ASPIRE’s Luca Toth, BS ’24, Graduates into Full-Time Employment

Luca Toth, BS ‘24, was determined to earn his college degree at an institution that could support his autism diagnosis. As he and his parents searched for the perfect match, they were told outright by some colleges and universities that enrolling with them wouldn’t be a good idea because they didn’t have the resources to support Toth through his journey.

“I really appreciated their honesty,” recalls Toth. “And I was fortunate to receive scholarships elsewhere. I ended up choosing St. Joe’s because Haub has such a good reputation and I knew I could depend on ASPIRE to help me through.”

Toth enrolled through the Kinney Center’s ASPIRE program and began at Saint Joseph’s in 2020, taking lots of general education classes to figure out what exactly he wanted to pursue within the business school.

“I’ve always known that I want to run my own business,” he says. “I just don’t feel sure what that business will be.”

As he acclimated to life in college, it took him some time to warm up to Saint Joseph’s ASPIRE program – Toth didn’t immediately love the newness of the experience and felt stifled by its structure. Gradually, Toth became more comfortable with the activities and opportunities for connection that ASPIRE offered.

“What I really took away from ASPIRE was being open-minded,” says Toth. “Once I learned to keep an open mind and approach the activities we were doing together without scrutiny, it was much easier to get something out of the program.”