A 2013 broadcast communications graduate of Westminster, Adam Carswell is persistent. The master connector (you'll want to connect with him on LinkedIn), entrepreneur, and musician is fueled by goals, intrigued by adventure, and unfazed by closed doors. The Toronto resident (he's lived in three different countries) and current program manager for RaisingCapital.com reflects on the impact of the Westminster College network, the lessons he's learned on a global career path, and the advice he has for graduating seniors ready to carve out their own. 

As a high school student from the Cleveland area, how did you end up at Westminster?

It all started with an email that I got from Westminster when I was in the middle of applying for different colleges. It said something like "here’s Westminster’s express application, which takes less than 30 minutes." I thought that was cool, and I might as well throw my name in the hat at WC. So, I submitted the application, and soon track coach Tim McNeil followed up with an email inviting me to campus. In high school I ran track and played basketball. I took coach up on the offer to visit campus and when I did visit, I also met coach Ondako (the Titans men’s basketball coach at the time), and that’s how I found my way to Westminster. My brother, Paul, also went to Westminster, so that was the start of my family spending a lot of time in New Wilmington over the next few years. 

Picture: Carswell, his wife Nicki, and kids Micah and Mia.

Drawing from your career path, what kind of advice would you provide to graduating seniors?

My recommendations in putting your best foot forward after Westminster are two-fold. Recommendation #1 –  if you know you're gonna pursue some form of continued education at the master's level or higher, just go straight into it. And recommendation #2 is for those graduates looking to roll up their sleeves and get right to work. I’d like to think younger versions of ourselves all realize this when we get older, but when job hunting, don't take it personal if someone doesn't respond right away to you. Set career goals and be persistent in achieving your goals. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you’re pursuing a job and you send in a resume and you haven’t heard back, employers notice the person who follows up. In my experience, Gen Z tends to lack with the follow-up game. Even if you get a rejection, follow up to show your enthusiasm for pursuing your goals. I think your first job is the ability to follow up on your requests and commitments. You might be surprised at how many tools are available at your fingertips in job hunting, too. AI and ChatGPT are tools I use every day when I need help or insight. If you’re seeking ideas on how to follow up with employers or want some more advice in setting and pursuing goals, these tools can help quickly. I’d also suggest graduates keep pushing, don’t quit. If one door isn’t opening, that means another one is opening for you somewhere else. You’ve got to keep pushing to find out where it is. 

Describe your career path since your time at Westminster. 

Anyone who went to school with me or who knows me knows to some degree that I've always been someone who likes to kind of do things my way and to the beat of my own drum. My professors from Westminster will probably validate that too, for better or for worse. The path that I've taken is probably a little bit of the path less traveled. After finishing up at Westminster, former Titans coach Kevin Siroki found an opportunity for me to play basketball in Central America. I was able to get my master's degree while I was at Galen University in Belize. I don't mean to brag, but it's cool because Galen is kind of like the Duke of Belize. I made a lot of friends and connections while in Belize and ended up as the head coach of the basketball team. That was a life goal for me at the time. I was 23 years old and achieved a life goal. But, I started to realize that if I wanted to continue moving up and take my career to the next level, I should pursue coaching in U.S. Working through this next goal of mine, I realized along the way that I like basketball a lot, but I don’t think I love it. So I took the tools, connections and resources that I gained from Belize and applied it to business. Shout out to Westminster grad Rachael Conn ’09. She was a recruiter for Sherwin-Williams. I had fired off like 15 applications to Fortune 500 companies and one of them was Sherwin Williams, and Rachael messaged me on LinkedIn to connect, a lesson in never underestimating that social platform. I got a job managing stores for Sherwin-Williams from that connection, and that was my first real job in the U.S. 

Hear from Carswell on how a book, YouTube videos, and rejections lead him to his current success as Program Manager for RaisingCapital.com.

You were a two-sport athlete at Westminster and you are in the Titan Sports Hall of Fame. Do you have any career takeaways from your Titan athletic experience?
Picture: Carswell during a 2011-2012 Titans basketball game.

As someone relatively entrepreneurial, I’ve had this lingering thought – what if I just went all in on this one thing? That’s what I sought to do at WC, pursuing the saying “find your niche and get rich.” I remember days at Westminster when I’d be waking up at 4:45 a.m for a 6:00 a.m. practice and going to bed at 10 p.m. I wanted to maximize my calendar and experience and learn as much as I could.  That’s my biggest takeaway from being involved in sports and extracurriculars – it expanded my network and helped me discover more about myself.

Connect with Carswell on LinkedIn.

He is also a budding musician, known as General Moses. Follow his music career on Instagram or listen on Spotify.

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