For OLSH’s Director of Admissions & Enrollment, Jessica Sellman ‘02, working at OLSH is more than just an average job. As a proud alumna, Jessica sees her position at OLSH as a way to fulfill a bigger sense of purpose as well as give back to a community close to her heart.
“I always thought after I graduated that if there was some way to work or help at OLSH in some way, I’d do it,” Jessica said.
After graduating from OLSH in 2002, Jessica attended Duquesne University to earn a B.A. in Communications as well as her M.B.A. Before joining the OLSH staff as Director of Admissions & Enrollment in 2013, she previously worked in Business Development and Marketing for K&L Gates international law firm in Pittsburgh.
Jessica’s years of experience are what qualified her for the job, but her connections to the school assured her that it was the right decision.
“When the position at OLSH opened up, I was thinking about finding a job that was more meaningful,” Jessica said. “I knew this was what I wanted all along. This position is more than a job; it is something more that really fulfills my purpose and allows me to live out my faith daily.”
Jessica’s role at OLSH has evolved in recent years to be more than recruiting prospective students, but also focusing on retaining current students and keeping enrollment strong.
“I feel like I now have a greater responsibility to the community as a whole,” Jessica said. “We are focusing on creating student events geared towards keeping students engaged and making sure that our new freshmen and transfer students are also feeling at home here.”
In addition to her involved role in the larger OLSH community, Jessica leads the OLSH Student Ambassador team who give guided tours to prospective students and families and oversee many OLSH events. She also serves on the Middle States Strategic Planning Committee, oversees the Junior Achievement Program, and is a faculty leader on the annual Chi Rho retreat.
Between Jessica’s commitment to so many aspects of OLSH life as well as her deep love of the school, it is no surprise that she was the 2019 recipient of one of the OLSH Distinguished Alumni Awards: Alumnus With Heart.
Jessica shows heart in every aspect of her life, especially for her four children, Sarah (7th grade), Zach (5th grade), Lizzie (3rd grade), and Andrew (kindergarten). Jessica and her husband of 15 years, Ray (who she dated since she was a sophomore at OLSH), are always on the go with their kids from dance classes to baseball games. The Sellman kids are also frequently seen tagging along with Jessica to OLSH events!
“My family is my whole life,” Jessica said, “everything that my husband and I do is for our kids. It is really fun to think that in the close future I’ll be working where my kids will go to school!”
Jessica has served her parish of Archangel Gabriel as cantor, choir member, and youth group adult team member. She also serves on the Advisory Board and Advancement Committee of Archangel Gabriel School, where her children attend.
The most important aspect of both her family life and her role at OLSH is her strong faith life. Jessica said that the only way she has been able to keep up with her kids, job, and extra roles at OLSH is because of her strong faith foundation that she received when she was a student.
“My relationship with God makes life with my family and work here at OLSH more meaningful,” Jessica said. “I know how important faith is because that experience molded me as a high schooler here at OLSH.”
Jessica believes there is something special that keeps alumni coming back to OLSH and hopes to continue that tradition through her work. She is hopeful for the future of OLSH and is looking forward to seeing its growth in the coming years.
“Alumni come back to work here and be part of the community because there’s something special happening at OLSH,” Jessica said. “It just feels like coming home.”