Student’s career choice is right on the money
Teen would change little about her preparation for college
BY TARA PETERSEN
Staff Writer

JEFFGRANIT staff Breanna Datello works her shoulders during one of this workout enthusiast’s exercise sessions. When she isn’t studying for school, or working out, she loves playing with her 2-year-old brother at home. She has her heart set on Monmouth University.

It’s fair to say Breanna Datello, of Millstone, has her heart set on Monmouth University.

It’s the only school the Allentown High School (AHS) senior has applied to at this point.

“I applied for early decision. I’ll be notified Jan. 1,” Breanna said. “I have others I can apply to, but I’m not going to do anything until I find out.”

Breanna, who has a 3.0 GPA and scored a 1080 on the SAT, plans to major in business finance and minor in accounting.

She would be the first in her immediate family to attend college.

About three years ago, she began developing a strong business interest, partly because of her father’s business.

Her father, Leonard, owns his own car dealership on Long Island, N.Y.

“The whole aspect of running a business interests me, though I don’t have any plans to own my own business,” she said.

Breanna says she knows almost precisely what she wants to do, unlike most of her friends at school.

“I want to be a financial analyst or a stockbroker in New York City,” she said.

Her keen interest landed her in a pilot program through her school called Entrepreneurial Business Academy (EBA) with just nine other AHS students.

Breanna said she started the program in her junior year.

She said high school Principal Christopher Nagy spoke with Commerce Bank, and ultimately established a partnership with the bank and Commerce University in Cherry Hill.

To graduate from the program, Breanna must attend four seminars that deal with leadership, management, reading the Wall Street Journal, and passing an online business course. An internship is also available.

She just completed her online midterms with Drexel University, she said. She will begin an internship with Commerce Bank in January, though she could have worked at a variety of businesses as part of the program.

Breanna said she felt a lot of pressure to do well in school, especially in her senior year.

“It didn’t really hit me until this year,” she said.

Until the self-proclaimed workout fanatic hears the news in January, she chooses to use some of her spare time to hit the gym, which she does several times per week.

She also spends a great deal of time playing with her toddler-aged brother.

The pressure is off for now, unless she does not get into Monmouth University.

“I’d be pretty mad,” Breanna admits.

She said she would have done things much the same way if she had it to do over again, except she would have been more involved in extracurricular activities.

“I played softball and was vice president of my class in freshman year. I tried a little bit of everything,” she said. “What I liked, I stuck with; whatever I didn’t, I dropped. I would have played softball a few more years and been more active in other organizations.”

Breanna did get involved in Life Savers and Natural Helpers, both of which she said were committed to keeping teens free of alcohol and drugs.

Breanna believes she has a better than average chance of getting into Monmouth University.

“I am lucky; I was focused,” she said. “A lot of people are really lost and don’t know what they want to do, or where they want to go.”

In addition, Breanna has been on campus at the university many times, while visiting her boyfriend of three years, who has similar career aspirations.

Breanna’s mother, Michelle, who has two other children, Lenny, 12, and Vincent, 2, is somewhat concerned about being able to afford college.

GPA: 3.0; SAT: 1080

Clubs/sports/honors:

in Entrepreneurial Business Academy, Life Savers & Natural Helpers, softball- 9 th grade, vice president of freshman class

softball, 9 th grade

Job:

internship with Commerce Bank

Other:

workout fanatic

College applying to:

Monmouth University, Pa.

However, the family decided to stay away from loans for now because “we don’t want her to have the brunt of that — owing thousands of dollars when she gets out of school. It’s not a good start.”

“It’s a big nut,” Michelle said. “Hopefully we can afford the four years.”

Breanna said part of the reason she applied to a school near home is because of her close-knit family.

“I want to watch the baby grow up and stay close to home,” she said. “My mom is my best friend. I’m really close with my parents.”

Michelle is confident that her daughter will succeed.

“When she sets her mind to something, she generally accomplishes it,” she said.