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Career Development Blog

Author: Arica Clauson

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Meet Alumna Nerelly Checo ’18, Teaching Fellow at Nativity School of Worcester

Name: Nerelly Checo

Class year: 2018

Title: Teaching Fellow

Organization Name: Nativity School of Worcester

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail? 

My job entails teaching Spanish, Art and Science to fifth grade boys, serving as an Admissions Assistant and coaching a sport if possible, while attending graduate school.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

I served as an Odyssey Mentor during my sophomore year of college and that was my first time stepping foot at the Nativity School of Worcester. I never thought about the school again until Melisa Alves told me they were hiring. Teaching was something I wanted to explore and the fellowship brochure easily caught my attention- I immediately thought it was a good fit simply because of the mission in itself. Working with marginalized populations and giving back to the community is something I have always aspired to do and learning about how much the fellows do for the boys greatly interested me.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

While I was on campus, I was a member of the e-board of LASO for three years. I served as an Odyssey Mentor for two years, studied abroad in Argentina for a semester and also was a ALANA Peer Mentor my senior year. I worked at the Office of Student Involvement for a few years. My senior year I also worked as a Hogan student manager as well as in the Center for Career Development as a Marketing Peer Career Assistant.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a Sociology and Psychology double major. Because I was constantly having conversations about societal issues, it made me realize how essential it is to go into careers where you are making a difference. I want to do work that is productive in creating impactful change for marginalized communities.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

One important skill that I developed at Holy Cross is time management. Holding multiple jobs and being a member of an e-board while balancing academics, prepared me to handle my responsibilities as well as anything I want to do outside of my job description. Although there are days where I still struggle with balancing tasks, I definitely feel that I was better prepared because of my experiences at Holy Cross.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

It is essential to take advantage of every opportunity you get. College really is a roller coaster ride and it is very difficult to see the benefits of certain tasks you need to complete when you also need to juggle so many other things. I promise you that everything you do at college leads to a skill you’ll use in your career. Something as simple as writing an email is so  significant in the workforce and it is very underestimated while in college. If you get an opportunity to manage a project or work in an office or study in another country, go for it because it is so rare to obtain those learning opportunities once you graduate.
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Meet Alum Ray Murphy ’94, Director, Enterprise Applications at Northeastern University

Name: Ray Murphy

Class Year: 1994

Position: Director, Enterprise Applications/DevOps

Organization: Northeastern University

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I manage a team of a dozen or so people that maintain and support the computer systems used by the university’s faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, applicants, etc.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decided it was a good fit for you?  

As far as how I got connected, my eventual employer was run by an HC grad. I actually heard about the job when a classmate of mine got a job offer from this company but turned it down. I followed up and eventually got the same offer. (Tip: don’t forget your classmates in your networking!

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was sports editor of The Crusader, and had a work/study job maintaining a couple of the computer labs in Haberlin/Swords.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was looking for a first job in computer industry after graduating as a math major (HC didn’t even have a CS major yet, just a concentration!). I fell in love with HC on my tour in high school, and enrolled despite the fact that it didn’t have the major I wanted. I muddled through a lot of math classes. The only way that affected my career is that I never really learned to code, but I’ve had no trouble carving a career path in the industry without that skill.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

More and more, I use my liberal arts skills more than the skills from my major. From my first job search to this day, I always position myself as someone who has technical aptitude, but also has the ability to communicate those technical concepts, to think critically about them and to see the big picture. That’s a story that always plays well in interview settings, etc.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?  

For sure, it’s important to put in the time and effort to find your first job and get your career off to a good start. But you’re going to have a long career, and whether it starts in June or September won’t matter at all in the long term. But especially for seniors, make sure you soak in these last couple of months at HC… you can’t get those back.
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Meet #CrusaderIntern, Alessandra Vasquez ’20, Intern at Dell Technologies

Name: Alessandra Vasquez 
Class Year: 2020 
Position: Global Enterprise Sales Strategy and GTM Intern
Company: Dell Technologies 

 

1. Tell us about where you are interning and the kind of work you are doing.

I was a Global Enterprise Sales Strategy and GTM Intern at Dell Technologies this summer. Throughout the summer, I was exposed to multiple areas of the business through cross-functional projects. I audited account plans for the sales teams, analyzed and built reports from survey responses, and program managed the action plans for my team’s satisfaction report. Through this experience I gained skills in communication, Excel, and knowledge on sales and business. 

 

2. Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

I applied my academic learnings to my internship by utilizing the critical thinking and quick learning skills that are ingrained in the Liberal Arts education we receive at Holy Cross.

 

3. What has surprised you about being an intern?

I was surprised at how much the company wanted to help me learn and grow. Dell really invested the companies time and resources into the internship program and offered multiple opportunities to learn new things. They also willingly allowed us to network with multiple teams to enable our understanding of different organizations.

 

4. How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

My experience allowed me to land a full-time job at Dell after college. I will be in the Business Operations and Finance Rotational Program this August. 

 

5. Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

Network and be yourself. I was offered my internship by an Alumni (Katie Bobinski ’15), whom I met at the Women and Business Conference my Sophomore year. From that connection, we stayed in contact after the Marketing, Communications and Sales program during Spring break last year. I believe it was through this connection that I landed my job at Dell and I encourage all students to network with alumni through HC Network. Also, your personality speaks louder than your GPA. So, connect and be present during those interactions and good things will come your way! (: 
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Meet Alumna Amy Archambault Remby ’08, Designer at Georgia Zikas Design

Name: Amy Archambault Remby

Class Year: 2008

Title: Designer

Organization Name: Georgia Zikas Design

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I am a Designer for a full-service interior design firm focusing on high-end residential projects and delivering elevated spaces, improved lifestyle and exceptional service to our clients locally and beyond.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross?How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

Upon graduating from the College in 2008, I earned my Masters of Fine Arts degree with the intention to pursue a career in Higher Education (the Arts). I was welcomed back to the College by my former faculty and mentors to serve as Studio Supervisor and Lecturer for the Studio Arts Program. This position was extremely beneficial to my creative growth, interpersonal and project management skills. A career in Higher Education was a natural fit and a most inspiring path. When relocating (out of state), I was inspired to expand my knowledge in a different creative industry, but with tremendous parallels. Both careers have been hugely impactful and rewarding.

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

During my time at the College, I was a double major in Studio Art and Psychology. I was a 4-year varsity athlete as well (Women’s Lacrosse) with a 2-year captainship within the program. I was also a member of the GESSO (Student Art Club) program. Being involved in athletics, academics and the arts provided me with a tremendous sense of community and diversity.


4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a double major in Studio Art and Psychology. Both majors provided me with the skills sets needed to pursue a career in Higher Education, then one in a creative, but more corporate-centered industry. My major in Studio Art inspired me to continue my education in earning my Masters degree — a necessary step towards educating others and pursuing my interests as a practicing artist.

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Collaborating with Others – In all of my work experiences to date, working efficiently and respectfully with others has driven me to success. Team is everything! Learning to communicate with diverse minds and embrace multiple perspectives is so important.

Creative Problem Solving – As an artist, we are constantly presenting our ideas, subjecting those ideas to self-critique and modifying / re-presenting them accordingly. Learning to problem solve and do so with a creative spirit and open mind has been so important in all industries that I have worked in.

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Take risks and try something new – Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I find (in my previous teaching experience) that students become largely focused on getting the “grade” and succeeding at being a “good student”. And I know from experience that HC students are very good at that. I encourage students today to take a step back, to reflect, to challenge and to think creatively and openly. Embrace the mistakes, the unknown and the challenges of working with other who offer different perspectives / opinions. The world is a lot bigger than College Hill. Go beyond!
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Meet Alum Riccardo Camarra ’01, Senior Software Engineer at GSN Games

 

Name: Riccardo Camarra

Class Year: 2001

Title: Senior Software Engineer

Organization: GSN Games

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

Development of services that provide our players with a persistent and fair online gaming experience.
2. What were you involved in when you were on campus?
I had several jobs during my tenure. Everywhere from food services to professor’s assistant. I was also involved in the push to recognize CS as a minor, working closely with professors on various directed projects once I ran out of actual CS courses to take.
3. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?
Math was my major, along with a concentration in computer science. As far as how it affected my career decisions, it was probably more the other way around. I already knew I wanted to get into programming from an early age, so my focus had always been on math and CS.
4. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?
My first entry into professional programming actually came during my tenure at HC, and it was very much due to an “unplanned event”. It was the last day of my freshman year and I was handing off my very last final, which just so happened to be for my CS class. The professor’s door was closed, so I slid the take home assignment underneath. I started heading out, being more than ready to start my summer and decompress. Before I got too far though, my professor opened the door and called me over. He said that a local company was partnering with the college in order to offer a summer programming internship, and that he was asked to recommend some of his students. My professor handed me the info and I thanked him for considering me. Though I contemplated throwing out the info into the trash on my way out (I know, but like I said, I was already looking forward to a summer of vegging out!), I quickly realized that this was the opportunity that I had been waiting for. It was a chance to get some real world experience doing what I love, and I couldn’t pass it up. So I went for it, I got the job, and the rest is history. While the internship wasn’t in the video game industry (it was actually a biotech company), it was instrumental, nonetheless, in my personal growth and development as a professional programmer, and ultimately gave me the experience and the confidence that I needed in order to pursue my dream.
5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?
Besides the obvious technical math and CS skills that I learned throughout my time there, which are, of course, relevant to any job in the tech industry, Holy Cross taught me many interpersonal and collaborative skills that are just as important in order to advance and succeed. In the video game industry in particular, we are constantly collaborating with others from different disciplines, whether it be art, production, QA, marketing, etc. People with varying backgrounds and experience, working out of offices in different parts of the world, each with their own business culture and practices. As a liberal arts college, Holy Cross exposed me to many different areas aside from my focus on math and technology. That exposure was vital in being able to experience a diverse range of people which encouraged me to keep an open mind and view problem solving from many different perspectives. This skill is essential to what we do. We need to be able to communicate with people on a day to day basis that may not necessarily have the same technical background and mindset, but with whom collaboration is crucial when it comes to solving the complex issues that present themselves throughout the development process.
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Meet Alum Richard DiMatteo ’12, EVP/Head of Capital Markets at Highland Electric Transportation, Inc.

Name: Richard DiMatteo

Class Year: 2012

Title: EVP, Head of Capital Markets

Organization: Highland Electric Transportation, Inc.

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

At Highland Electric Transportation (HET), a national provider of EV school bus financing and services, I arrange innovative financing structures for fleet electrification projects on behalf of school districts looking to convert their vehicles to electric.

 

2. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

In additional to course work within the Economics and Environmental Studies programs, I participated in the Student Managed Endowment Fund (SMEF), College Choir and Admissions Office.

 

3. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

As an Economics major, I had interest in how new financing products and business models (specifically in energy) could unlock opportunities and value in traditional markets.

 

4. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

While at HC, I regularly attended events which brought alumni to campus and through that process was introduced to the GE FMP program, my first career move. I was consistently impressed by alumni from GE and decided I wanted the same strong foundation for my own career.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Critical thinking. My broad spectrum of coursework at HC prepared me well to objectively review big picture issues while simultaneously managing details.
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Meet Alumna Ashley Loyke ’11, Cuyahoga County Assistant Public Defender, Felony Division

Name: Ashley Loyke

Class Year: 2011

Title: Cuyahoga County Assistant Public Defender, Felony Division

Organization Name: Cuyahoga County Public Defender

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I provide competent, quality legal representation to indigent individuals charged with felonies in Cuyahoga County, who cannot afford an attorney but still maintain a right to one, as promised by the Constitution and Gideon v. Wainwright

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

I always wanted to be a lawyer, although I don’t know why. I was accepted into Ohio State Law, and I was first hired by the Franklin County Public Defender, because I told the interviewers that I had been vomited on as an RA at Holy Cross. I didn’t even really know what public defenders did, and I was hired into the municipal division where I handled DUIs, thefts, assaults, domestic violences, and child endangering cases. It was chaos, but, fortunately, I have yet to be vomited on (I did have a client vomit in court).

The Public Defender’s office is a unique place for an attorney–we all have a certain amount of ruggedness, but also passion for fighting the power, listening to those who ordinary folks would walk past, and giving humanity to individuals that society would prefer to be locked away behind bars without giving them another look. We don’t wear the fanciest suits, and we don’t have the ability to hire the best investigators, or slash and burn in courtrooms, because we have to be in the same courtroom again, tomorrow. We have way too many clients and not enough time. We spend a lot of time in jail visiting clients. We see the dirty, weak, and broken of our society. And we give them a voice. That’s how I knew I was home.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was an RA for two years and also a head RA my senior year albeit a terrible one. I played on the men’s club volleyball team, and ballroom danced. I did SPUD weekly at the Friendly House afterschool program, went on immersion trips, went on and led Manresa retreats, was a Eucharistic Minister, was a member of Alpha Sigma Nu and Eta Sigma Phi honors societies. I also generally made a good amount of trouble.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a Classics major with a minor in philosophy. I always loved tangling with difficult texts and esoteric concepts. That would have made me a terrific commercial property lawyer, but I think Professor Cahoone’s voice teaching me Kant’s categorical imperative stuck with me a little too much–we aren’t the sum of our actions, and rightness and wrongness don’t necessarily depend on the outcome of actions, but the fulfillment of duty. Classics trained my brain, and philosophy trained my heart.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Ethics and a sense of duty. I could have gotten a good education anywhere. But Holy Cross taught me the importance of fighting for the right cause, standing up for your beliefs, and fighting for your convictions in a way that fair and equitable. I would not have had the strong desire to help the poor if I hadn’t taken Father Reiser’s courses and learned the importance of caring for the lowly and downtrodden. Professor Kendy Hess’s ethics class taught me that ethics means more than just doing the right thing, but doing the right thing for the right reasons. And while the courses I took taught me the theories of being a good person in the world, my campus experience solidified it. Being around so many like-minded, socially-conscious individuals cemented the importance of caring for others in my mind and heart.

I also learned the importance of attention to detail and hard work. Classics is nuanced, and if you miss a verb or noun ending, you completely misunderstood the entire passage you’re reading. All of my Classics professors taught me the importance of slowing down, reading carefully, digesting what you’re taking in, and then making a decision about the importance or significance thereof.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?  

Live with a true, burning heart. Find your passion and throw yourself headlong into it, but don’t take life too seriously. Be a good person. Be kind and gentle with others. Find the activities that make your heart sing. Don’t be afraid to look silly or take a stance that others don’t; we all look silly eventually. Don’t stress about the right career, or the right spouse, or the right house, or the right graduate school. What you choose will be right, because it’s your choice. Above all, if you find something worth fighting for, fight like hell for it.

 

Additional advice for students interested in law:

Indeed, choosing a specialty within the law is incredibly difficult. For this reason, most law schools provide summer internship opportunities and work-study programs which give real-life exposure to different areas of practice. The day-to-day of a public defender looks VERY different from the day-to-day life of, for example, a patent attorney or an estate-planning attorney or an immigration lawyer. In short, there’s no way a 21-year old could possibly know what area of law sparks their interest immediately upon leaving Holy Cross.

That said, the area of law is exciting because it suits well any individual who enjoys reading, writing, talking to others, problem solving, and engaging with difficult concepts. As a classics major, this made my heart sing–Latin and Greek is a set of rules (grammar, syntax, meter, and vocabulary) that apply to different circumstances (Plato, Cicero, Hesiod). It’s exactly like the law. The laws govern, but must be applied to circumstances. You have to do mental gymnastics to make the rules fit your facts. This is also why it’s an adversarial process: two people can come to two different conclusions about how the law applies.

All this is a long-winded way of saying: don’t worry about not knowing exactly what you want to do with your law degree. Take a class in law at Holy Cross to see if you even like engaging with the law, and case studies, and applying case law to different circumstances. if you want to punch a hole in the drywall, don’t torture yourself! But if you find law fascinating, if you enjoy mind puzzles, if you don’t mind listening to people talk about their problems and try to find ways to solve them… you’ll love the law.
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Meet Alum Chris Mann ’00, Vice President / Corporate Sponsorships at City Year

Name: Chris Mann

Class Year: 2000

Title: Vice President, Corporate Partnerships

Organization Name: City Year, Inc.

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

My job is to work with major companies on ways to partner with City Year, putting their resources, people and expertise to use helping students and schools succeed.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

I was very interested in sports marketing and event management as a potential career. Doing an internship with the Special Olympics my junior year really opened me up to the realization that I could have a job where I was focused on those things while also doing good. John Hayes ’91 was working in the development office at Holy Cross and I was lucky to have him become a mentor to me while I was leading the senior class gift effort. After talking a bit about what I was looking for in a career, John thankfully connected me with Cyndi (Carton) O’Brien ’93, leading to my first interview and job at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & The Jimmy Fund and starting me on my career path at the intersection of companies and causes coming together to drive better business and greater good.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was a member of the track & field team, helped start the Gateways summer orientation program, served as senior class president, and did two Spring Break service trips with Habitat for Humanity among other activities. Each gave me an opportunity to make long-term friendships, build my skills at being part of and leading teams, and managing the busy schedule gave me a great head in adjusting to the workplace.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a psychology major with a minor in art history. Neither were directly related to my career path, but in hindsight I do think they both taught lessons about what it means to be human. The liberal arts education and academic rigor at Holy Cross also really helped me to develop into a creative thinker, a clear & concise writer, and hopefully a life-long learner.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

In addition to the critical thinking and writing skills, I think building relationships across so many different groups of people including fellow students, teammates & coaches, professors & administrators, and future students and their parents through all of my activities really helped me. It forced me out of my comfort zone and made me much more comfortable in my own skin. That ability to connect with others has been critical as I have pursued more public and people-oriented jobs in fundraising, marketing and communications.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

I would advise students to be patient and kind with themselves. There is so much pressure in today’s world to live up to your own and others expectations. To find the right job, to be successful, to present yourself in a certain way.  Building a career and a life for yourself is something that happens gradually over time, not all at once. I was really fortunate to receive some good advice early on to find work that you are personally passionate about with people who can help you learn and grow. I’ve tried to follow that throughout my career and it has worked out very well for me.
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Meet Alumna Meg Ayers ’17, Transaction Manager at CBRE

Name: Meg Ayers

Class Year: 2017

Title: Transaction Manager

Organization Name: CBRE

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail? 

I manage global real estate portfolios for large corporations.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

It was an industry I was familiar with through family and family friends. I attended real estate panels at HC and leveraged my connections and reached out to Alum in the industry to facilitate conversations about what working in Commercial Real Estate was like. I learned it was a very fast paced business which is what I was looking for. After realizing I thoroughly enjoyed talking with everyone I met I decided to pursue an internship in the industry to decide whether or not it was something I wanted to do for a living.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus? 

I played on the women’s lacrosse team, participated in the pre-business program, and was an active writer for GoHolyCross.com as well as HerCampus.com.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a psychology major and participated in the pre-business program. I really enjoyed my classes and professors in the psych department but through my participation in the business program I realized I wanted to take a corporate career path. I think majoring in psych made me realize I wanted to be in an industry that was client facing and relied on constant interaction and problem solving.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?  

I think HC puts a big emphasis on using the alumni network both in school and when you graduate. When I was looking for an internship and determining what type of industry I wanted to pursue it was really the honest conversations with different alumni that helped shape my path. Now being on the other side I continue to seek out and connect with HC grads in my work and love to give advice and feedback to HC students looking to learn more about the industry.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today? 

Talk to people! I had no clue what I wanted to do after school but was able to connect with lots of great people who gave me perspective on different career paths. Be open to different industries to learn what you might like and dislike.
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Meet Alumna Caroline Ambrose ’19, Production Assistant at MSNBC

Caroline Ambrose ‘19

Title: Production Assistant, All In with Chris Hayes

Organization Name: MSNBC

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I manage the show’s social media accounts, create clips to publish online, and coordinate the show’s on-air graphics.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

During the summer before my senior year at Holy Cross, I landed an internship at NBC Nightly News through an HC alumna who was a senior digital producer there at the time. I had always been interested in digital media, and I found that I really enjoyed the intersection of social media and journalism. I loved how each day offered a new and exciting opportunity to tell a story. I also loved the collaborative and supportive environment that NBC News fostered.

After my internship, I stayed in contact with HR and some of the people I worked with at NBC News, and I  leveraged those connections to interview for the position that I have now.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

Writer’s Workshop, Study Abroad, Digital Transgender Archive, Admissions Senior Interviewer/Greeter, Class Gift Committee

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

As an English major, I knew I wanted to pursue a career where I could exercise my creativity and fulfill my interest in story-telling. This left me with a lot of options, but it also helped narrow down what I did NOT want to do.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

I think my liberal arts education at Holy Cross encouraged me to approach the unfamiliar with openness. As a Production Assistant, I’ve had to learn a lot of new skills on the job, and I think HC taught me how to be comfortable with tackling those new challenges head on.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Take advantage of the resources the Career Center has to offer! I had the counselors look over all of my cover letters and resumes, and scheduled plenty of mock interviews with them throughout my time at HC (including when I was abroad).
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