Four Paths, One Community: Leading with Heart

During their first week at Seton Hall, Ashlyn McCormick '28 noticed something on Rachel Beck '28's face while attending Buccino Leadership Institute (BLI, the institute) orientation.

"The first thing I ever said to her was that she had an eyelash on her face," McCormick recalled.

Beck thanked her. The two exchanged phone numbers, then continued with orientation. It was a small interaction, the kind that could have easily been forgotten amid the excitement and uncertainty of starting college. Instead, it became the first chapter of a friendship that would eventually grow to include Isabella "Izzy" Barbarino '28 and Corinne Williams '28.

Today, the four students are known affectionately among their friends as the "Fab Four."

"None of us likely would have crossed paths if it weren't for the Buccino Leadership Institute," McCormick said.

Like many students, they arrived at Seton Hall eager to develop new skills and challenge themselves. Along the way, they found something equally meaningful: friendships that broadened their perspectives, supported them through challenges and made college feel like home.

Different Paths, Shared Purpose

Academically, the four students followed very different career pathways. Barbarino is studying journalism with a minor in theater and hopes to become a broadcast news anchor. Williams is pursuing nursing with an interest in women's health. McCormick is a marketing major in the 3+3 Business and Law Program with plans to pursue corporate law. Beck studies diplomacy and international relations with a minor in Arabic and hopes to work in foreign affairs focused on the Middle East.

Under ordinary circumstances, their schedules and career aspirations may never have overlapped. They came from different majors and pursued different interests, but the institute often brought them together, creating opportunities to learn from one another and build connections they may not have made otherwise.

For Beck, that journey began with a desire to build confidence. "I was always a very introverted person; I had a lot of struggles in high school coming out of my shell and I believed this opportunity would be a perfect fit to boost my confidence," she said. Since joining the institute, Beck has embraced opportunities she once may not have considered, including accelerating her studies and beginning work toward a master's degree while still an undergraduate.

Williams initially questioned how leadership education might connect to a nursing career. Today, she sees the connection everywhere. "BLI has helped me develop into a more confident, passionate, outspoken and professional individual," Williams said.

Though their individual experiences have been different, the four students share a common thread: each found opportunities to grow while being challenged and inspired by peers whose paths looked entirely different from their own.

Becoming the Fab Four

Like many meaningful friendships, the Fab Four came together gradually.

McCormick and Beck met during orientation. Barbarino still remembers walking into her first LEAD class feeling nervous about what was ahead. "I saw another girl who just looked very friendly and probably just as nervous as I was and decided to take a chance and introduce myself to her," Barbarino said. "From that moment on, me and Corinne Williams were 'LEAD Class Buddies.'"

As semesters passed, introductions overlapped and the individual friendships merged into one close-knit group.

"The institute was and is our bonding piece," Beck said. "It was the invisible string that we never knew we needed, that pulled us together to form a friendship that has become more of a family."

Outside the classroom, the friendship continued to deepen through experiences that often define college life; late-night trips to the dining hall, chats in the dorms and attending campus traditions. McCormick and Williams became roommates. Beck and Barbarino served as resident assistants in the same residence hall, where colleagues affectionately referred to them as the "Boland Twins."

More importantly, they became one another's support system. They celebrated accomplishments, navigated challenges and remained constant throughout the ups and downs of college life.

"These young women helped this unknown campus become a second home for me," Beck said.

Learning From Different Perspectives

Ask any member of the group what makes their friendship work and the answer often comes back to the same idea: their differences.

"Honestly, I think the fact that we are all so different and come from different majors is one of the main reasons we work together so well," Williams said. "We each bring a different perspective and personality to every situation. We balance each other out and fill in the gaps."

McCormick says she has learned just as much from her friends outside the classroom as she has inside it. "What I admire most about Rachel is her ability to listen without judgment and help people feel understood," McCormick said.

Beck sees those differences as a major reason their friendship has flourished. "I believe that our different perspectives because of our different career goals are what strengthened our friendship," she said.

When Friendship Became Teamwork

The strength of those relationships became especially apparent during sophomore year when all four students found themselves working together in the same BLI course.

For the Ideas and Trends project, they explored quantum computing, a topic that challenged each member of the group. Like any significant team project, it brought long nights, differing opinions and moments of frustration. It also created opportunities to put leadership lessons into practice.

"We learned how to work together under pressure, rely on one another and keep going when things weren't going the way we wanted," Williams said.

The team's efforts ultimately earned first place in the Ideas and Trends Showdown, but the group's greatest takeaway extended beyond the award itself. Long after the presentation ended, the memories of navigating challenges as a team remained one of their shared highlights.

Finding Their Place

For Barbarino, one piece of advice from the group has remained especially meaningful. "You need to surround yourself with people who brighten your light, not dim it."

While friends often describe Barbarino as a light to those around her, she sees it differently. "A lot of times they will refer to me as a light," she said. "But in reality, my light is so bright because they are my sparks."

Her words capture something many students spend their college years searching for: a place where they feel supported, valued and encouraged to become the person they hope to be.

Four Bright Futures

Looking back, each of the four students arrived at Seton Hall searching for something different, but somewhere between orientation, coffee runs, movie nights and trips downtown, they found one another. Their career paths may eventually lead in different directions, but the friendship they built is one they expect to carry long after graduation.

For Barbarino, the takeaway is simple:

"I came into Seton Hall with no one and I'm leaving with sisters."

Categories: Campus Life