Being Yourself is Your Best Asset: Kevin Hughes ‘07
As the youngest of three children, Kevin Hughes ‘07 felt like he lived in the shadows of his older, athletic siblings. However, once he arrived at Arcadia University, that trope was soon extinguished. Kevin created a strong network of classmates, peers, and instructors that allowed him to become fully immersed into his college experience. “Arcadia wasn’t just a cool campus with a Castle, Arcadia taught me how to be Kevin.” He recounts the lingering joy of having had a small school experience. Today, he still heavily relies on those University connections as he leads his own professional team and continues to mentor throughout the Arcadia community.
Being a Manager of Aviation Security & Regulatory Compliance for Amazon-Air comes with a need for a strong sense of responsibility, a compassion for others, and solution-based critical thinking skills. Kevin attributes the strength of his soft skills — skills that have propelled him on his professional path — to his mentors at Arcadia. He recognizes that taking a chance on himself was the biggest lesson he had learned. ”When I am mentoring and talking to young adults, I emphasize the importance of connection. It’s easy to say connection matters, but the difference is humanizing the mistakes that make us similar. I don’t hide where I’ve fallen on my face; those experiences are humbling and other people need to learn to grow through their own mistakes.” Kevin believes that being authentically yourself is the key to success: “Do you feel you can be connected to the brand you’re associated with? You are your brand.”
Kevin admits that he never really took chances before attending Arcadia, but during his undergraduate experience, he found his voice and his tribe. Having the ability to travel abroad, collaborate with students at other institutions, help dictate his individualized course of study, and lead across campus helped him dive deeper into the University community. Kevin was the President of his class for three out of his four years, an orientation leader and a RA, a senior tour guide, head delegate and team lead for Arcadia’s World Model United Nations through Harvard, and the Commencement speaker during his 2007 graduation. He says that the culture that Arcadia cultivated within him is still present today. “I am so grateful for the people Arcadia has brought into my life both as an undergrad and postgrad. I love coming back to campus and seeing people I went to school with…my classmates don’t realize how big of an impact they’ve had on me.”
Almost two decades after graduation, he does continue to return to Glenside to be in support and service to his Alma Mater. He has spoken to Honors Program classes about the importance of one’s role on a team, expressing empathy, and continuing to be true to oneself. He participated in the National Mentor Day alumni panel and just hosted a Lifelong Learning Series virtual event with classmate Lauren Trager ‘07, ‘11M. Their topic was “how your social media presence aligns with your professional persona”. He looks forward to remaining an active mentor to current and future students.
Kevin offers the following advice to those looking for a new job or career: “Focus on the human aspect. Your resume got you in the room, your brand got you across the table…now articulate how you fit into the company and what value you bring to the role. Be a person first…you can’t teach someone the soft-skills it takes to succeed.” He continues, “Mentorship is not hierarchical. Even your peer can be a mentor. Allow them to help you see your full potential.”
