If recent grad Brittany Sequeira learned anything at her four years at Western, it would be how to make sure the right people are in the right place at the right time — advice she’s heeded well in her own life.

Sequeira, who graduated in May 2012 with a business degree in human resources, was already working in her career position months before graduation because she was in the right place at the right time.

After working as an intern at Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield, Sequeira was hired as a talent management administrator, a job created especially for her talents and abilities. She manages to squeeze in a full course load between a 20- to 35-hour work week. The support role requires her to get involved with performance and development planning and keep track of high-performing employees from the vice presidents of marketing to administrative assistants.

After graduating from New Milford High School in 2008, Sequeira headed to Western to study education with the goal of becoming a school teacher. The university was affordable, close to home and “it was comfortable for me.”

But her plans quickly changed after just a year on campus. After completing a corporate internship that she acquired through the university, Sequeira changed her major to business. The Ancell School of Business more than prepared her for the challenges of the corporate environment.

“The best experience I could have had was in Professor Buccini’s class, management negotiation and talent acquisitions. Not only did I learn about human resource law and practices, but also about how to apply those. It was a unique experience that allowed me to develop an understanding in a business context,” she said.

“How human resources falls into the bigger picture helps me understand how everything plays together, which helps me do my job better.”

Sequeira said the university’s best assets are the numerous resources available to students. Not only did she have the knowledgeable support of the faculty, she said she wouldn’t have gotten her dream job without the assistance from the university’s Career Development Center.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the career center here,” she said. It was through the CDC that Sequeira learned how to market herself, how to network and the importance of both. “I took advantage of every bit of advice.”

Now that’s talent.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.