Students shadow alumni and parents across range of industries Twitter
By Stephen Wilson
For some students, January might be a break between terms, but for nearly 300 Lafayette students it became a career-defining moment as they shadowed alumni and parents in a range of industries and work environments across the region and country.
Organized by Gateway Career Center, January externships are two- to five-day career exploration opportunities that give students a chance to try on a career.
“Students are immersed in daily activities,” says Melissa Schultz, senior associate director of Gateway Career Center, who coordinates the program. “Our hosts support these students by answering their questions and providing an inside look into a particular field. It truly helps students evaluate whether or not a certain career holds a potential future for them.”
From Massachusetts to Georgia, Ohio to California, Leopard alumni, parents, and friends of the College rolled out the red carpet. Here is a glimpse inside a few of the locations.
Novità Communications
A public relations and marketing company targeted to fit the needs of the domestic and international architecture/design community.
Manhattan, N.Y.
Hosts: Danielle McWilliams ’04, senior vice president along with Christine Abbate ’85, principal; Abby Perham ’16, account executive; and Bianca Buecklers ’19, junior account executive
Extern: Iyana Eubanks ’21
Activities: Externs sit in on client calls, in-person client and internal team meetings, and, in some cases, client events and/or trade shows. In addition, externs contribute to account work, such as drafting pitches, setting up email blasts, conducting research, and writing press releases.
Soundbites:
New York State Supreme Court
A trial court where each of the five NYC counties is a separate judicial district, divided into civil and criminal term.
Bronx, N.Y.
Host: Honorable Robert Johnson P’20, Bronx Supreme Court, Civil Term
Externs: Mallory Brown ’22 and Melissa Niles ’21
Activities: They discussed law, law school, Judge Johnson’s career path, and prepared for cases on the calendar by reading motions and opposition papers, observing hearings and case arguments.
Soundbites:
Langan Engineering
A company that provides an integrated mix of engineering and environmental services in support of land development projects, corporate real estate portfolios, and the energy industry.
Lawrenceville, N.J., Parsippany, N.J., and Doylestown, Pa.
Hosts: Andrew Chun ’12, project scientist, and Emily Clark ’12, project engineer, along with 21 other alumni (and one current intern) scattered across 36 offices
Externs: Maura DiGuglielmo ’21 and Liszeth Rodriguez-Meza ’21
Activities: Externs toured various offices and met with several teams including environmental, geotechnical, site, civil, traffic, and geospatial. Each team showcased how a client’s challenge was met with a comprehensive solution that drew on collaboration across disciplines.
Soundbites:
Olympus
A global medical technology leader, passionate about the life sciences, industrial solutions, cameras, and audio products that make people’s lives healthier, safer, and more fulfilling.
Bethlehem, Pa.
Host: Krista Ortwein ’05, senior manager, community affairs, along with seven other alumni
Extern: Clarissa Faustin ’21
Activities: The extern shadowed the community affairs role to see how Olympus strives to be “True to Community” by understanding how a socially responsible company integrates community affairs work into its culture and gives back to the communities where its employees live and work. The days included one-on-ones with representatives from different departments to gain an understanding of how business units work together successfully.
Soundbites:
Nuance Communications
A company that specializes in speech-enabled human computer interactions (HCI) and works as the leading integrator of these solutions for the largest companies in the world.
Mahwah, N.J.
Host: Kyle Kotch ’09, manager, professional services, along with nine other alumni
Externs: Basit Balogun ’21, Cameron Downey ’22, and Mei Ting Leong ’21
Activities: Externs shadowed several people on customer-facing calls and met with alumni from each of the roles that support the software development lifecycle, including software engineering, UX design, quality assurance, speech and data science, and project management. Additionally, they got to interact with the latest and greatest tool sets from R&D and meet senior leaders in various software engineering roles.
Soundbites:
SEARCH Learning Group
A comprehensive applied behavior analytic program based on a collaborative effort between clinical staff and families.
Warren, N.J.
Host: Jessie Dello Russo ’14, director
Extern: Isabella Stoto ’22
Activities: All externs observe the full-time instructor/data analysts who work directly with learners with autism.
Soundbites:
Summit Medical Group
The largest, private multispecialty medical group in New Jersey, with a 42-acre flagship health care campus and more than 70 satellite offices across five counties.
Berkeley Heights, N.J.
Host: Whitney Gaydos ’96, lead physician assistant, along with seven other alumni
Externs: Brinton Coombs ’20, Grace Donato ’22, and Isaiah Osei-Gyening ’22
Activities: Externs shadow physician assistants (PA) and other health care team members in various departments and settings, observing hospital rounds, admissions and discharges, office visits, procedural exams like stress tests, interactions across coordinated care teams. Externs also attend daily lectures with staff and witness live cardiac surgery from Liberty Science Center’s amphitheater.
Soundbites: