In a LinkedIn post announcing her new job, Mattingly O'Rourke '26 wrote, "Be the version of yourself your younger self would be proud of." There's no doubt that four-year-old Mattingly would be beaming.
When O'Rourke walked up the stairs and into the dressing room, she described the feeling as "electric." She was back at Proctors Theatre, this time as an adult at the very start of her career, but she found herself transported back in time.
"Going back and seeing those rooms brought back a flood of memories. It was such an exciting and nerve-racking time."
Like the time she was four, on stage at Proctor's for the first time, dancing in "Popeye the Sailor Man." In fact, when O'Rourke interviewed for the position as programming and marketing coordinator for Proctors Collaborative, she said, "If you hire me for this position, you'll be bringing me back to a version of myself I've wanted to connect with." A Siena education spiked with passion is a powerful thing. O'Rourke was hired a month ago, and started working part-time before she graduated. She'll begin the position full-time on June 1.
"Since I was four years old, Proctors has been a place of inspiration, creativity, and community for me. It’s where I first experienced the magic of live performance, and now it’s incredibly meaningful to return in a new way, contributing to an organization I’ve quite literally grown up with."
Clearly the business major with a double concentration in marketing and human resources was perfect for this role. But O'Rourke, who also co-founded Women in Business at Siena and ran Division I track, recognized early in her Siena career that a resume - no matter how impressive - only matters if the right person is reading it. O'Rourke proactively contacted the right person at Proctors.
"I connected with their director of marketing on LinkedIn. I told her I love Proctors and wanted to get to know her. We ended up on a call for 30 minutes. It turns out her husband is a Siena alumnus. She loved everything we talked about, and even though I didn't get the first job available at Proctors, that connection led to this opportunity."
In her new position, O'Rourke will support both in-house productions and rental clients through event setup, asset coordination, and promotional execution across multiple venues. But before she dives in full-time, a much deserved post-Commencement vacation. On Monday, she left for a 10-day trip to Greece with friends. That's not a bad way to wrap up your college experience: a dream vacation and then a dream job to come home to.
O'Rourke credits the team in The MacDonnell Career and Internship Center for helping her network and prep for interviews. In fact, every graduating Saint beginning their career has a person or resource on campus they credit for their success. Take a look for yourself in:
