that she is flat out awesome, remarkable, kind, caring, devoted and always willing to go the extra mile regardless of whether or not something is in her position description,” said Dr. Keith. “She sees what needs to be done and lends a helping hand across the breadth of the college. We have all experienced that, though we may not have always realized that Paula was stepping in to help and to make the result a better one.”

As Dr. Keith threw up her hands, she said, “It’s darn hard to keep a secret like this from the person helping to make the event and award happen”! She apologized for having to mislead Finnefrock, and said, “We had to print a fake certificate so you could frame it while we also printed and framed one for you. But now we celebrate YOU.”

Finnefrock earned an Associate Degree in Office Administration in 1983 and a Bachelor of Science in Office Administration in 1996, both from GBC. She received a framed certificate and a $500 award.

Staff Writer

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