Alumni Aloud

Melissa Wansin Wong received her PhD from the Theatre and Performance program at the Graduate Center. She is now the Director of Institutional Relations at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in New York City.

In this episode of Alumni Aloud, Melissa tells us about her path into the nonprofit world, finding a work culture that fits you, and the benefits of identifying mentors outside of academia.

This episode’s interview was conducted by Carly Batist. The music is “Corporate (Success)” by Scott Holmes.

Brooke Bryant received her PhD from the Graduate Center’s Musicology Program. She is now Director of Development at the Kaufman Music Center.

In this episode of Alumni Aloud, Brooke talks to us about what it means to work in development, the skillsets graduates have that can help them pivot into the field, and what some of the best practices are for activating your network.

This episode’s interview was conducted by Sarah Hildebrand. The music is “Corporate (Success)” by Scott Holmes.

Charlotte Gartenberg received her PhD from the Graduate Center’s Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures (LAILAC) program. She is now a freelance writer, editor, translator, and podcast producer based in New York City. She is the executive producer of Get the News with Gretchen Carlson.

In this episode of Alumni Aloud, Charlotte talks about her experiences as a freelancer and discusses how she established and marketed her services, networked her way into contractual jobs, and found a passion for podcasting.

This episode’s interview was conducted by Carly Batist. The music is “Corporate (Success)” by Scott Holmes.

Eric Knudsen earned his PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the Graduate Center and is now a Lead Researcher at LinkedIn.

In this episode of Alumni Aloud, Eric Knudsen talks to us about how he uses data to help people find fulfilling work and companies improve their employees’ experiences. He also discusses the importance of following up with employers during the hiring process and current trends in employee burnout connected to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This episode’s interview was conducted by Sarah Hildebrand. The music is “Corporate (Success)” by Scott Holmes.

Lauren Reches earned her PhD in French from the Graduate Center. Her dissertation focused on regional French gastronomy in the early 20th century. She is currently the National Sales Director at Skurnik Wine & Spirits, an alcohol import and distribution company headquartered in NYC.

In this episode of Alumni Aloud, Lauren tells us about finishing her dissertation while beginning a career. She also talks about the diverse range of backgrounds represented in the wine industry and the importance of conferences (especially now that many are virtual!) for professional development.

This episode’s interview was conducted by Carly Batist. The music is “Corporate (Success)” by Scott Holmes.

Kyle O’Donnell received her Master’s in Linguistics from the Graduate Center. She now works as an Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA) Analyst at Synchrony, a consumer financial services company. Kyle also previously worked on Amazon Alexa as a data process expert.

In this episode of Alumni Aloud, Kyle tells us about the power of articulating your transferable skills, the intersection of linguistics and technology, and being open to different opportunities.

This episode’s interview was conducted by Carly Batist. The music is “Corporate (Success)” by Scott Holmes.

This is a special edition of Alumni Aloud that was recorded at our virtual STEM Postdocs panel in April 2020. Our panelists are Kriti Kalpana and Deepak Menon, who both earned their PhDs in Biochemistry at the GC, and Miruna Ghinia Tegla, who earned her PhD in Biology at Babeș-Bolyai University in Romania. At the time of the panel, Kriti was a postdoc at the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute; Deepak was an oncology postdoc at the University of Maryland, Baltimore; and Miruna was a biology postdoc at CUNY’s City College.

In this episode of Alumni Aloud, our panelists tell us about the journey from PhD to postdoc, including their suggestions for navigating the postdoc application process. They also talk about the benefits of customizing your postdoc experience to align with your future goals.

This episode’s interview was conducted by Carly Batist. The music is “Corporate (Success)” by Scott Holmes.

Kathleen Wallace earned her AuD in Audiology from the Graduate Center. She is now a clinical audiologist at the New York Otolaryngology Group and an adjunct assistant professor at the Graduate Center.

In this episode of Alumni Aloud, Kathleen shares what it's like to work in a clinical field. She also talks about the importance of networking and the many career paths audiology graduates might take.

This episode’s interview was conducted by Sarah Hildebrand. The music is “Corporate (Success)” by Scott Holmes.

This is a special edition of Alumni Aloud that was recorded live at our Careers in Nonprofit Research panel in October 2019. Two of our panelists, Samuel T. Frank (PhD Earth & Environmental Sciences) and Eli Lansey (PhD Physics), are alumni of the Graduate Center. Our third panelist, Laura Ricciardi (PhD Applied Developmental Psychology), is a graduate of Fordham University. At the time of this recording, Samuel was a climate curriculum researcher at the Billion Oyster Project, Eli was a researcher at Riverside Research, and Laura was a research associate at Metis Associates.

In this episode of Alumni Aloud, the panelists talk about their experiences in the nonprofit world and what sets nonprofit work apart from industry and academia. They also touch upon the different types of application materials (e.g., writing samples, technical talks) required for nonprofit research jobs, as well as the importance of translating technical, scientific reports into understandable and relatable content.

This episode’s interview was conducted by Abbie Turner. The music is “Corporate (Success)” by Scott Holmes.

Uday Madaan earned his PhD in Biology from the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental subprogram at the Graduate Center. Uday is a Scientific Sales Representative in Cell Media at STEMCELL Technologies.

In this episode of Alumni Aloud, Uday tells us about how interviewing and hiring processes differ between academia and industry. He also discusses the transferable skills from grad school that translate well to sales positions and the importance of building a long-term professional network.

This episode’s interview was conducted by Carly Batist. The music is “Corporate (Success)” by Scott Holmes.