This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
06/21/2017 04:00 AMIn addition to her job at Medtronic in North Haven, Lauri Kikosicki has been involved her hometown for many years, and those efforts are one of the reasons she’s getting inducted into the East Haven High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame in November.
Lauri says she is proud and honored to go into the Hall of Fame. A day or two after she was notified about the induction, she happened to walk through the foyer of the high school, looking at all of the other inductees.
“Just to think about all the others—their accomplishments and what they’ve done and what they’ve done for their communities, where their careers have taken them; honestly it’s a little bit like wait, do I belong up there with them?” Lauri says with a laugh.
Lauri started working at Medtronic’s Norwalk office for an internship in college, and has been with the company ever since. At the time, Lauri says she didn’t really see a lot of opportunity when she was involved in the product management department, but then she got involved with product labeling and graphic design.
“There wasn’t a team to manage that, so I sort of took on that responsibility over the years,” Lauri says, “I now have a team of about 60 people.”
She and her team manage the product labeling for the Minimally Invasive Therapies Group division of Medtronic.
“Seeing the product labeling and how important it is to the customers and to surgeons that are using the products—it’s rewarding knowing that you’re doing something to help people’s lives,” Lauri says.
A lifelong East Haven resident, Lauri says that both she and her husband Joe were born and raised in town, and met in high school. Joe also works at Medtronic, and has been there for more than 25 years as well.
One of the organizations in town with which Lauri has been involved is East Haven Youth Soccer. Her three daughters went through the program, and at first, she and other moms would do picnics and other fun things for the kids at the end of the year.
She was registrar for the organization, and helped with fundraisers. She is still on the board for the organization, referred to as a member-at-large, and helps with a Saturday morning clinic program.
“We have a clinic program with about 70 kids from ages 2 to 5, helping get them started, answering questions,” Lauri says.
Sports are something in which Lauri has always been involved. She was a member of the softball, basketball, and pom-pom squad at East Haven High School, serving as captain of the basketball team and pom-pom squad. She was a member of the State Championship softball team in 1984.
It’s something that runs in the family, as two of her daughters have been featured as the Courier’s Sports Person of the Week. Her oldest daughter Kristin was a three-sport athlete at the high school, and her middle daughter Megan recently signed to play Division I soccer at the University of New Hampshire.
“Now if I can get my younger daughter off to college and playing soccer, I’ll be done,” Lauri says with a laugh.
As a mom, Lauri says it’s awesome what her kids have done, and they’ve done everything she has hoped for them.
“I hope they continue and at some point in their lives they’re able to give back to their community,” Lauri says of her daughters.
In fact, one reason that Lauri does what she does is because when she was involved in sports, her mother was always involved and volunteering.
Lauri was also involved with St. Vincent de Paul School before it closed last year. She and her three daughters attended the school, and Lauri was involved in many ways as an adult.
She was on the school board there, and was chairperson for a couple of years. She also would help with fundraising activities, volunteered at golf tournaments organized by David Brennan, helped with the school newsletter, and also volunteered for phone-a-thons. She is still a eucharistic minister for the parish.
Not one that likes having the light shined on her, Lauri says she’s never alone in anything that she does. She gave an example of her sister-in-law Michelle.
“Everything I’m doing she’s doing right there along with me, and then some,” Lauri says.
Lauri says that whatever she’s doing, it’s for the kids, and hopefully it makes them happy. She says kids are “absolutely” the reason why she volunteers her time in many different ways.
“It really makes you feel good to know that you’re doing something for the community, doing something for the kids, and hopefully, in some small way, making a difference,” Lauri says.