Elizabeth Saraceno, Class of 2009, Brooklyn NY
What are you up to? I manage sales for a liquor brand in Brooklyn.
How'd you get here? I moved to New York at age 18 for college at Pace University and I spent a year in Westchester, New York, about an hour north from midtown NYC. I quickly decided it wasn't for me. I ended up transferring to the city campus and moved into an apartment. I bartended throughout college to make extra money and ended up really falling in love with spirits and the cocktail scene. I spent my free time studying liquor and flavor profiles and traveled to distilleries and breweries to learn more. I got my first job working for a distributor selling small craft liquor in the lower east part of Manhattan. It was tough, my rent was $1,350 a month and I made $400 a week.. do the math. However, being surrounded by so many successful and progressive people only made me work harder. I was the youngest and one of the few females in the industry.. I had the odds against me but it only pushed me harder. I eventually moved into a different job, working directly for a supplier. I went from managing an area in Manhattan to managing a brand in all 5 boroughs. It was great for a while but soon I left to go back to a different, yet bigger liquor distributor, which is where I am now.
What are your goals? To become a manager for an entire division at a large liquor distributor, to live alone in Brooklyn, and to have a washer/dryer/dishwasher in my apartment.
What has been your biggest challenge? Moving to NYC at age 19, completely by yourself, is a struggle in itself. I see a lot of people I went to high school with that live in New York City stick together and that’s great, but I pride myself in moving somewhere and making new friends, a NYC family, my life. I feel like when you’re a kid and you’re growing up you adapt to the life your parents chose and you know nothing else; but to move to a place when you’re so young unafraid, I think that’s a challenge in itself. I love the life that I created, but the biggest challenge was doing everything alone; finding an apartment, moving in with strangers, starting new jobs, walking into new bars and restaurants to form relationships for work, and even something as simple as making friends. I’m grateful, a lot of people give up on NYC after the first couple years but I’m going on my 9th year here.
What has been your happiest moment? My happiest moments are always when I walk out of a bar (an account for work) and feel that I nailed the meeting. The account may have placed a large order and given me a cocktail placement on their menu, and I swear there’s no better feeling than feeling like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Advice for WHS Students? You don’t have to do what you go to college for. Your major is just a guide to get your degree and if you’re passionate about something off the beaten path, there’s a job for it. Also, move out of Watertown. Get out of your comfort zone. Be friends with people who are different than you. Have conversations with people of different races, cultures, religions, upbringings. People have some crazy stories and you learn so much when you just listen. Also, nobody cares about who you were in high school. The real world doesn’t care. You don’t put prom queen on your resume.
If you could tell your high school self one thing, what would it be? I would tell myself to spend more time caring about people that matter. I spent a lot of time caring about all of the wrong things. I also stressed myself out over minuscule things.. things that I can’t even remember now because they’re so irrelevant. I would also tell myself that I’m really proud of you, for having the courage to move to NYC, because I truly love my life.