In this episode, Joe Mercadante speaks with NYU alum and freelance writer Candice Lola about knowing what you’re worth on the freelance market, cultivating an authentic presence on social media, building a team of people who support you, and the changes Candice has noticed since the resurgence of Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020.

Candice Lola is a freelance politics and culture writer, her specialty being deep research dives into sociopolitical phenomena. She is currently based in New York City, where she also writes horror stories, annoys her dog, and cooks way more food than she can eat. Find her on social media @candice_lola across all platforms and check out her blog at candicelola.com.

In this episode, Carrie Pennoni speaks with Monefa Anderson — an alumna of the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and the Rory Meyers College of Nursing — about returning to school, leaning on your professional network, the importance of mission-driven work, and finding focus and clarity after a job loss.

Monefa Anderson is a graduate of the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and the Rory Meyers College of Nursing and has over 20 years of health care experience. Monefa is board certified as a gerontological nurse specialist and nurse executive, advanced standing. Her current position is Director of Operations at NY Market at Cityblock Health, where she oversees the clinical care teams and ambulatory care sites for Cityblock members in NYC.

In this episode, Miriam Miller speaks with Ruzmyn Vilcassim about being an international student at NYU, the differences between industry jobs and faculty positions at universities, tips for landing your first role on a research team, and how to improve your chances of receiving grant funding.

Ruzmyn Vilcassim (PhD, MS) is an assistant professor at the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from New York University in Environmental Health Sciences (Exposure Assessment and Health Effects) focusing on air pollution exposure and its associated health impacts. He has previous work experience in environmental pollution prevention, climate change impacts on vulnerable populations, and sustainable agriculture at environmental non-profit organizations, both in Sri Lanka and internationally.

In this episode, Lily Smith speaks with NYU alum, Allison Emanuel, about teaching high school during the coronavirus pandemic, the process of building confidence as a teacher, and the inspiring perseverance she witnesses every day from her colleagues and her students.

Allison Emanuel is a New York City based high school Social Studies teacher. She currently teaches at Herbert H Lehman High School, a large urban high school in the Bronx. Ms. Emanuel earned a B.A. in History from New York University, and an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University. When she's not teaching, she enjoys walking her Great Dane, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her family. 

In this episode, Sarah Rosenthal speaks with NYU Journalism School alum, Lisa Setyon, about her experience as an international student, the challenges of full-time freelancing, using social media as a professional tool, and the importance of bringing more diversity into the newsroom. 

Lisa Setyon is a journalist who works as a producer for FRANCE TELEVISIONS in Washington D.C. She has previously worked as a freelance multimedia journalist in Paris, France and as an Associate Producer at ABC News. She completed her Master’s in Journalism at New York University and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).

In this episode, Miriam Miller speaks with NYU alumnus, Dr. Richard Orbé-Austin, about the paths that are available in the field of psychology, navigating difficult conversations with parents and loved ones around changing your career path, and what it takes to launch a private practice. You can read more about his work in executive coaching and consulting at https://www.dynamictransitionsllp.com.

Dr. Richard Orbé-Austin is a psychologist, executive coach, and a founding partner of Dynamic Transitions Psychological Consulting LLP, a career and executive coaching consultancy, based in New York City. He earned his PhD in Counseling Psychology from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education and his BA in Psychology from NYU. He is a TEDx speaker and the author of the book Own Your Greatness: Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life (Ulysses Press, 2020), co-authored with his partner, Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin. 

In this episode, Carrie Penoni speaks with Michael Hengerer about staying organized while applying to law school, building and maintaining a professional network, and identifying the early signs of imposter syndrome.

Michael Hengerer is a J.D. candidate at Fordham University School of Law. He worked at Goldman Sachs from 2017 to 2020 after briefly working in advertising sales. Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts from New York University in May of 2016. He currently lives on the Upper West Side and spends free time running, cycling, and cooking. 

For a full transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

In this episode, Sarah Rosenthal talks with Tanya Gupta about dealing with professional rejection, creating your own website, and the exciting intersection between STEM and the arts.

Tanya Gupta is an Indian-American artist, engineer, and entrepreneur. During her undergraduate tenure, Tanya co-founded a female-led startup company, completed 2 co-op rotations with NASA resulting in a patent, and spent a term as a teaching assistant at Stanford University — all while being an NYU Admissions Ambassador and Resident Assistant. She is also a multimedia artist who has worked with brands like Tom Ford Beauty, Bliss, and Adolescent Content. Tanya is now a full-time Hardware Developer and XR (Mixed/Extended Reality) Engineer at IBM.

For a full transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

In this episode, Joe Mercadante speaks with CUNY professor, Kristina Verade, about publishing articles in the competitive world of academia, tools for time management, and keeping sane when you’re managing a hectic schedule.

Kristina Varade is an Associate Professor of Modern Languages at BMCC, CUNY and is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at University College, Dublin's Humanities Institute. She is an alumna of NYU (MA), the Graduate Center, CUNY (M.Phil; Ph.D.) and Mount Holyoke College (BA). Her scholarship includes Anglo-Irish travel writing concerning Italy, contemporary fiction from Italy and Ireland, and Irish Dance/Cultural Studies. She has published in Irish Studies Review, New Hibernia Review, Annali d’Italianistica, Forum Italicum, etc. Among Dr. Varade’s most recent publications is a book chapter on the cellphone in Italian fiction in the volume,Posthumanism in Italian Literature and Film (Palgrave, 2020) and a chapter regarding consumer culture and the fragmented subject in Patrick McCabe’s Ireland (Rodopi, 2018). Dr. Varade has been awarded additional research fellowships at Trinity College, Dublin and at Marsh’s Library, Dublin in Fall, 2020 for her interdisciplinary research.

For a full transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

In this episode, Diana Mendez talks with Gabby Royal about finding companies that celebrate your identity and align with your values, balancing full-time corporate work with owning a consulting business, and turning a passion for diversity and inclusion into a career.

Gabrielle Royal (she/her) is an inclusion, diversity, and equity strategist and NYU GSAS alumna. She currently serves as the Global Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Abercrombie & Fitch Co., leading the strategic vision for diversity for all four lifestyle brands: Abercrombie &Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks in North America, EMEA, and APAC. She is also a small business owner, founder of Inclusion First Consulting. Prior to her time in the fashion industry, she was the Vice President of Campus Diversity Recruiting at Citigroup working to push boundaries on Wall Street and the financial services industry.

For a full transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].