Lara La Sala

Current Position: Launch and Systems Strategist

Story Last Updated: Summer 2024

I enrolled Gwynedd Mercy University's Business School in 2008 as a non-traditional student. I was a single mom returning to school to build a career that would allow me to provide a better future for myself and my daughter. Though the spirt of mercy is what initially attracted me to GMercyU, after some time there, I realized that the quality of teaching and the close-knit sense of community I was experiencing was something I would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

Professors who offered practical learning examples, faculty that made a personal connection with each student and life-changing volunteer opportunities are just a few of the experiences at GMercyU that developed me into a confident and well-rounded professional and person.

While at GMercyU, I was able to find a part-time entry-level accounting job at Talamore Country Club in Ambler, Pa. through the job posting board. This job gave me the experience that would springboard my professional career in accounting. Before my graduation, the University’s Career Development Center assisted me in crafting a professional resume that helped me get hired by a global biotech sales firm in Horsham, Pa. There, I worked my way up from billing clerk to assistant controller in less than two years.

Though I found a lot of success in my career up until that point, the values of service and mercy that were instilled in me at my time at GMercyU made me feel like there was something bigger calling me. After resigning from my assistant controller position, I partnered with a colleague and friend in opening a virtual bookkeeping and administrative services business, Homegrown Office Support.

Homegrown Office Support utilizes online technology and cloud-based applications to offer remote services ranging from email and calendar management to higher-level assistance including accounts receivable and payable management and financial reporting. Our goal is to grow Homegrown into a trusted leader in the virtual support industry, but our vision doesn’t end there.

Central to our company’s mission is to grow the business enough to be able to provide professional opportunities to other mothers and women looking for both a more manageable work-life balance as well as economic independence. We also plan to become very involved in volunteer projects that focus on fostering educational opportunities globally for young girls and empowering women in both our local and global communities.

In addition to my business, I currently volunteer on the New Britain Borough Finance Committee, am in the process of joining GMercyU’s Alumni Board and have continued my passion for serving others through various volunteer opportunities.