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Gino Giacolona '25 didn’t see college in his future when he graduated from high school.

And he would tell you he wasn’t a good student. But after taking a gap year and working in construction, he realized hard labor wasn’t for him.
It was the computer science program at Alvernia that captured his attention and started Giacolona’s turnaround. With hard work and dedication, that “poor student” title became a thing of the past.

“I just didn’t know how to learn, and people used to always tell me that school is a measure of intelligence, but it’s not," said Giacolona, who minored in mathematics and data science. "It’s a measure of hard work. I actually worked with someone who was a really good student at Alvernia and started to mimic his work ethic. Whenever he was studying, I was studying. Whenever he was doing homework, I was doing homework. I used the resources available to me too, like the Academic Success Center. And I finished cum laude, which is something I never would’ve seen for myself before.”

Giacolona’s college degree is personally – and professionally – very important to him.

“College teaches you time management and professionalism,” he explains. “It teaches you how to hold yourself accountable. Being successful in school takes a lot of time and consistency and that translates directly to what it takes to be successful in the real world. You can go to college and do the bare minimum, but then you’re not really getting your money’s worth. You have to set aside time to really push through when you’re struggling. That’s when your work will really pay off and those skills you learn will transfer over into life.”

Doing the bare minimum isn’t really Giacolona’s style. He’s still involved with Alvernia at the university’s O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, but now it’s as an entrepreneur. Along with mentoring other students, he developed a technology business focused on real estate and life insurance innovation. That business is now a full-time job, with Giacolona helping families to find affordable life insurance options.

"I was able to help over 30 families get protected in final expense options," he said. "I used technology to leverage underwriting between insurance carriers to pick the most affordable rates for these families."

He attributes much of his success so far to his decision to say “yes” the many opportunities Alvernia put in front of him, explaining he was able to complete scholarly research with professors, network with others which lead to internships and jobs, travel to Italy with no out-of-pocket cost, and more.

“Alvernia is full of opportunity if you just pay attention and take advantage of it,” Giacolona said. “You can find success really quickly and it will transfer over to life outside of college.”

He also credits his professors, and even his wrestling coach, with always being at the ready to lend a hand.

“They are the best resource you could ask for,” he said. “Take the time to reach out to them. They are there to help with advice, job connections and so much more. They truly care. Even our wresting coach instilled in us that you need to put your best self forward and make a name for yourself and represent Alvernia and yourself in the best possible way.”