Business Alumnus Nico Adornetto ’22 Seeks Growth Through Challenge

Nicolas “Nico” Adornetto ’22 was never one to shy away from a challenge at Colby-Sawyer. As a Wesson Honors scholar with a business administration major and minors in contemporary marketing and entrepreneurship, Nico was also captain of the men’s soccer team and a tutor/peer mentor for the business program. Despite his hectic schedule, Nico graduated magna cum laude and was granted the baccalaureate award in his major.

Given that history, it is no surprise that the Somersworth, New Hampshire, native continues to seek opportunities that challenge him. Since October 2022, Nico has worked as a partner development specialist for Microsoft Surface at Connections, a global IT solutions provider based in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

“[My position] continues to bring new, healthy challenges in developing my personal skillset,” Nico said. “My focus is mainly on creating digital marketing assets or developing sales-enablement projects to drive revenue across the company for our brand … On a day-to-day basis there is always something new to focus on, which has become my favorite characteristic of the role … Creating and developing new ideas has become extremely rewarding.”

Nico said that his experience at Colby-Sawyer, both in the classroom and during his internship, helped him build a solid foundation for the work he does today. He recalled the Organizational Behavior case studies and Capstone shareholder presentations he completed as a student and credited them with preparing him well for his career.

“Throughout my time at Colby-Sawyer, it was always clear that our education was centered around preparing us for real-world challenges,” he said. “Especially in the dynamic work environment that I've found myself in, there is no doubt that this focus was instrumental to my current success.”

Nico’s internship with the Straight Forward Financial Group in Rochester, New Hampshire, in the summer of 2021 was also instrumental in building his skills and confidence. As a sales and marketing assistant, he assisted in media content development and created marketing and advertising campaigns to bring in new clients and increase brand awareness.

“This [the internship] is where my passion for digital marketing truly began,” he said. “There is no doubt that my responsibilities during that time are reflected in my role today, having heavily contributed to an overall confidence in my abilities.”

While he enjoys the work he’s doing now, Nico continues to seek opportunities to challenge himself and forge a path for the future. He recently enrolled in a Master of Business Administration program with the goal of using it as a catalyst for career growth. He said he hopes to advance within his company in the field of marketing with a leadership position that would help him drive positive results for the organization.

“Since graduating from Colby-Sawyer, life has given me so many amazing opportunities to pursue, not just in the academic space but also in a career,” Nico said. “Having focused on marketing during my time in undergrad, being able to work within that field feels extremely rewarding. Recently starting a Master of Business Administration has also reignited my passion for academics, especially in working towards career development. Education continues to be a large part of my life, made possible in my time at Colby-Sawyer learning at a focused, strong pace.”

The most recent outcomes report from the Harrington Center for Experiential Learning indicates that, like Nico, 100% of the Class of 2022 is employed or in graduate school. Read more about Colby-Sawyer graduate outcomes.