“Earning a liberal arts degree is the smartest thing a person can do to become successful in the business world," said Aimee Bell '88 to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. That is the message Bell, deputy editor of Vanity Fair and keynote speaker of the 10th Anniversary of the Women in Business Conference at the College of the Holy Cross, shared with more than 200 students and alumnae on Saturday, Nov. 7. In addition to crediting her success to her liberal arts education, Bell gave advice and chronicled her career during her address, titled “Major in Anything – Succeed in Business: Creating Your Platform for Success.”
Speaking with the Telegram & Gazette, Bell, an English major, said of the College, “I knew it was a special place. I just didn’t know how much impact it would have as time went on.” Coming from a family of Holy Cross alumni, Bell credited Holy Cross with significantly shaping her life and career. Although she had once envisioned herself as an English college professor, Bell learned two days into her master’s degree at New York University that a life of academia was not necessarily in her future. She went on to complete her degree attending night classes while launching her career at the satirical monthly magazine Spy.
It was this life of hard work that taught Bell one of the most valuable lessons she passed on to her audience: “Make yourself indispensable,” she said. “Keep your nose to the grindstone.” Bell advised students to focus on good manners and researching companies they intend to apply to for work. “Engage with the things you care about and be the person who is interested in everything,” she said.
Bell is a member of the Holy Cross Alumni Marketing Advisory Group and was the 2014 recipient of the Sanctae Crucis Award, the highest non-degree recognition bestowed by the College on a graduate. She lives in New York City with her two children and her husband, David Kamp.
Related information
- Conference Marks 10 Years of Bringing Together Holy Cross Women in Business
- Holy Cross Honors Five Alumni for Professional Achievement and Commitment to Service, Faith, and Justice
This "Holy Cross in the News" item by Emma Collins '16.
