Alumni pay it forward to Skidmore students
Skidmore alumni remain deeply committed to the College and are helping current students and recent graduates to build their own creative career paths.
Together with the Career Development Center, Skidmore’s dedicated network of alumni offer Skidmore students career advice and unique opportunities to build professional experience, participate in internships and enter a range of professional fields.
“Our most critical resource in helping students is our alumni network,” said Kim Crabbe, associate dean of student affairs for career development. “We arrange employer tours, networking events, mentorship opportunities and recruitment possibilities thanks to the genuine care, support and interest of our alumni connections.”
The ways that alumni have connected with students are as diverse as their industries and majors.
Amy M. Munichiello&Բ;’94 of Ernst & Young, who is also chair of career and professional development for the Alumni Association Board of Directors, has led impactful recruitment initiatives that have resulted in internships and annual hires at the global accounting firm.
Joshua Boyce '81 of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Jon Brestoff Parker '08 of Washington University of Medicine in St. Louis and Carly M. Goldstein '10 of Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University regularly recruit research assistants in the medical field from Skidmore.
Other alumni, including Marisa McCullough ’13 of UBS and Brenda Calle ’16 of J.P. Morgan, have spoken to students about ways to leverage their liberal arts backgrounds in fields such as investment banking.
Dana Naberezny ’95, Bennett Beutel ’16 and Caite Canfield ’19 in the Tiffany & Co. Jewelry Design and Innovation Workshop.
Dana Naberezny&Բ;’95, vice president of Tiffany & Co.’s Jewelry Design and Innovation Workshop and colleague Bennett Beutel ’16, a management and business major and engineering technician, participated in an exclusive Tiffany recruitment day organized by the Office of Alumni Relations and the Career Development Center.
“I love the idea of being able to give back to the school that formed my foundation,”&Բ;Naberezny&Բ;’95 said. “I wouldn’t be the jewelry maker I am today without Skidmore.”&Բ;
At the campus event, they met Caite Canfield ’19, who spent a summer as a model maker and designer with the company.
“Dana looked for Skidmore students with dreams because she knew she could help make them a reality,” said Canfield. “I was amazed when she said, ‘Let me give you a kickstart, get you on your feet, offer you an incredible internship and take you under my wing.”
Natalie Jew ’23 learned valuable skills from a number of Skidmore alumni during an internship with the New York City-based startup Cadence, led by founder and CEO Stephanie Hon ’16.
Stephanie Hon ’16, founder and CEO of Cadence, a New York City-based startup that offers an innovative alternative to single-use travel-size bottles and plastic bags, has become a role model to students like Natalie Jew ’23, who interned as a communications associate with the company.
From discussing ideas and strategies with Hon, to getting life and career advice from public relations consultant Sophie Dodd ’16 of People magazine and learning programs from operations consultant Emily Manges ’16 — both part-time contributors at Cadence — Jew has also learned the value of Skidmore’s supportive alumni network.
“Steph has been a really great mentor and someone to look up to. A lot of Skidmore people reach out to her for advice as a CEO, and she tries to answer each one because of how much Skidmore has given to her,” said Jew, a double major in management and business and English at Skidmore. “In one summer, without having done anything in business before, I was in weekly meetings with the CEO, presenting to the entire company and working with publications from Forbes to Parade, People and Us Weekly. I don’t know any person my age who gets to do that.”
Tech entrepreneur and former Bitly CEO Mark Josephson ’94 sees the time he takes to mentor current Skidmore students as simply returning some of what he gained at Skidmore.
“I have benefited so much from my Skidmore experience,” he said. “I met my wife here at Skidmore. I followed my brother to Skidmore. I got my first job from Skidmore. And I have the best friends in the world, lifelong friends that I made here at Skidmore.”
Now more than ever, Josephson understands the importance of guiding soon-to-be graduates as they embark on the next phase of their life.
“I think it is essential for Skidmore grads to look out for each other and to give back to each other,” he says. “I view my interaction with the Skidmore community as a commitment that I made ... when I came to campus for the first time. Skidmore doesn't start on your first day and end at graduation. It is a lifelong relationship.”
