It’s 5:30 a.m. and Peter McDonagh ’19, a star forward on the men’s ice hockey team at Assumption, is already on his way to the rink for morning practice. Despite the early hour, Peter is charged up. “Hockey is a great way to start my day,” he says. “I get to hang out with 29 of my best friends, playing the sport I love.”

One of Peter’s most indelible memories at Assumption so far is winning the Northeast-10 Conference in 2017 alongside his teammates and his brother, Johnny, who plays defense for the team. In addition to his brother, Peter’s cousin and aunt both attended Assumption—one reason the University feels like a family to him.

The other reason? The relationships he has developed with fellow Greyhound athletes even beyond hockey. “The entire sports community at Assumption feels like a family,” Peter explains. “My teammates and I go to all the games—field hockey, football, tennis, soccer. We all root for each other and support each other.”

Peter spends a lot of time with his teammates off the ice, too, volunteering with them and other athletes to support the Worcester community. Together, they have renovated a local public-school library, cleaned and reorganized a local consignment shop, and built homes and children’s playhouses through Habitat for Humanity.

The entire sports community at Assumption is like a family. My teammates and I go to all the games—field hockey, football, tennis, soccer. We all root for each other and support each other.

“Assumption enables you to give back in the ways you feel most passionate about,” says Peter, who has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters since high school. He continues that commitment at Assumption, meeting up twice a month with a local child from the nearby Flagg Street Middle School. Peter helps him with homework, plays basketball with him, listens to his thoughts and concerns, and gives him advice. “Honestly, those visits are the best part of my week,” Peter says.

After he graduates, Peter plans to work as an accountant in New York City—something he gained experience with last summer as an intern with the American Transit Insurance Company, which offers an internship to Assumption students in honor of alumnus Edward McGettigan, Jr. ’75, the company’s former president who loved Assumption dearly and passed away unexpectedly in 2016.

“My internship reinforced my interest in accounting and economics and gave me valuable insight into the field,” says Peter. “I am well-prepared for my career. I feel ready for anything.”