ROADS LESS TRAVELED
A NEWSLETTER FOR BDIC ALUMNI AND FRIENDS, 2022
BDIC publishes an alumni-oriented newsletter each year, focusing on new developments in the program; what current BDIC students are doing; a selection of updates from alumni; and news about student research and projects funded by awards from the BDIC Alumni Fund.
NOTE FROM DEAN JOSEPH BARTOLOMEO
DEPARTMENT NEWS
ALUMNI PROFILE
SCHOLARSHIPS
STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS
CLASS NOTES
PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING TO BDIC
In today’s economy, your donation is more important than ever. Your donation will help support student research projects and travel opportunities, career advising forums with alumni, senior celebrations, and, of course, this newsletter. Please consider investing in our students and their future goals.
You can donate online at: umass.edu/bdic/alumni/give. If paying by check, please make check payable to UMass Amherst, with BDIC specified in the memo line of the check, and mail to:
Records and Gift Processing
Memorial Hall, University of Massachusetts Amherst
134 Hicks Way
Amherst, MA 01003
NOTE FROM DEAN JOSEPH BARTOLOMEO
Joseph Bartolomeo, Associate Provost Interdisciplinary Studies
Over the past year, it has been a pleasure to see BDIC students coming to 350 Campus Center Way to meet with Tom, Rebecca, faculty members, and peer advisors. University Without Walls is proud to include BDIC among our academic programs, and on a more personal note, I was impressed and fascinated with the poster presentations by students who completed the fall and spring proposal classes. It was inspiring to see such a variety of creative and carefully mapped academic and career pathways. I am looking forward to the introduction this year of the Interdisciplinary Exploratory Track, which I hope will lead more students to explore all BDIC has to offer. - Joseph Bartolomeo
DEPARTMENT NEWS
DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
BDIC is flourishing! A heartfelt thank you to alumni, students, staff, our administration, and the deep-rooted family and friends of BDIC. Students are flourishing as they develop new and innovative degrees. In 2022, BDIC students were recognized for their leadership on campus with three of the 21st Century Leaders affiliated with BDIC. Our students are winning and finalists for Fulbright Awards, gaining graduate placements at UMass Amherst, Columbia, Babson, and Tufts, and ascending to leadership roles in Fortune 500 companies. We are so proud of all of them. Our current students are pushing the envelope on developing their degrees with rigor and relevance. We have assembled a magnificent and engaged community of faculty scholars to encourage and challenge our students throughout their BDIC curriculum. These faculty now offer courses to engage our students throughout their undergraduate journey. As we continue the journey into the next 50 years of BDIC, we have been given resources to support our students in their academic endeavors, such as new career development, advising, and our great home in 350 Campus Center Way. Finally, we have been supported by alumni giving this year and future giving plans that will provide resources directly to students. Thank you alumni for your giving, thank you faculty for your dedication, thank you students for your vigor and drive, and thank you BDIC staff for all you do for students and BDIC’s future. Specifics to follow in the newsletter! -Thomas Brashear-Alejandro
BDIC 2022 SENIOR CELEBRATION
The Class of 2022 Senior Celebration was held in-person on Saturday, May 14th, in the Campus Center Auditorium. It was wonderful seeing seniors gather with their families and friends on this joyous occasion.
This year as a class, BDIC graduates wore graduation cords of various colors. No single cord could fully capture the diverse imaginations and creations of all BDIC students, so students walked with the color cord of their choice.
STUDENT SPEAKER
Madison Palmer (Biocultural Health and Medicine) was this year’s student speaker.
“My mother once told me that there is a difference between happiness and meaning. In all of you, I see individuals who see between the lines and who will find both happiness and meaning in your lives. I would like to finish with the opening line of Arthur O'Shaughnessy's Ode and something that Willy Wonka whispers in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
‘We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams, wandering by lone sea breakers and sitting by desolate streams.’
I want to thank you all for being here with me today and thank you for your paths of inquisition and paradoxes.”
PROPOSAL WRITING CLASS
The BDIC proposal outlines the rationale for a student’s BDIC major. It is a multi-part document that presents the content, motivation, and background for each student’s individual concentration. This year’s cohort was made up of five sections with a total of 139 students. Students delivered visual presentations of their proposals to an audience of BDIC faculty sponsors, supervisors, current students, and families.
Students delivered visual presentations of their proposals to an audience of BDIC faculty sponsors, supervisors, current students, and families.
ALUMNI PROFILE
RONALD A. ALEXANDER, '73
Ronald A. Alexander, PhD, MFT, SEP is a creativity and communication consultant, and an executive and leadership coach, with a private psychotherapy practice working with individuals, couples, families, and groups in Santa Monica, California. He is the executive director of the OpenMind® Training Institute, a leading-edge organization that offers personal and professional training programs in core creativity, mind-body therapies, transformational leadership, and mindfulness meditation.
NAME: Ronald A. Alexander, PhD, MFT, SEP
DEGREE/GRADUATION YEAR: BA-BDIC 1973
BDIC CONCENTRATION: Humanistic Psychology
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM ATTENDING UMASS AMHERST?
As part of my BDIC experience, I ran the distinguished visiting teacher program, The Self in Transformation. I invited notables Dr. Stanislav Grof, MD; and Stanley Krippner, PhD; Ram Dass; and Daniel Goleman, PhD. Dass is the author of Be Here Now, a classic in the fields of self-help, psychology, and spirituality. Goleman is the esteemed author of the bestselling book Emotional Intelligence. The program was co-sponsored by Room To Move, the student-run drop-in center, and Jack Canfield, the education director of the New England Center for Growth and Development.
HOW DID BDIC PREPARE YOU FOR THE FUTURE?
I was able to receive credit for my work as a lay counselor at Room To Move and received clinical supervision under the guidance of Dr. Seymour Cabin at UMass Health Services. In addition, BDIC enabled me to research and study meditation and yoga with veterans of the Vietnam War and others through the VA hospital in Topeka, Kansas. We were part of the early research teams that used Kirlian photography to study how meditation and yoga were useful in treating PTSD and other mental-health-related issues.
WHAT LIFE AND/OR CAREER ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO RECENT ALUMNI?
I would suggest you pick areas of study that you are curious and passionate about and take a deep dive into the study of these subjects using all five colleges. Go after as much experiential education as you can and obtain as many internships as is possible. Do what you love and enjoy, and everything will fall in its place, and do not do things just because you think you should. Follow your passion, and as Joseph Campbell taught us when he came to speak for the school, “follow your bliss.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR LEISURE TIME?
I love to swim in Maui and Greece, hike, bike ride, and practice yoga and tai chi chuan. I see as many films as I can, visit museums, attend many concerts— from classical music to rock, pop, and Indie music—and travel the world.
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST EPIPHANY, LIFE-DEFINING CHANGE THAT SHAPED YOUR LIFE?
When I transferred to UMass in my junior year, I was on track to earn a BA in business. After my first three months living in the Southwest dorm Moorehouse, I discovered the Project Ten experiential program and I learned about BDIC. It was through Project Ten and BDIC that the doorway to consciousness research opened to me. I found myself on an entirely new path as a young seeker, thirsting and questing for as much knowledge in psychology, spirituality, and consciousness studies as I could drink up. I became an early pioneer as a young psychologist in the fields of holistic and behavioral medicine, creativity consulting, and leadership coaching.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?
I have published two books. My first is Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss and Change, published by New Harbinger in 2009. My newest book, published June 2022, is Core Creativity: The Mindful Way to Unlock Your Creative Self.
SCHOLARSHIPS
UNIVERSITY-WIDE SCHOLARSHIPS
Every year, BDIC students are top recipients of the university’s most prestigious scholarships.
21ST CENTURY LEADERS AWARD
The 21st Century Leaders Award recognizes graduating seniors who are academically accomplished and have enhanced the reputation of the flagship campus. This year, three of the ten award recipients were BDIC students!
Jacqueline Victoria Grundfast ‘22
Biomedical Ethics and Policy
As vice chair of Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG), Grundfast coordinated a highly successful youth voter effort for UMass Amherst during the 2020 election cycle. Consequently, Grundfast was selected to be a presenter on the topic of strategic campaigns for increasing youth voter registration and turnout at a national conference held at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. While an intern for Massachusetts State Rep. Mindy Domb, Grundfast researched and analyzed bills and legislative issues and wrote testimony on several issues on Domb’s behalf. To further prepare for a career in advancing social justice and progress, she will study law with a concentration in corporate law at Brooklyn Law School beginning in the fall.
Elodie Carel '22
Disability Studies
In her wheelchair, Carel had difficulty at first in navigating the UMass Amherst campus. She persevered and not only made her mark as a scholar and student leader but she also embarked on a quest to increase access and destigmatize disability. During her in campus disability activism and culture groups, including Access UMass. She plans to continue her research focused on disability and ableism and earn a doctorate in psychology.
Kanon Kobata ‘22
Sustainable Food Business
Outside of class, Kobata performed cutting-edge research, entered product competitions, led food science student groups, and performed ballet with the student group Alive with Dance. After graduation, Kobata plans to either pursue a PhD in food science or work as a researcher in the plant-based alternative food industry. Her ultimate goal is to launch a food tech company.
THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP AWARD
The Senior Leadership Award recognizes graduating seniors who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to the UMass Amherst community.
Patrick Scanlon, ’22
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Patrick is a highly motivated, hardworking student who has funneled his desire to motivate others into his innovative and entrepreneurial work. Pat has founded student organizations and clubs that benefit both UMass students and the greater community. He has created and established a personal training business in the Pioneer Valley and founded LUG Hockey, a new hockey league within the Mullins center and western mass area, Level Up program, an organization for students with entrepreneurial interests and is the founder and director of the UMass Entrepreneurship Club.
“Since the beginning of my freshman year, I have always been driven to pave my own path and lead/inspire others to be the best they can be. Being someone with a strong drive, I have always had a belief in myself that led me to where I am today.”
Scanlon will be pursuing a master’s degree in entrepreneurial leadership at Babson College this fall.
THE WILLIAM F. FIELD ALUMNI SCHOLAR AWARD
The William F. Field Alumni Scholar Awards were established in 1976 to recognize and honor third-year students for their academic achievements at UMass Amherst.
Matthew Bird ’23
Psychology and Public Health
Bird has mapped out an ambitious innovative college plan combining his pre-medical coursework along with his interest in psychology and research. Bird’s academic achievements go well beyond his exemplary grades and extensive research experience. He is involved in on-campus activities and volunteers in the community.
GERALD F. SCANLON STUDENT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Gerald F. Scanlon Student Employee of the Year Award.
Taylor Martin-Graham ’22
International Business and Environmental Law
BDIC SCHOLARSHIPS
The BDIC program is proud to announce the official recipients of the prestigious Dempsey, Go Get the World, Maia Felisse McDermott Memorial, and the Lewis C. Mainzer Creativity awards. These are all awards created and funded by BDIC alumni and supporters of the program.
THE BDIC GO GET THE WORLD SCHOLARSHIP
Shakhi Begum ’22
Medical Anthropology, Health Policy and Reproductive Health
Applicants are asked the question, “What is your bodacious dream and what's stopping you from realizing it?”
Begum wrote, “A bodacious dream I have is to house all the homeless people in the United States because we are capable of achieving that as a collective nation.”
A creative, explorative, and empathetic student, Begum’s interest in sewing led her to explore the consumer’s role in clothing and sustainability. She created an independent study called sustainable capsule wardrobe, in which a capsule wardrobe consists of a selective number of clothing items that are versatile, timeless, and can pair to make multiple outfits. Begum created sewing patterns and a how-to video for students to create their own capsule wardrobe. In addition to her role as sewing and felt coordinator at the Student Union Craft Center, she volunteers at the Food Recovery Network, Boston Cares, and the Amherst Survival Center.
THE DEMPSEY OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP
The Dempsey Award was created many years ago by BDIC alumni John Dempsey. This is a merit based scholarship given to students to enhance their educational experience by awarding funding for internship and study abroad experiences.
Amrita Adak ‘23
Neurobiology, Behavior, and Lingual Studies
Adak was a facilitator for the Body Project, a project under the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health, and will be an intern for the 2022-23 school year. The Body Project is a prevention program designed to combat negative body talk and decrease risk factors for eating disorders.
Sophia Apteker ‘23
Integrated Marketing Communications
Apteker is interning as a social media coordinator for Sound of Boston, an online music publication that specializes in covering the Boston music scene.
Shivani Devgan ’23
Music Business
Devgan participated in an unpaid internship with the record label Ve. M Entertainment based out of New York City. As the company’s social media coordinator, Devgan’s role was to maintain a Twitter presence for musical artists.
Jeanne Grutchfield ’23
Film Studies
“I will be interning this summer at Church World Services as the media & storytelling intern. The internship will take place in Washington, D.C., through the SBS in DC Summer Internship Program. This internship entails many things, including writing press releases, helping to manage CWS social media, and highlighting the stories of refugee families.”
Sara Picariello ’24
Fashion Marketing and Merchandising
Picariello will be participating in an internship as part of the Summer Merchandising Internship Program at T.J. Maxx.
“Through this internship, I will gain important hands-on experience and learn important skills relating to merchandising. I will learn how to analyze reports and make recommendations, build allocation strategies, and will even be able to go on vendor visits.”
Anna Tempestoso ’23
Sustainable Fashion Merchandising
Tempestoso will be joining ThredUP's team as their community marketing intern. ThredUP is the world's largest online thrift store that is reshaping the future of fashion through uplifting the thrifting community and encouraging people to think secondhand first.
THE MAIA FELISSE MCDERMOTT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
The McDermott award was established in memory of Maia Felisse McDermott, Class of 2010, to support undergraduate students in the BDIC program who can demonstrate how their academic studies and the work they hope to do upon graduation will benefit and inspire other people.
Nicole Brown ’23
The Sciences of the Human Body
Antonio De Leon ’23
Film Studies
Hannah Justice ’23
Deaf Advocacy
Jole Laguda ’23
International Affairs and Justice
Kiana Middleton-Hart ’22
Creative Therapy
THE LEWIS C. MAINZER CREATIVITY AWARD
The Mainzer annual award was designed for a BDIC junior or senior. It is given to students who demonstrate exception thinking in the humanities or political sciences, and whose chosen interdisciplinary course of study reflects a breadth of interests and takes a creative approach in achieving its focus.
Flynn Bryan ’22
Visual and Written Narratives
Flynn Bryan with Lewis C. Mainzer and Charles Hadley
Bryan had the honor of showcasing her art studio to scholarship award donors Lewis C. Mainzer and Charlie Hadley.
“Visual and Written Narratives, to me, is about the stories we use to understand our world, and how they construct our reality. In my time as a BDIC major, I’ve taken classes on race in media, advanced painting and drawing, and the history of manuscripts in both Europe and Mesoamerica.”
Bryan will spend her final semester in San Sebastian, Spain, studying Spanish language, learning Basque folk dance, and surfing “as much as humanly possible.”
STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS
PEER ADVISOR SPOTLIGHT
The BDIC peer advisors are specially selected and trained to support the BDIC program and BDIC students. In particular, peer advisors meet with prospective BDIC students, work directly with proposal students to help them craft their majors, conduct outreach, and support department events.
INTERVIEW WITH A BDIC PEER ADVISOR
SAHANA SULE ’23
Foundations of Healthcare
WHAT IMPACT DO YOU THINK THIS PROGRAM HAS ON THE STUDENTS IT SERVES?
The BDIC program gives students the opportunity to create their own path and allows them to explore everything that the university has to offer. BDIC not only informs but encourages its students to take advantage of resources such as study abroad, the Five College program, and experiential learning through internships and labs. Additionally, I feel like one of the most influential parts of the program is how it forces its students to seek out a faculty sponsor. My faculty sponsor has been so formative to my undergraduate career by connecting me with opportunities I didn’t even know were options for me, and I am so grateful for the BDIC program
WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS TO HAVE PEER ADVISORS?
UMass has a lot of opportunities and classes, but some are less advertised than others and the only way to really find them is through talking with others. Having gone through the process themselves, peer advisors are able to recommend classes or programs that are relevant to the proposal student's path or even help with situations such as how to ask a faculty member to be your sponsor or how to email a professor to get into a course that’s typically only for certain majors.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING A PEER ADVISOR?
I love meeting students for the first time and asking them what their concentration idea is. They usually sit up straighter; their eyes get brighter, and they get so excited when they start discussing the details of their idea and where they want to take their degree. Since the program requires its students to create every aspect of their concentration, you get students who are really passionate about what they are doing and love talking about it with other people.
PORTRAIT OF A 2022 GRADUATE
Jacey Woods ’22
Humanistic Education Design
Woods exemplifies the excellence and spirit of UMass through her commitment to community service, social justice, leadership, and academics.
Woods’ work as the education and training coordinator and campaign member of the Center for Education Policy and Advocacy was the cornerstone to her college career. She engaged in student debt and food insecurity advocacy with messages of student empowerment and social change. She was also a member of the Racial Justice Coalition (RJC), working on projects related to diversity and inclusion as well as police reform and amplification of BIPOC voices in campus decision-making. Woods volunteered for the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group’s (MASSPIRG) Hunger and Homelessness campaign and was a teaching assistant for the Partnership for Worker Education.
“I am additionally very proud of the education I have received at UMass. I didn’t take the traditional route—I am a dual degree student in the Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC) program and in Social Thought and Political Economy (STPEC). I have been enthralled by the overlaps and nuances in these fields, and how to integrate the ideas that I am learning in my classes into my activist work. In the future, I plan to continue my work as a community educator and activist, and eventually go to graduate school to further study education and politics.”
Woods recently began working as an adult education instructor and case manager at Project Place in Boston.
STUDY ABROAD
Kaitlyn Valentinetti ’23
Wildlife Ecology
Costa Rica, Spring 2022
Grace Burnes ’23
Film Studies
Manchester, England, Spring 2022
Anna Tempestoso ’23
Sustainable Fashion Merchandising
London, England, Spring 2022
“For this year's spring semester, I had the absolutely wonderful opportunity to study abroad in London, England, at London College of Fashion. It was incredible to enrich my studies in my concentration of sustainable business practices at an institution that not only heavily values both sustainability and ethics, but currently stands as the leading fashion school transforming the industry's future to be more sustainable. My time in London has been elemental in my pursuit to make much needed change in the fashion industry, and I feel so fortunate and grateful to have had this experience.”
Lucy Hughes ’22
Intercultural Communications
Barcelona, Spain, Spring 2022
“I studied abroad in Barcelona, where I had the pleasure of combining all of my BDIC concentration subjects -- communications, international marketing, and Spanish – and I took on the task of completing an international internship while exploring the city. Through the internship I worked with a communications trainer (we communicate solely in Spanish) and my job is to create social media content in both English and Spanish in order to market his company internationally. Barcelona is amazing, and I am so grateful to have gotten this experience where I saw my BDIC concentration apply to the real world on a global scale.”
CLASS NOTES
Celeste Bailey '11
Medicine for Social Change
“I will be graduating June 2022 from an OB/GYN residency in Maricopa County, Arizona. I am presenting my grand rounds next week and it is a continuation of the work that all started with BDIC!”
Rachel Arlin ’16
Advertising and Consumer Behavior
Arlin has been employed at several advertising agencies working in media planning and most recently at Wavemaker as an associate director of planning.
“I worked across various clients across different industries, such as travel, finance, fashion, CPG, retail, pharmaceuticals, B2B, and government. “
Meghan Bernier ’16
Environmental and Infectious Disease
“I recently graduated from medical school with my Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree and will be completing my residency in emergency medicine at Doctors Hospital in Columbus Ohio!”
Nikki Carrero ’16
Alternative Learning Education
“I went on to Brown University, where I graduated in 2017 with my Master’s of Arts in teaching English secondary education. Since then, I've been working at a regional public school in rural Massachusetts.”
Samantha Collette ’16
Analytics of Marketing Demographics
Collete works with Techtronic Industries (TTI) as the group manager of talent development for ITTI’s office in Anderson, South Carolina. She started as a field sales and marketing representative after graduation, and she is now in her seventh position with the company—having worked in offices in four states..
Rachel Glick ‘16
East Asian Studies
After graduation Glick moved to Japan with the JET Programme to teach English at public schools in the countryside of Hyogo Prefecture. She then began a career in the luxury travel industry. Due to Covid, Glick returned to the United States and to continue her work in the luxury travel industry, advising clients and planning travel itineraries for trips all over the world.
Victoria Montagna-Kostopoulos ’16
Event Planning
“Currently I am putting my event planning degree to good use as the senior conference services manager for Sodexo @ Sanofi. Over the past few months my team and I have been hard at work opening up a brand-new state-of-the-art conference center equipped with 43 meeting & event spaces in Cambridge, Massachusetts.”
Carla Oberst ’16
Science Writing
“Over the two years of Covid lockdown, I returned to school and earned a second bachelor’s degree in art and design from Western Oregon University. I’m currently working for a small marketing company in Oregon and I’ve been volunteering for a local museum on the side.”
Phil Scarfi ’16
Computer and Information Systems Management
With headquarters on Long Island and in New York City, Scarfi’s own startup software consulting agency, Pioneer Applications, continues to see substantial growth. With a wide range of clients from smaller start-up companies to larger organizations such as the Premier Lacrosse League, Scarfi works to bring each client’s app ideas to life. Learn more about Scarfi’s work at www.PioneerApplications.com.
Aria Bracci ’17
Narrative Education
“I've worked as a full-time podcast producer in Boston, then as a freelance reporter for publications like The New York Times, WHYY, and America's Test Kitchen, and offered one-off editing for an oral history project and remote recording support for the BBC. “
Erica Bergman ’17
International Relations with a Focus on Germany
Bergman is the executive assistant/event manager to the Portfolio Management Team at Ares Management, an international investment firm. Bergman has also been a professional dog-sitter on the side for over 6 years now with an extremely adorable clientele.
Mark Lester Chicote ’17
Molecular Neurobiology and Health Sciences
Lester works as a clinical research coordinator in the Neuroendocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital as the primary coordinator for clinical trials that look at the relationship between the growth hormone–insulin-like growth factor-1 axis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Lester is finishing up his studies at Harvard University Extension School and will be applying to medical school with the goal of becoming a physician.
Morgan McCulloch ’17
Music Technology and Composition
“I accepted a position at Sony Interactive Entertainment in fall 2017. I spent a year as the sole audio tester on the quality assurance team at PlayStation Studios, and after that year of learning I accepted the role as audio QA lead. I have now built a full team of 6 leads and testers that works with the sound, dialogue, and music teams across the many studios we partner with to ensure that the audio quality and implementation is presented as cleanly as possible. Within 5 years I have been a part of 13 titles, including God of War, Spider-Man, Death Stranding, and Horizon Forbidden West.”
Elizabeth Tripp ’17
Children's Advocacy and Youth Outreach
After graduating, Tripp moved to Huelva, Spain, to teach English for a year. In 2020, Tripp graduated from Bridgewater State University with a Master’s in Social Work degree (MSW), then was employed as a bilingual counselor for adult and child survivors of interpersonal violence. Tripp is now a case manager for a youth crime prevention program that employs outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and kayaking to aid children experiencing trauma with skill building and in obtaining wraparound support.
Emmi Beuger ’18
International Relations and Human Rights
Beuger graduated with an LLM degree from Utrecht University in the Netherlands in 2019 and is now a third-year law student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, focusing on civil litigation. Beuger is currently a summer associate at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders.
Grace Chisholm ’18
Promotion and Communication Within Public Health
“I'm currently working at a nonprofit startup in Hartford, Connecticut, called Girls for Technology, Inc. as their marketing and communications manager. This organization works to build both gender and race equity in society, but specifically in the tech industry, a field primarily dominated by white men.”
Jackie Cohen ‘18
Global Media and Public Relations
Cohen is a project manager at Insurify, an SEO content marketing startup in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Troy Kowalchuk ‘18
Music Industry Marketing
Kowalchuk is an account executive at M&C Saatchi, where he brings his music and pop-culture experience to brands.
“I currently have a diverse roster of clients including Red Bull, Tinder, Discord, and Visit Iceland. One of my campaigns was actually named one of PR Week's best campaigns of the month, coming in third place, and I am really proud of it.”
Sofia del Valle ’18
Creative Development for Film & Television
Del Valle worked her first industry job as a production assistant on the new Jeff Bridges streaming series, The Old Man, premiering this month on FX on Hulu. In October of 2021, del Valle accepted a job as the assistant to a producer of the first Hollywood feature film to have been entirely shot in Saudi Arabia. She is currently a music assistant on the reboot of the show Behind The Music, which originally aired on VH1 in 1997.
Jillian Manalang ’18
Child Development and Family Sciences
Manalang is a student at Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine – Northwest and plans to pursue work in the field of combat medicine. Manalang was awarded a scholarship from the U.S. Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program and was recently sworn in and is currently serving as Ensign Manalang!
Natalie Slabczynski ’18
Informatics and Language Technologies
Slabczynski recently graduated from Northwestern University with a master’s in data science.
“I’m starting as an analyst, technical solutions, at Cresco Labs! Cresco is one of the biggest vertically integrated cannabis manufacturers and distributors in the country. “
Alex Watson ’18
Buddhist Studies
Watson completed a master’s degree in theological studies at Harvard Divinity School studying Buddhism and is currently in his second year at Smith College for Social Work pursuing an MSW.
Gabrielle Mathews ’19
Community Building for Social Change
In June, Mathews wrapped up her third year of service with AmeriCorps and is starting graduate school in the fall at UMass Boston, pursuing a Master of Arts in conflict resolution.
“In my spare time, I run an abolitionist book club with seven of my closest friends, and I work at a local Boston spin studio called The Handle Bar! “
Etain Pagès, ‘19
BDIC in Sustainable Construction
Pagès is currently an engineer with Turner Construction and is approaching her 3-year anniversary with the company. Pagès’ first project was for the Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex in Allston, Massachusetts.
Jonathan Reardon ’19
Behavioral Science of Interpersonal Conflict
Reardon just graduated from American International College with a master's degree in clinical psychology. He recently worked in an adolescent recovery program and was an intern for an outpatient individual therapy, both with the Center for Human Development.
“I am hoping to serve the veteran, military, and first responder population and those individuals with trauma and anxiety disorders.”
PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING TO BDIC
