Sean Flaherty leaves UMass Lowell on top, as one of only two Manning School of Business students to graduate with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. He鈥檚 headed for his 鈥渄ream job鈥� in corporate finance with Xylem Inc., a water sustainability company based in Rye Brook, N.Y.
But it鈥檚 the low points that Flaherty had to endure over the past six years that make his success all the more impressive.
鈥淚t鈥檚 indescribable,鈥� the Lowell native says of earning his bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration with a concentration in finance. 鈥淚t鈥檚 taken a lot of hard work over the last six years. It鈥檚 amazing to finally be done.鈥�
Flaherty鈥檚 college career got off to a rocky start at UMass Amherst, where he gave short shrift to his studies and was 鈥渁lmost kicked out of school鈥� with a 1.86 GPA.
Then things got even worse.
In the fall of his sophomore year, Flaherty suffered kidney failure. He woke up in the hospital after a week in a coma. He remained hospitalized for a month, undergoing two weeks of dialysis, before returning home to Lowell.
The experience was a wakeup call for Flaherty.
鈥淲hen I woke up in the hospital I said, 鈥榊ou know what? This isn鈥檛 the life I want to live. I want to do something with my life,鈥欌�� he says. 鈥淭hat was really the turning point. When you literally almost die, you realize some things are more important than others. I knew that if I wanted to have a great life, I have to put work into it.鈥�
Flaherty withdrew from school to focus on his rehab at home. He started working two part-time jobs before deciding to enroll at Middlesex Community College in 2015 to get his associate degree in business administration and management.
Back on track physically and academically, Flaherty鈥檚 next stop was UMass Lowell in 2017. He seized every opportunity, landing a six-month financial analyst co-op position at MFS Investment Management in Boston, traveling to India with the Global Entrepreneurship Exchange program and even joining the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club team.
Of all the faculty who helped him along the way, he credits Asst. Teaching Prof. Deborah Casey in particular.
鈥淪he teaches you what you need to learn, she shows you how it鈥檚 connected to real life, and she also cares about you as a student and as a person,鈥� Flaherty says. 鈥淚f you have Deb Casey, you鈥檙e not going to skip a class, because you don鈥檛 want to disappoint her.鈥�
Now it鈥檚 on to Xylem Inc., where Flaherty was accepted to the company鈥檚 new finance leadership development program. Of 180 applicants, he was one of four to be accepted.
鈥淚 wanted to work in environmental or green energy, and I wanted to do the development program to really learn what section of corporate finance I match with,鈥� says Flaherty, who hopes to transition into a full-time role with the company after the two-year development program is complete. 鈥淚鈥檓 super-excited.鈥�
Standing in front of the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell before Commencement with his Chancellor鈥檚 Medal for Distinguished Academic Achievement stole draped around his neck, Flaherty felt fully prepared to begin his career.
鈥淥ne of the big things that university teaches you, more than the specific theories you learn, is how to learn, how to manage your time and how to keep growing,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think I鈥檝e definitely learned that here at UMass Lowell.鈥�