Alumni Spotlight: Helen (Kasperick) Finneran '81
As we celebrate and acknowledge Women’s History Month, I am both honored and humbled to share my personal and professional story with our USD community.
I grew up in the Inland Empire as the oldest of a large Catholic family, 5 girls and 2 boys, with parents who were educators and set an extremely high bar for all of us. I did well in school and had many extra curriculars, but a pivotal organization that helped shape me into a strong and capable woman was Girl Scouts. I participated all the way through high school, learning a strong sense of purpose, the desire to help others and that girls can do anything!
When looking at colleges, I had many choices, but immediately knew the University of San Diego was the right place for me when I came for a campus visit. The warm spirit, friendly community and outstanding academic standards were key to my decision, and I strongly believe these attributes remain today. We all know about Mother Rosalie Hill, RCSJ, who founded the College for Women. She was a leader in developing higher education for women, and one of the founders of USD. Her beautiful design as well as her determination to bring beauty, goodness and truth to the world, established an environment present when I attended USD and lives on today.
While attending USD, I never felt gender as a differentiator, rather, the fact that I came from a family with limited means and needed financial aid, scholarships and work study to pay for my education was far more significant. That said, it would have been more difficult to earn my degree were it not for the many at USD who helped me on my journey. One of the most influential women who supported me while at USD was Helen Lorch, RCSJ. I was a Resident Assistant (RA), which helped immensely as I received room and board, and Sister Lorch had responsibility for the Camino and Founders dorms. Her brilliant mind, caring spirit, insight and humor, as well as her background (she had been married, had children and a career, before she became a nun and USD professor) made her one of my first professional role models.
Upon graduation with my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, I moved to northern CA and embarked on my job search. My USD degree and RA leadership experience opened doors for me, as I really had not settled on a specific industry or area of expertise. I’m so glad I was curious, took risk, cast a wide net and open to many different possibilities for employment, all capabilities reinforced at USD. I was invited to interview at Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) in Sunnyvale, CA. I didn’t know anything about the industry, the company, the products or position but I did my homework and was offered an entry-level position in Finance and Administration.
I was sure I would only stay there for a short time as it seemed I worked mostly with engineers who were mostly men with little respect for women, who were assumed to be hourly rather than professionals. However, the environment became more inclusive, and more women professionals were entering our workplace. I earned my MBA as well as respect based on my work ethic, my willingness to take on challenging assignments, my passion for our mission and my ability to embrace and lead change. I moved into Human Resources where I found I could best leverage my business acumen, analytical skills and people focus. And I found women role models and mentors in both my personal and professional life as I had become a working mom.
What started as confusing and unknown, quickly became positive and energizing. Every time I started to look for a new job externally, I would find a new opportunity, get a promotion or receive additional recognition within Lockheed Martin. As I became a trusted subject matter expert and developed my own servant leadership style, I was now the mentor, the hiring manager, the seasoned professional with a seat at the table and increasing responsibility.
During my 44 year journey since graduation, I have always stayed connected with USD, both with the regional Torero Club in northern CA and coming back to visit beautiful San Diego and the USD campus. I have 5 siblings, my spouse and oldest son who are also USD alumni, we truly are a Torero family. Because I was able to attend USD due to the generosity of others, I’ve always wanted to give back financially. I started with only a few dollars as soon as I graduated. It didn’t seem like much, but was what I could afford. Over the years, as my salary increased, I was able to do more and more. I strongly believe in paying it forward and am so happy I can now do that for other USD students. I’m finishing my term as a proud member of the Alumni Board of Directors, where the past two years I’ve had the honor of being the president. In this role, I’ve been able to support the university in a variety of ways and help to shape the future for students and our more than 80,000 alumni.
I’ve been married to my husband for nearly 45 years, and his partnership and love have provided critical support throughout my professional career. We also raised 3 terrific children, who as adults have enabled our family continued growth adding a daughter-in-law, son-in-law and 3 beautiful grandchildren. In my retirement, I’m thrilled to spend my time and energy supporting my extended family as well as contributing to a variety of philanthropic projects.
I would never have imagined upon graduation from USD I would spend nearly 40 years in a profession and industry I knew nothing about, but I’m thankful and blessed to have had a wonderful and fulfilling career. My advice to students and fellow alumni is to be open to all opportunities, have confidence and passion for whatever you do and remain true to your values. Know that each of us can “be the change you want to see in the world” (Mahatma Gandhi).
- USD Alumni Association