D’Alessio feels grateful for the ways experienced real estate brokers mentored her early in her career. For example, “one of the most valuable lessons they shared was that no successful business is built alone,” she says. They encouraged her to choose partners with strengths that complemented hers.
Motivated to mentor others, she has welcomed multiple Babson students and recent graduates onto her team for internships and entry-level positions. Because students can earn a real estate license at age 18, some have been qualified to complete real estate deals under her guidance. One such intern, Arjun Dave ’28, stood out for “his grit, tenacity, curiosity, and ability to solve problems,” D’Alessio says. “He approached every challenge with a mindset of figuring things out rather than waiting to be told what to do. That kind of initiative is rare at any age.”
D’Alessio has been invited to campus to speak to students in the sales concentration, as well as members of the Babson Real Estate Club and the Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership. When she’s here, D’Alessio likes to offer 30-minute, one-on-one meetings to current students who want to talk and ask questions. She is surprised by the pressure students feel to have a set career path. She says she works to reassure them that “Babson is already giving them the … tools they need to succeed.” She also encourages them to meet and talk to people in fields that interest them, and to cultivate a resilient mindset. This is “the ability to push through rejection and to keep going after hearing ‘no.’ ”
D’Alessio says the interactions with students are energizing: “Engaging with students brings fresh perspectives, new ideas, and … keeps you connected to the spirit of entrepreneurship that Babson fosters so well.”
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