Welcome to the Season 3 finale of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career.

In this final episode, host Beth Gionfriddo, Career Coach at Nichols College, is joined by Charlie Robert—former Nichols Athletic Director, faculty member, mentor, and trailblazer in collegiate athletics.

Charlie shares her career journey through higher education and athletics administration, reflecting on her experience as a student-athlete, her leadership philosophy, and what it was like to be one of the early female Athletic Directors at the college level. Together, we discuss the evolution of women’s leadership in sports, the importance of mentorship, and what students pursuing sport management or athletics careers need to understand about both the business and human sides of the field.

And a note from Charlie about working in Sport:

• Learned skills are transferable 

• Network = TEAM (together everyone achieves more) = Develop strong Life Skills AND…     
• Volunteer!! The NCAA functions due to professionals volunteering their time to serve on committees and you Get to meet the greatest colleagues & learn sooo much!

Rember: Talent x Investment + Strength – CR

This episode is full of insight, perspective, and advice for students, alumni, and anyone interested in leadership, athletics, or higher education.

Thank you for listening to Season 3—we hope this conversation sends you into the summer inspired and motivated.

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, I reconnect with Paul Angelucci, whose career pathn highlights the value of persistence, reflection, and embracing a non-linear professional journey.

Paul currently serves as an Embedded Counselor for Residential Well-being at Virginia Tech while also working as an outpatient counselor with National Counseling Group. In addition to his clinical work, he contributes to his community through service on the boards of several nonprofit organizations.

Throughout the conversation, Paul reflects on how his experiences in residence life, student leadership, retail management, and higher education helped shape the skills he now uses in counseling and mental health work. He discusses how leadership roles such as being a Resident Assistant helped develop communication, crisis response, and interpersonal skills that translate directly into clinical practice.

The episode also explores the role of self-concept and limiting beliefs in career development, the process of pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, and the steps required to become a licensed outpatient therapist.

Paul offers thoughtful advice for students who feel uncertain about their career path, emphasizing that success often comes from stacking experiences, staying open to growth, and trusting the process while continuing to take meaningful action.

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career I talk with Bill Keefe, a retired police sergeant and former Criminal Justice faculty member at Nichols College.

Bill has spent years helping students prepare for law enforcement careers, including conducting mock interviews and coaching candidates through some of the most demanding hiring processes in public safety. In this conversation, he shares an inside look at what criminal justice students can expect when applying to law enforcement roles.

Listeners will learn about the key stages of the hiring process for local police departments and federal agencies, including written exams, oral board interviews, background investigations, and psychological evaluations. Bill also explains how law enforcement interviews differ from traditional job interviews and why integrity, decision-making, and professionalism are heavily evaluated.

Throughout the episode, Bill provides practical strategies for preparing for scenario-based interview questions, researching departments, demonstrating maturity and sound judgment, and avoiding common mistakes candidates make during interviews.

This episode offers valuable insights for any criminal justice student preparing for competitive law enforcement hiring processes.

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, I’m joined by Aisling Dowling, a Nichols alum and former Student Government Class Officer, who has built an exciting career in professional sports by taking strategic risks and saying yes to new opportunities.

Aisling shares her journey from being a General Business major with a Sport Management concentration to starting her career in sales with Fenway Sports Management Group in Boston. We talk about what motivated her to make a major move from Massachusetts to Las Vegas, where she worked with the Vegas Golden Knights, and how that transition helped her grow into partnership-focused roles within professional sports.

We chat about how college experiences, student leadership, and internships prepared her for the sports industry. The role of sales as an entry point into professional sports careers. And how networking helped her build relationships and her career.

This episode is especially valuable for students interested in sports management, professional sports, sales, partnerships, and business roles within athletics, as well as anyone considering taking a career risk to pursue long-term goals.

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, I’m joined by Nicole Gawlik, an alum whose career journey spans the Disney College Program, hospitality and luxury hotels, sports entertainment, and Human Resources. Nicole currently works as an HR Manager in the wine and spirits distribution industry, where she leads people operations and recruitment. 

Nicole shares how her career evolved over time, including what first sparked her interest in HR and how early experiences, especially the Disney College Program, shaped her professional mindset. We talk about the transferable skills she developed through hospitality and customer-facing roles, and how those skills prepared her for leadership in HR.

We also explore:

• What students should know about the Disney College Program before applying

• Lessons learned from working in hotels and luxury hospitality
• Her experience with the Savannah Bananas and the power of fan engagement and culture
• Key skills needed for success in recruiting and HR management
• Common misconceptions about HR careers
• How internships, seasonal roles, and early jobs can help clarify career direction

Nicole offers thoughtful advice for students interested in HR, recruiting, hospitality, entertainment, or people-focused careers, as well as encouragement for those still figuring out their path.

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career we talk with Nichols College alum Irving Eggleston ’18, a Senior Audit Analyst at CVS Health.

Irv discusses his path into the accounting profession, what drew him to audit work, and what a typical day in his role looks like today. He shares how his early experiences after graduation helped shape his understanding of the profession and the skills that helped him grow into leadership responsibilities.

Throughout the conversation, Irving also offers insight into the realities of the accounting field—explaining why the profession is about much more than numbers, how technology continues to transform the industry, and why communication, adaptability, and relationship-building are critical for success.

In addition to his professional journey, Irv reflects on his outstanding basketball career at Nichols, where he was a two time Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Year and later inducted into the Nichols Athletics Hall of Fame. He shares how the discipline, teamwork, and leadership he developed as a student-athlete continue to influence both his professional work and his involvement in coaching and player development today.

This episode offers valuable insight for students interested in accounting, business careers, and student-athletes thinking about how to translate their competitive mindset into career success.

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career I sat down with Tim Power, a Nichols alum and former Graduate Assistant who has gone on to build his career with Discover Central Massachusetts.

Tim shares his professional journey after graduation and discusses how his role has allowed him to combine strategy, sales, and relationship-building while working to promote tourism and economic development across the region.

Throughout the conversation, Tim reflects on the experiences that shaped his career, the importance of networking and mentorship, and the skills that helped him transition from student to professional. He also offers practical advice for students who may feel uncertain about their career paths and explains why sales and relationship-building skills are valuable in almost every industry.

If you’re interested in learning how networking, adaptability, and professional relationships can shape your career journey, this episode offers helpful insights for students, recent graduates, and emerging professionals.

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, I’m joined by Billy O’Malley, a 2011 Nichols College graduate who now serves as the Regional Director of Marketing at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Nevada.

Billy walks us through his career journey after graduation, sharing how his path evolved from early professional roles into leadership in sports, events, and venue marketing. We discuss what his current role looks like day to day, how his background in Sport Management and sponsorship activation translated into event marketing and venue operations, and the lessons he learned by growing into each role along the way.

We also explore talk about Internships, campus experiences, and early roles he has had as well as the skills that are most critical for success in sports and entertainment marketing.

Bill shares thoughtful, practical advice for students and emerging professionals interested in sports marketing, event marketing, sponsorship, and venue operations, along with actionable steps students can take now to move closer to their goals.

In this episode I’m joined by Marissa Bastian, who works in the education sector and previously served as the Director of Tutoring at Nichols College.

Marissa shares her career path and offers a candid look at her recent experience going through a layoff and job search. We spend time discussing practical, real-world advice for navigating uncertainty, staying organized during a job search, and approaching the process with intention and resilience.

This episode is especially valuable for students and early career professionals interested in education, ed tech, student support roles, or anyone who wants honest insight into the job search process.

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, I’m joined by Oscar Chavez, a Career and Transfer Counselor, for an engaging and insightful conversation about careers in higher education, student support, and practical career development advice.

Oscar shares his career path across multiple areas of higher education—including admissions, advising, and career services—and explains how those experiences shape the way he supports students navigating academic decisions, transfer pathways, and career exploration. We discuss what his dayto- day work looks like, the skills that matter most in student facing roles, and how professionals continue to grow in an evolving career landscape.

Oscar also shares the value of mentorship, reflects on influential people in his own career journey, and offers encouragement for students who may feel behind oruncertain about their future.

This episode is especially valuable for students who are exploring majors or are looking for realistic, supportive guidance as they plan their next steps.