I can’t even tell you what triggered it, besides my mom telling me that I liked to argue, but I always said, “I’m going to law school, I’m going to be a lawyer.” I [now work] in estate planning , where I don’t even see a courtroom. Estate planning is very detailed work…but I think it gives people peace of mind…It just makes people feel like, “Okay, I know when I leave, everything is taken care of, I don’t have to worry about that.” [My children] saw my work ethic because they knew a lot of times when they went to bed, I was going to work [at home]. It was probably the best fit ever, because I was able to work from home when my kids were little.
Filomena Cesareo was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1964 to Italian immigrants. She is the second of three daughters and attended Albertus Magnus College in New Haven. During this time, she studied business and political science and met the man who would later become her husband. After graduation, Filomena continued her study of political science as a law student at
The University of Bridgeport. She went on to live in a few different states before moving to Worcester when her husband became the President of Assumption College in 2007. In this interview, Filomena discusses her career as an estate planning lawyer, her life as a mother and a lawyer, her relationship with the city of Worcester, and the significance of professional women in the 21st century. She is involved in the community through her role as Presidential Spouse and as an actively involved citizen of Worcester.