From St. Anselm: Shane Earley ('18)
Shane Earley was planning to become an engineer when he chose St. Anselm College in 2014 to play hockey and study physics in the idyllic Benedictine institution near his New Hampshire home. By the time he finished, he’s switched hockey to football and engineering to a mission-driven, entrepreneurial career with impact. In ESTEEM, he found a method for his mission.
“My sights were no longer set on going to engineering and serving some vision that I do not understand,” Shane says. “I want to be part of the people, interacting and creating new and esteemed visions for the future. There was no better way I saw to do that than through entrepreneurship and technology. That’s how ESTEEM really aligns with what I was becoming interested in.”
He had seen flyers about ESTEEM at St. Anselm, and he had always been a bit of a Notre Dame fan, but Shane was surprised at how the program aligns with his personal passions and interests. The on-campus experience with faculty, staff, and fellow students has confirmed the choice.
“We all have very similarly placed values in what we want to do – having a strong impact,” he says. “I find that we also share a lot of characteristics in what we like to do in our free time and interests. It’s an amazing holistic experience not just in the classroom.”
For his capstone, Shane is working with a Notre Dame research project aiming to commercialize a vital signs monitor that can collect and share data remotely, so the person monitored doesn’t have to wear it like current technology. “It’s very low patient-burden and a great opportunity to help doctors and other health experts drive the cost of care down while creating better outcomes for anyone with long-term conditions and also for anyone at risk of short-terms conditions,” he says. “It’s amazingly easy to use. You just put the device in the room.”
ESTEEM classes drive the questions about critical thinking and the impact of technology, not just what’s possible, in a way aimed at elevating both individuals and society, Shane says, adding that the value resonates with St. Anslem. “Everyone seems to be connected to a mission of doing good,” he says. “It’s noticeable. You can tell it in your everyday interactions with strangers here. It’s a large collection of very motivated but also open-minded and bright people.”
Now Shane is considering two entrepreneurial possibilities for his future – launching his own business or becoming part of a mission-driven startup team. “It will be the same methods of learning and taking action,” he says. “It will be a mission that I can resonate with and I’m driven to help.”