• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • The Wellesley (COVID) 100
      The Wellesley (COVID) 100
    • In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
      In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
    • Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
      Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
      The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
    • Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
      Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
    • No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
      No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
      Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
    • No image
      Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See
    • No image
      Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Health and Wellness
    • February Student Athlete of the Month
      February Student Athlete of the Month
    • Athletics Update
      Athletics Update
    • Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
      Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
      Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
    • Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
      Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
    • Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
      Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Claire McCloud Features, News and Features, Staff SeriesFebruary 20, 2019

Destiny Barletta brings the Wellesley community together

Photo Courtesy of Destiny Barletta

The Wellesley College community boasts about its tightly bound student body and the strong connections formed between students and faculty. The unique connections that Wellesley students make with their peers, professors, staff members, supervisors, employers and the larger community around them are unparalleled. However, this deeply rooted sense of community has not developed without significant work and dedication. This great feat can be indebted to multiple individuals throughout the college’s 144-year history, but currently, Destiny Barletta, Wellesley’s career community advisor for arts, communications, and media,helps embody this sentiment.

A Missouri native and Mount Holyoke College graduate, Barletta initially came to Boston for a job with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She spent 17 years as the Director of Exhibitions, Marketing and Publications at a contemporary art gallery in Boston, but eventually decided she wanted to move on.

“[I] enjoyed planning and curating exhibitions, working with a diverse group of artists, [and]engaging with collectors and museums, but over time … I was too comfortable in my role and needed new challenges,” said Barletta. Acting as an inspiration to those facing big change and trying to determine what their futures entail, she applied for the Career Advisor role at Wellesley Career Education, which she felt “was necessary [to] continue growing” about 18 months ago. After getting the job, Barletta knew she was in for a future that may not always be easy, but would never cease to be rewarding.  

In her current role, Barletta’s main tasks are to “support and connect students, employers, alumnae and faculty in this career community.” Such a task may sound simple enough given the already ambitious and organized nature of Wellesley students preparing for graduation, but Barletta has demonstrated significant effort in helping Wellesley students in the most efficient ways possible. She works one on one with both students and alumnae to advise them in employer relations and notify them of programs and events relevant to their intended careers. Her overarching goal in all of her work “is to create a physical and virtual community to educate Wellesley students on trends and issues in these areas, provide knowledge about professional pathways, and connect [students] with alumnae and employers for information and mentorship.” With such a beneficial and necessary contribution to the Wellesley community, it is simple to see why Barletta did not hesitate to dive into her role.  

In her nearly two years at Wellesley, Barletta has thoroughly enjoyed the “unique combination of experiences, challenges, values, and aspirations” that Wellesley students and alumnae bring to the conversation. Their varying backgrounds, identities and understandings of the world have expanded her mindset in ways she never thought imaginable. However, she does find it “challenging to see students struggle with the idea of several possible professional pathways rather than a single ‘right’ choice.” As college students and recent graduates, it can be difficult to determine the best choice for your future so quickly and definitively. Thus, Barletta makes a point to always encourage her advisees to “live [their]way to the answer,” rather than worry incessantly about making the perfect choice just after graduation — or even before, as eager Wellesley students often tend to do.

While Barletta loves her job and all of the opportunities it offers and the people it introduces her to, she also has a profound interest “in contemporary studio ceramics and serve[s]on the board for a journal that promotes discussion of aesthetics, technology, criticism, and history within the ceramics community.” She has always enjoyed various styles of art, from “19th  century American art [to] Japanese ceramics from the folk art movement.” Besides her fascinating work with students and long term passions for all artistic endeavors, Barletta also “used to have a private pilot license,” which allowed her to witness “the unique perspective of exploring the landscape from 12,000 feet above!” Much like her work at Wellesley, her time as a private pilot allowed her to look at things differently and approach situations in a new way.

Wellesley College works diligently to open minds and expand the worldview of all those that encounter its values, and such a mission has been particularly successful with Destiny Barletta. She has been encouraged to think in different ways and operate under a new mentality, and she has appreciated it greatly.

Speaking of all that Wellesley has brought into her life in just the last 18 months, Barletta said, “The Wellesley Community has offered many opportunities to consider the value of the phrase, ‘May we seek more to understand than to convince.’” Furthermore, Barletta keeps such advice at the forefront of her mind in every meeting, conversation and encounter she has within the Wellesley Community. If you ever need career counseling or just want to discuss all things art, you know who to email: Destiny Barletta.

 

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleCampus snow days can make life hard for Wellesley community members
Next articleWellesley successfully revives century-old Winter Carnival tradition

You may also like

The Wellesley (COVID) 100

In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays

Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top