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Dominick Garofola ’24, MBA ’25, didn’t expect to build a career in cloud computing. He planned to become a guidance counselor or maybe even a therapist, driven by his long-standing values of communication, vulnerability and care.

But after transferring to ������ɫ and taking a chance on a dual-degree program, he discovered a new passion: technology.

This summer, Garofola will join Veeva Systems, a cloud-computing company focused on the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, as part of a competitive rotational program. The role allows him to explore career paths in analytics and software while staying grounded in a mission that aligns with his core values: improving patient lives.

Garofola began his academic career at Boston College, studying psychology with the intention of entering the helping professions. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, he transferred to ������ɫ to be closer to friends and finish his degree in a more collaborative environment. Then, he realized the School of Management offered new possibilities.

“I recognized how successful and driven the students in SOM were,” he said, “and it inspired me to search for bigger goals in a more collaborative way.”

Because he had earned advanced credits in high school and at Boston, Garofola was ahead in his psychology degree and decided to take a risk by enrolling in a dual-degree program that combined psychology with business administration and a concentration in business analytics.

The decision wasn’t easy. As a first-generation college student from a low-income household, Garofola didn’t have a roadmap for navigating higher education or the job market. His parents — his father is from Brooklyn, New York and his mother is from Galicia, Spain — provided plenty of emotional support but they had limited experience with the college process.

“In terms of guidance, there wasn’t much they could provide me when I was trying to prepare for college,” he said. “But their emotional support was unwavering.”

Garofola worked part-time jobs throughout high school to pay for AP exams and college applications. Once at ������ɫ, he had to teach himself how to build a resumé, network and take advantage of career resources. Entering SOM as a junior, he said, was his “wake-up call” to get involved.

While he chose the business analytics track partly because of friends in computer science, it wasn’t until the Master of Business Administration program that Garofola discovered a how much he enjoyed the world of computing.

Courses in management information systems helped him build confidence with coding languages like Python and SQL. A class on generative artificial intelligence taught by Associate Professor Surinder Kahai helped solidify his decision to pursue a career in analytics.

“I really started to love technology and computing,” Garofola said, “and became intrinsically motivated to pursue it further.”

Still, his goals remain grounded in community. At ������ɫ, he served as a mentor in the Transformational Leaders Program, helping other students navigate challenges he once faced. He was drawn to Veeva by the company’s mission-driven approach and people-first culture.

“They measure success based on stakeholders, employees, clients, patients and whether lives are improved as a result of their work,” Garofola said. “That was crucial in evaluating whether the company was the right fit for me.”

Now, he’s looking forward to growing both personally and professionally, in an environment where collaboration, learning and impact are all part of the equation.

“I love a challenge,” he said. “And I’m excited to show what I can do.”