When Catherine Blaney-Petralia was a student at Fordham College at Lincoln Center in the ‘80s, it was a commuter school. Today, with McMahon and McKeon residence halls, it’s a more dynamic, global place. What hasn’t changed, though, is the sense of community and support students find.
That support is one of the reasons behind Blaney-Petralia’s ongoing philanthropy. In fact, giving back isn’t just something she does for Fordham students; she’s dedicated her career to it and had a profound impact on the city she loves.
As the development lead for Bloomberg Philanthropies, she’s responsible for finding sponsors and funding for a variety of projects, from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and the Perelman Performing Arts Center in Lower Manhattan to Everytown for Gun Safety. “Projects are sustainable the more people you have involved,” she said, so she tries to get people engaged with “causes that really affect us all—from climate change to feeling secure in your homes.”
From the Outer Boroughs to the Heart of Manhattan
Another reason she continues to support Fordham? As a student from working-class Jackson Heights, Queens, Blaney-Petralia wouldn’t have been able to attend the University without the scholarship she was awarded.
“Fordham really stepped up to bring in kids from the outer boroughs,” said Blaney-Petralia, who majored in political science at Fordham and went on to earn a law degree from St. John’s University. “Lincoln Center really embraced … good, smart, hardworking kids that couldn’t have otherwise afforded a college education.”
The school also made sure she and her classmates, all commuters at the time, got to know the city—and feel at home exploring it, she said. Professors took them to “all kinds of interesting places” around Manhattan, from museums and Broadway theaters to movies and the opera.
“You got to experience so much, and at the same time, you always had a safe haven at Fordham,” she said, adding that her professors’ expertise made the outings all the more enriching. ”I don’t know that I would’ve really understood whatever the opera was that we went to see. It gave me an appreciation for areas I might not have even ventured to explore.”
Back on Campus
Today, as a member of the Fordham President’s Council, she works with the University and other alumni philanthropists to fund key initiatives and help make sure students get the same financial and moral support she did.
She serves as a mentor, helps students attain internships at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, and visits Fordham classrooms to share career tips and advice. In fact, each year, she and her “best friend from college,” Anne Williams-Isom, FCLC ’86, New York City’s deputy mayor for health and human services, form a “tag team” and speak to pre-law students about the skills and career paths a law education can provide.
‘The Fordham Way’
Blaney-Petralia’s advice for Fordham grads is simple: Show up. Mentorship—both giving and receiving—is the “Fordham way,” she said. “At some point, we have to give back to [our fellow]Rams.”
And she tells students and recent grads that they can find career success by learning the workplace culture and being a part of it. But they shouldn’t be too hard on themselves, she said.
“Give yourself a little slack. You’re not going to know it the first day, but if you work hard and if you are lucky enough to find good mentors, the sky’s the limit.”
Fordham Five
What are you most passionate about?
My family—my son, my daughter, my husband, and my golden doodle!
What advice do you have for Fordham students and grads?
Never stop learning, never stop exploring, never feel like you are in one area and you’re sort of pigeonholed. Fordham didn’t do that, right? Fordham is the place where you can specialize, but you don’t have to compartmentalize.
What’s your favorite place in New York City?
The World Trade Center site, where you find the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum and the Perelman Performing Arts Center—the places to go to remember and honor, and to celebrate life, respectively.
In the world? The Serpentine Galleries in Kensington Gardens, London.
Name a book that has had a lasting influence on you.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Who is someone at Fordham who made a difference to you?
There was my advisor, Susan Abrams Beck, associate professor of political science emerita. I can still picture her. And she was amazing: She was always available, and she really gave me direction. She wrote great references and was just so approachable. I really remain feeling blessed that she was my advisor.
