Samantha Lordi ’07
For New Jersey native Samantha Lordi ’07, the choice to attend Syracuse University was easy. “I picked Syracuse because of the Newhouse School’s renowned broadcast journalism program and legacy of top-tier sportscasters,” she says. “I applied early decision and was fortunate to be accepted!”
Syracuse proved to be the perfect place, where Lordi met some of her closest friends. The avid sports fan also loved the strength of SU Athletics, especially the perennially ranked men’s basketball program. “One of my favorite memories was a 2007 NIT game of all things. SU failed to make the NCAA tournament despite having a record that should have earned the team a spot. The thing was, the fans knew the team deserved better, and they showed up at the Carrier Dome in a way I’d never experienced in my four years there,” she says. “The crowd was louder and more energetic than I’d ever seen, including against rivals like UConn, Pitt, and Georgetown. It was an awesome feeling to be supporting the team when it seemed like they were really down and out.”
Today Lordi resides in Boston and works as a brand journalist at JLL, a global commercial real estate company. But in contrast to her quick and direct path to Syracuse, she describes her journey to Boston as long and winding. “After graduating, I took a television sports job in Bridgeport, West Virginia, and followed that up by another television job in Buffalo, New York. From there I went back home to New Jersey and then finally moved to Boston in the summer of 2012.”
The early years out of college gave Lordi a variety of professional experiences but didn’t afford her the chance to make strong connections in any one place. “Having moved around so much, and working in a profession with very odd hours, I never really had an opportunity to get involved in a local SU alumni chapter despite wanting to do so,” she says. “When I moved to Boston, it was the perfect opportunity. I attended my first meeting just a few months after coming here and have been increasingly involved ever since.”
In July, Lordi took on a new role within Syracuse’s Alumni Club of Boston—serving as co-president with Natasha Olejar ’14—and she’s thrilled about the opportunity to meet new people and represent her alma mater. “Given that Boston is not my home city, it’s great to continually build my network both personally and professionally, and I feel our shared experiences and passion for SU gives me an immediate bond with fellow alumni,” she says.
Lordi’s ultimate goal—one she shares with Olejar—is to get more people involved in club events and reach new audiences. “We run so many awesome events throughout the year and always get great responses, but oftentimes we see similar people in attendance,” she says. “We have such a huge alumni base in the Boston area, and I know there are many people who aren’t yet aware of the fun things we’re doing. I’d love to see every local alum come out to at least one event!