Veritas Lecture Series

Mr. Steve Stefano | Passion Comes from Within

Posted October 14th, 2016

By Jimmy Oliva ’19

Mr. Steve Stefano graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School and St. Joseph’s University. He followed his studies with a career in the pharmaceutical field as an executive for pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline. He is a wonderful author who wrote the book Passion and Ice: Leading Through Values, a novel about the importance of attitude, courage, empathy, and bravery in positions of leadership.  His main message to us was that passion is a mindset, and after hearing his stories it didn’t take long to figure out what he meant.

Mr. Stefano used a story about his father and the hardships they faced together to get us to understand the power of attitude. When his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he resolved to beat it.  Eventually, he did just that.  He attributed his unlikely recovery to his passion for living.  Mr. Stefano’s message was clear: If you find that same passion for living within yourself you will not only love what you do, but you will be able to solve problems that were once considered unsolvable. Doors that were once closed will all of a sudden be opened to you.