{"id":6179,"date":"2019-06-25T12:17:40","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T16:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/?p=6179"},"modified":"2022-06-24T10:37:07","modified_gmt":"2022-06-24T14:37:07","slug":"going-places","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/going-places\/","title":{"rendered":"Going Places"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Going<\/div>

Going Places<\/h1>
Class of 2019 grads share where they\u2019re headed next, and how Monmouth helped them get there.<\/div>
by Tony MarchettiPhotos by Anthony Deprimo illustrations by John Jay Cabuay<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/header>\n\n\n
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Andrea Mora<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next stop: Tufts University for a Ph.D. in chemistry\u2014on full scholarship. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having the opportunity to do faculty-mentored, hands-on research as a first-year student was one of the main reasons Andrea Mora enrolled at Monmouth. \u201cI thought it would be a great opportunity to start here as opposed to a bigger college, where it\u2019d take longer to get to know my professors and get them to see my passion for chemistry,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since freshman year, Mora has worked in Associate Professor Tsanangurayi Tongesayi\u2019s lab, examining the role heavy metals like lead, chromium, and zinc have on microplastics, and how they affect aquatic environments. \u201cThe overall goal is to look at the effect that they have on public health, because if these toxic metals are sticking onto the microplastics \u2026 they could scale up through our food chain \u2026 or upscale through drinking water systems,\u201d says Mora. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As she prepares to continue her work in water quality research at Tufts, she\u2019s thankful for the opportunities she had at Monmouth, and particularly the chance to work with Tongesayi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t have had anyone better to be my mentor\u2014not just in chemistry, but also as an individual going through the process of applying for grad school,\u201d says Mora, an Honors School graduate who majored in chemistry with a concentration in advanced chemistry. \u201cI\u2019m a first-generation student, so I didn\u2019t really know much about college to begin with. Dr. Tongesayi was a big factor in getting me thinking about grad school and all the possibilities I would have if I were to obtain my Ph.D.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dominique Connell<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next stop: Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I interned in the division of advertising practices within the FTC\u2019s Bureau of Consumer Protection through the Washington Semester<\/strong>. My new job will be as a paralegal in the FTC\u2019s Bureau of Competition, working with antitrust law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monmouth gave me a leg up<\/strong>. Dr. [Joseph] Patten and Professor [Ryan] Tetro talked a lot about the benefits of going to D.C. for The Washington Semester, and how helpful it would be if you want to pursue a career in federal government. Because of the internship, I actually got two job offers from the FTC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I couldn\u2019t have done this without<\/strong> basically the entire political science department. They made sure I did my best even when I thought I couldn\u2019t, and pushed me really hard, so I would not have walked across that stage at Commencement with the accomplishments I have without them. My parents also played a very big part. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m most proud of<\/strong> being an Honors School graduate and making Dean\u2019s List every semester at Monmouth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bruce Wilson<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next stop: Citi Habitats New Development in New York City<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bruce Wilson was 8 when he caught the real estate bug after watching a realtor sell his parents\u2019 house. \u201cI thought it was so interesting that someone could come in, tell you how much your house is worth, do open houses, and then sell it,\u201d he recalls. \u201cAs I got older, I was like\u2014this is actually a career, and I can make a lot of money doing it. It just started from there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After transferring to Monmouth his freshman year\u2014\u201cone of the best decisions I\u2019ve ever made,\u201d says the former student ambassador\u2014he earned his New Jersey real estate license at 19, his New York license at 20, and reached his first million dollars in sales last year. At Monmouth, he cofounded the Real Estate Club and was mentored by two real estate professionals through the Leon Hess Business School\u2019s SEEMA mentoring program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Wilson\u2019s junior year, Jeff Mass, assistant director of career services at Monmouth, helped him secure an internship as an onsite sales coordinator with The Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, a new development company. \u201cIt was the best experience I ever had,\u201d says Wilson, and it directly led to his new, full-time position at Citi Habitats (both companies are owned by Realogy). Since May, Wilson has been living in New York City while working on site at Citi Habitats\u2019 new project in midtown Manhattan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m literally living my dream,\u201d says Wilson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lauren Niesz<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next stop: Comcast-NBCUniversal in Philadelphia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an undergrad, Lauren Niesz took a general education IT class taught by Specialist Professor Jamie Kretsch. \u201cShe took me under her wing and said, \u2018You know, you\u2019re really good at this,\u2019\u201d recalls Niesz. With further encouragement from Kretsch, Niesz picked up an IT minor and, after graduating with her B.A. in English, enrolled in Monmouth\u2019s M.S. in Information Systems program. While attending the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing last fall (thanks in part to a scholarship Niesz secured from Anita B.org on a recommendation from Kretsch), Niesz landed an interview with Comcast-NBCUniversal. She was hired on site as a software engineer in Comcast Xfinity\u2019s testing department. \u201cI think back on all the support I had, and I\u2019m so thankful I was able to create those relationships with my professors,\u201d says Niesz. \u201cWithout them, I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Emma O\u2019Rourke<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next stop: London School of Economics for an M.Sc. in Development Studies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although she entered college undecided on a major, Emma O\u2019Rourke leaves with a purpose, and a passion for a field she might never have considered had it not been for her experiences at Monmouth University. \u201cI was veering toward majoring in business, because it seemed like it would give me the most options,\u201d she says. But a freshman-year political science course, in which she applied theory to real-world problems, hooked her. She discovered a fascination with how politics and economics intersect, and her selection last year for Monmouth\u2019s Summer Scholars Program allowed her to further pursue that interest. She traveled to Guatemala to study how and why environmental factors cause migrants to leave that country, then published her findings in Sigma Iota Rho\u2019s Journal of International Relations<\/em> this spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September, O\u2019Rourke will begin an accelerated master\u2019s program at the London School of Economics, where she\u2019ll be analyzing how and why countries develop the way they do. Even she admits that it\u2019s all somewhat incredible, considering she came to college feeling \u201ca bit lost, basically.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked where she\u2019d like to be in 10 years, she pauses before saying, \u201cThis is dreaming big, but I would love to be working at the World Bank or the United Nations Development Program.\u201d Seeing how far she\u2019s come in four years, it\u2019s not that unreachable of a dream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bernard Rebecchi<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next stop: Deloitte in New York City<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I interned with Deloitte last summer.<\/strong> It\u2019s like a two-month interview: On your last day, you sit down with a partner who tells you if you have a job offer. So I got offered this position last summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My office will be in Rockefeller Center.<\/strong> I\u2019ll be a first-year auditor in the financial services industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll be spending my summer studying for the CPA exam.<\/strong> There are four parts; I took the first two already, and hope to finish by August. Each part is four hours long and requires hundreds of hours of studying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve taken 18 credits every semester since freshman year.<\/strong> Everyone always says, \u201cYou took 18 credits that long?\u201d But I\u2019ve earned my B.S. and M.B.A. in five years and I have a job lined up. You can\u2019t ask for more than that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I may not have won gold on the track <\/strong>but I earned MAAC All-Academic Team honors every season I was eligible at Monmouth. I\u2019m pretty proud of that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The top question every runner gets is<\/strong> \u201cAre you ever going to run a marathon?\u201d and my answer is\u2014no [laughs]. Why would anyone ever need to run 26 miles? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marisa Creta<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next stop: Teaching English in Kosovo with the Peace Corps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went to Nicaragua through Monmouth\u2019s Global Experience Programs<\/strong>. We worked at a school and an orphanage for people with special needs. This experience made me realize the importance of sustainability in developing countries, which is why I chose the Peace Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was also involved in Monmouth\u2019s Peace Corps Volunteer Preparatory Program<\/strong>. This program helps students to get certified with the Peace Corps by gaining necessary experience. The program has sent some members to visit alumni serving in other countries, and educates the Monmouth community on the Peace Corps. I would have never known about it without this program on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I chose Kosovo because<\/strong> it\u2019s such a young country with endless potential. It experienced a genocide about 20 years ago, and they are still rebuilding the country. That\u2019s one of the things that interested me: I am going to have the opportunity to create sustainable projects for the second-youngest country in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m both excited and nervous<\/strong>. It\u2019s hard to move to a different country and start over completely. That part is nerve-wracking. But it\u2019s exciting to have this opportunity, because I will be representing America overseas in a country that many overlook, which is an honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ali Shahine<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next stop: Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla in San Diego <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day after receiving his BSN from Valparaiso University, Ali Shahine moved to New Jersey to enroll in Monmouth\u2019s MSN in Adult-Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program. Shahine, who turned down acceptance offers from both Georgetown and Sacred Heart universities, says Monmouth was a good fit academically and offered him a scholarship, a perk he found to be rare while looking at other master\u2019s programs. \u201cGraduate school can be pricey, so that was a big difference,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That doesn\u2019t mean Shahine didn\u2019t need student loans\u2014he did (though there\u2019s a happy ending to this part of his story as well). He also worked full time as an RN throughout his master\u2019s studies, first at Monmouth Medical Center and later at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City (something made easier by the hybrid nature of his last-semester courses, in which he took class on campus one week and online the following). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shahine says the knowledge base he accumulated from his studies at Monmouth, and the hands-on experience he gleaned through his clinical experiences (as well as working as an RN) \u201ctruly prepared me for the next step.\u201d For now, that step is working as an RN in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (Shahine\u2019s family lives in California). He plans to take his Nurse Practitioner boards this summer, after which he would ultimately like to work as an NP in either cardiology or dermatology, and perhaps teach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and about those student loans? By scrimping and saving\u2014and working a lot<\/em> of overtime at the hospital\u2014Shahine paid off both his undergraduate and graduate student loans before graduating this May. \u201cI\u2019m debt free, done with school, and I have a job,\u201d he says. \u201cThank you!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nicole Sivetz<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next stop: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for a Ph.D. in biological sciences <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Nicole Sivetz begins her Ph.D. studies at the Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) this fall, it will be a homecoming of sorts for her. Last summer, Sivetz participated in CSHL\u2019s highly selective summer undergraduate research program. \u201cCold Spring is kind of like the Mecca, or Disney World, of molecular biology,\u201d says Sivetz about the world-renowned institution, which is home to eight Nobel laureates. \u201cPeople from all over the world come there to teach courses, share the latest in their research, and \u2026 make decisions about policies that involve research development. It\u2019s a place that has its finger on the pulse of what goes on, and it was my dream to go there to learn.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sivetz, an Honors School graduate who majored in molecular biology and chemistry at Monmouth, worked on cancer-related therapies in the labs of Professors Martin Hicks and Massimiliano Lamberto. She says being able to do hands-on, mentored research beginning in her freshman year \u201cdefinitely gave me an advantage\u201d when she applied to CSHL\u2019s Ph.D. program. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful to be leaving this place [Monmouth] knowing that I left no stone unturned and that I took advantage of everything this place had to offer me,\u201d says Sivetz. \u201cI\u2019m not afraid for what\u2019s next. I feel very prepared.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jackson Pope<\/h2>\n\n\n

Next stop: King\u2019s College London for an M.A. in Conflict, Security, and Development<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The professors who helped me the most were<\/strong> Dr. [Ken] Mitchell, my Model U.N. advisor; Dr. [Saliba] Sarsar [\u201978], my thesis advisor; and Professor [Ryan] Tetro, who teaches legal studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they all played a role<\/strong>. I could walk into any political science professor\u2019s office and be like, \u201cHey, I\u2019m working on this. Do you have any suggestions or help?\u201d and I\u2019d get a response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You get out of college what you put into it<\/strong>. I was co-president of the Political Science Club, interned with the Peace Corps through the Washington Semester, and was on the Mock Trial team and Model U.N. It\u2019s all about building connections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d be crazy not to be nervous <\/strong>about going to London for grad school, but I\u2019m also very excited. It really is a multinational, multicultural city. And there are so many international organizations that operate out of there, and Europe too, so if you want to get into this field, it really is the logical choice to get your degree there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 10 years I would like to be <\/strong>somewhere where I felt that I was making an impact in people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Class of 2019 grads share where they\u2019re headed next, and how Monmouth helped them get there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":6329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"image_focus":"","hide_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"thumbnail":"\"\"","catString":"Features","issue":"Summer 2019","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6179"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16001,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6179\/revisions\/16001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}