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• 1 2022-05-05T20:21:56-04:00 Story of Self - Alexander Mazzella 21 Story of Alexander Mazzella image_header 2022-05-06T14:01:40-04:00

  Hello! My name is Alexander, and I am a Junior studying Economics. I am currently living in Leverett House, and I am originally from Long Island, New York. With this page, I hope to provide a detailed account of my time at Harvard Student Agencies (HSA). 

  I came into college convinced that I would become a doctor. In fact, I applied to Harvard as a Biomedical Engineering concentrator. I was convinced that this career would be the best way for me to have an impact and touch the lives of others. 

  However, this all changed after I set foot on campus. As an eager First-Year, I attended many open house events for clubs and organizations on campus. Admittedly, I did so mainly for the free food. However, HSA’s open house resonated with me. The idea that a business would entrust an inexperienced and unqualified student, like myself, with the responsibility of running an agency was exhilarating. I submitted my application immediately after exiting the building’s big red door, chatted my way through two interviews, and (against all odds) received an offer to run the print media advertising branch of the company. Within a week, I was in the office working as a manager. There was never a shortage of things to do and time to spend in my office. And I did not necessarily do many of those things well. It was, rather, trial by fire: I learned how to communicate because of many failed sales calls, to present well after struggling through many shaky meetings, and to strategize after generating many silly ideas. I realized quickly that management could be as rewarding and if not even more rewarding as a career in medicine. I saw the scale of students that I impacted through the poster business alone, and I imagined what reach I could have managing a product that has a beneficial effect on people all across the globe. I soon switched my concentration to Economics and decided to go all in on HSA. 

  Though the onset of the pandemic may have paused most of our operations, my passions for working HSA and learning how to be an effective manager only grew. I was assigned oversight over the HSA Harvard Bartending Course and launched the remote cocktail course offering. I poured drinks, crafted menus, launched a sales campaign, and made the business profitable during the pandemic. During the following summer, I led HSA Cleaners & Dorm Essentials through its relaunch after over a year and half of dormancy. Though selling and delivering MicroFridges, water coolers, and laundry bags may seem like no big deal, I promise it was quite the challenge. I spent the hot days in Harvard halls lugging appliances around, coordinating moving operations with our vendors, and conversing with parents across the world interested in purchasing their children a laundry plan. 

  
  Today, I now serve as the Chief Operations Officer for the fiscal year ending in 2023. I continue to work with other students who push me to be a better manager and on projects that force me out of my comfort zone. I am incredibly thankful to HSA for providing me with this transformative, real-world experience during my time here as a student at Harvard. I hope this project has a profound effect on the wellbeing of the organization, for I want to give back as much as I can to this company that has done so much for me.