MOUNT MADE
RIGHT PLACE ON THE RIVER
MEET THE GRADUATES OF MOUNT SAINT VINCENT More than 17,000 students have graduated from the College of Mount Saint Vincent. Much like you, they came to the Mount full of promise and hope—finding their niche at the Right Place on the River. Here, they prepared to launch their career, not just find a job. Our alumnae/i go on to study at the finest graduate and professional schools in the nation. They become leaders and innovators in the global community—doctors, teachers, lawyers, writers, nurses, accountants, artists, social workers—the list goes on. Our alums are proud to be Mount Made. Here are just a few...
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KELLY MARTIN ’10 COMMUNICATION SVP, Head of Talent Relations & Communications Barstool Sports M.A. | Fairleigh Dickinson University
SATURDAYS ARE FOR THE ALUMS When Kelly Martin ’10 has a goal, she’ll stop at nothing until she achieves it. And that mindset is exactly how she got to be Senior Vice President and Head of Talent Relations and Communications at Barstool Sports—one of the youngest SVPs in company history. 4
Kelly’s playing a significant role in changing the face of modern media. At Barstool, hosts and contributors of shows and podcasts aren’t afraid to make their opinions known, while still sticking to the facts and letting their audiences know what’s happening in the world. As a senior vice president, Kelly’s responsible for managing almost every single talent that represents one of Barstool’s many platforms—something that takes organization, skill, and guts. But before she started to climb the ranks at Barstool—one of the nation’s premier sports and entertainment digital media companies—she launched her career at Mount Saint Vincent. The Mount was the perfect place— the Right Place on the River—for Kelly to study and as she described it: “the stars aligned.” “My mom is a nurse practitioner and the Mount is very credible in her field,” mentioned Kelly. “The College is well-known for its nursing program, and my mom even taught there for many years! She knew that I wanted to work in journalism, so she suggested I check out Mount Saint Vincent.” And with a campus in NYC (that’s located just minutes to Manhattan!), Kelli knew she’d be able to utilize all the resources available in the communication field.
career, and I’m thankful I had such dedicated professors and mentors to guide me along the way.” Getting to where she is today certainly took patience, drive, and dedication, but Kelly has the College to thank for preparing her to enter the workforce and become one of the nation’s top media professionals. “Every day at Barstool is everchanging,” said Kelly. “I don’t think there’s ever been any day that’s the same. I spend most of my time pitching our shows to reps, networks, talent bookers—really anyone who might be interested in picking up one of Barstool’s programs. And then it’s the vice versa too—those agencies will pitch their talent and shows to me, and I’ll decide whether or not it’s something or someone our Barstool shows might be interested in.” As for her next goal? We’re not sure—but we know Kelly’s got some ideas in mind (maybe even teaching some communication classes as an adjunct faculty member *cough cough…looking at you, CMSV Communication Department*). But there’s one thing we’re certain about: Kelly will stop at nothing until she reaches the top.
“The Mount taught me how to communicate— and I don’t mean that just because I was a communication major,” joked Kelly. “Gaining that confidence has greatly helped me in my 5
KAITLIN MCGEOWN ’19 ACCOUNTING Tax Accountant, CPA WithumSmith+Brown, L.P.
CHRISTMAN PERERA ’14 BUSINESS Medical Device Sales Representative Stryker
MALLORIE BOCACHICA ’10 MATH, PSYCHOLOGY, AND TEACHER EDUCATION Principal Leadership Prep Canarsie Elementary Academy M.S. | City College
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KELVIN GENTLES ’05 BUSINESS Director of Development Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York Veteran U.S. Army Reserve
“New York City is the business capital of the world. I appreciated the countless opportunities for quality internships I had at the Mount.”
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DIVINE TABIOS ’04 COMMUNICATION Senior Director of Development Rutgers University, School of Arts and Sciences
“The Mount connected me to the world of fundraising and philanthropy. I was introduced to the CEO of a fundraising/consulting firm at the Scholarship Tribute Dinner and I spent almost a decade with that company before moving into development opportunities in higher education. I owe the Mount my career!”
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JENNIFER BLATUS ’11 OMMUNICATION C AND HISTORY Media Strategist Stu Loeser & Co.
JEROME VILORIA ’16 BIOLOGY Project Connect Coordinator Apicha Community Health Center M.P.H. | New York University
MATTHEW KLINGBEIL ’11 COMMUNICATION roduct Marketing Manager P Spot AI Ph.D. Candidate | Georgia State University M.A. | Hofstra University
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EUGENE TOUSSAINT ’10 HISTORY AND PSYCHOLOGY Staff Attorney Legal Aid Society CEO Attorneys with Swag .D. | St. John’s University J School of Law
ATTORNEY WITH SWAG Eugene Toussaint ’10 has swag—Attorneys with Swag, that is. As a lawyer, Eugene’s goal is to not only advocate for his clients, but to also educate and empower the general public on an understanding of the law. But before diving into his work with Attorneys with Swag, Eugene got his start as a staff attorney in criminal defense practice with the Legal Aid Society, one of the largest and most influential social justice law firms in New York City. The mission of the Legal Aid Society is built upon one simple, but powerful belief: that no New Yorker should be denied the right to equal justice.
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A Bronx native, Eugene paid witness to injustices in his own community— and that’s one of the driving forces behind his desire to launch his career as a public defender. Working in public defense means no two days are ever the same. The fast-paced nature of the courthouse makes his job exciting, and the daily unknown is something that keeps Eugene on his toes. “A typical day for me involves making appearances in court, meeting with clients, preparing cases, and processing arraignments.” Eugene’s always aspired to become a lawyer, and he’s proud to be living out that dream every day. But if it weren’t for the support he received from various teachers, mentors, and advisors along the way—especially at the Mount—he would never have imagined graduating from St. John’s University School of Law in 2014. “I always knew I wanted to be an attorney—even as a child,” chuckled Eugene. “I loved arguing. I loved debating. I loved talking! Pursuing a career as a lawyer seemed like a perfect fit for me, and I worked hard in both high school and college to get myself to where I am today.”
Eugene made it a goal to begin to educate the public on an understanding of the law. He partnered with a group of fellow attorneys to launch Attorneys with Swag. The goal of the organization is to make legal concepts entertaining so they can be more easily digestible and understood by a general audience—not just those who attended law school. Attorneys with Swag accomplishes this mission in two ways: through their YouTube show, Attorneys with Swag, and through their original music. “Founding Attorneys with Swag was an opportunity for me to make a change in my community,” expressed Eugene. “I’m proud to be doing my part by turning entertainment into education.” Even years after his graduation from the Mount, Eugene’s values are still rooted in the qualities of goodness, discipline, and knowledge instilled in him during his days as a Dolphin. And he continues to make an impact today—both on the courtroom floor and in his community.
After spending five years as a public defender, Eugene had a bit of an epiphany moment. After meeting with client after client and seeing some of the same offenders walk through the court system, he realized that there were a lot of things he wished he had known about the law—but didn’t (and he even went to law school!). So, if Eugene was unaware of some of these fundamental facts of the law, how could he expect the everyday citizen to be informed of them? 11
MICHELLE ROSS ’14 COMMUNICATION Reporter PIX11 News
RODCLIFFE WINT ’15 BIOLOGY Associate Dentist Mondovi Dental D.D.S. | University of Maryland School of Dentistry
AMY STANFORD ’10 ENGLISH Head of Content and Social Media Saylor Creative Agency
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NIKKI CHARLESTIN ’16 BUSINESS Resident Director University of Maryland M.S. | University of Wisconsin La Crosse
“Scholarships had a massive impact on my experience as a student at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. As a first-generation college student, I was able to achieve above and beyond what I ever imagined.”
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JAMES VAZQUEZ ’06, ’11 MBA BUSINESS Vice President, Treasury Solutions Officer Bank of America M.B.A. | College of Mount Saint Vincent
“The leadership courses I engaged in at the Mount helped me hone several skills I use in my role today. This has helped me improve throughout my career and supported me in my transition to senior leadership roles.” 14
CHRISTOPHER SUMMO ’15 COMMUNICATION enior Client Account S Manager Twitter
COLLEEN HINTON PUFAHL ’09 LIBERAL ARTS Preschool Teacher Ridgeway Nursery School and Kindergarten M.Ed. | CUNY Lehman
KRISTEN CICCARELLO SCANLON ’13 NURSING, ROTC Captain Labor and Delivery Nurse Manager U.S. Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base M.S. | Liberty University 15
JOY COTE ’12 Chemistry Research Scientist Prelude Therapeutics Ph.D. | Wesleyan University
EXPERIMENTING IN THE LAB— AND THE KITCHEN Joy Cote ’12 sees science all around her. Take, for example, her knack for cooking. Measuring ingredients, mixing things together, changing their chemical compositions—it’s all science. She just has to make sure she doesn’t accidentally add some hydrochloric acid to her tacos… She’ll admit that she was a bit of an anomaly when it came to answering that age-old question of: what do you want to be when you grow up? Joy’s always had a strong scientific curiosity—from preschool to elementary school to high school. And whereas most college freshmen who declare a major in the natural sciences expect to make their way to medical school at some point, Joy always knew she’d find herself in a research laboratory. 16
“Part of the reason I knew the Mount was the right place for me was because of the small class sizes, the dedicated faculty members, and the myriad of opportunities that I would not get at a larger university,” Joy reflected. Her Mount experience and all she gained from it made her transition to graduate school almost flawless, with an offer to study at Wesleyan University in Connecticut right upon graduating from the College. Currently, Joy’s working as a research scientist at Prelude Therapeutics, a clinical-stage precision oncology company focused on discovering and developing small molecule therapies optimized to target the key drivers of cancer cell growth, resistance, and survival. That’s a mouthful—we get it. But, to put it simply, Joy’s using her passion for science and her concern for others to help find treatments for cancer patients around the globe. “In my role, I’m working in the biochemistry end of cancer drug discovery research. Mainly, I’m working to screen compounds and then I look to see how those compounds inhibit the different targets we have in question,” explained Joy. It’s a job she loves and a field that fuels her ever-expanding interest in biochemistry.
was Joy’s invitation to participate in not just one, but two research projects alongside faculty members in the Division of Natural Sciences. That’s an experience that isn’t exactly common for undergraduate students around the country. But at the Mount, there’s an abundance of opportunities for students to engage in groundbreaking, professional research—and even present at national conferences. Joy’s made lifelong friendships with both her peers and professors— keeping in touch with a core group of friends and even running into some of her past professors at academic conferences across the country. That’s what’s so amazing about life at the Mount and beyond—there always seems to be a connection back to Riverdale no matter where you find yourself on the globe. Joy’s career is just beginning, and we know we’ll be reading her name one day after she discovers the key to a successful cancer treatment. Or maybe after she wins a competition on the Food Network. Either way, she’s sure to be cooking up her next experiment either in the lab or the kitchen.
WRITERS
When she doesn’t have her lab coat and goggles on, Joy’s reading up on the latest publications, reviewing relevant literature, and making sure she’s abreast of all the science behind the experiments she’s performing. But reflecting back on her Mount experience, one of the most unique aspects of her time at the College 17
CARLY JENKINSON ’16 PSYCHOLOGY Behavioral Health Technician Bartlett Regional Hospital
NICHOLAS MALIZIA ’17 BIOLOGY Orthopedic Surgery Physician Assistant CareMount Medical Group M.S. | Pace University
RENEE RIVAS ’08 ENGLISH Attorney Law Offices of James H. Rohlfing J.D. | New York Law School
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TIM BECK ’18 SOCIOLOGY Police Officer New York Police Department
“The goodness, discipline, and knowledge the College instilled in me over my four years as a student have helped me flourish in my career by using those values in my everyday work as I strive to make New York City a safer place.”
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KATHY BENITEZ ’16 PSYCHOLOGY Bilingual School Psychologist NYC Department of Education M.Ed. | Long Island University
“The Mount helped me develop leadership and interpersonal skills that have played an essential role in where I am in my career today. I am forever grateful to have been a part of such a tight-knit campus that emphasized the importance of being a member of a community.”
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ARNOLD ROSS ’08 COMMUNICATION Line Producer The Real
JOY SARABOSING ’13 NURSING Registered Nurse, Emergency Department Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital ursing Simulation Educator N College of Mount Saint Vincent .S.N. | Pennsylvania State M University
DARWIN DAVIS ’17 PSYCHOLOGY Occupational Therapist Orlin and Cohen Orthopedic Group .S. | Columbia M University 21
MICHELLE DELA PAZ ’16 BUSINESS Administrative Officer U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Plasma Physics Division
LAWRENCE CAPUTO ’12 COMMUNICATION Manager, Studio Operations Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.
MARIELLE VILLANOBOS ’17 BIOLOGY M.D. | Cebu Institute of Medicine
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STEPHANIE RODWAY ’17 BIOLOGY Physical Therapist Saint Anne’s Hospital D.P.T. | New York Medical College
“The faculty members at the Mount are all so diligently dedicated to each students’ success. Small class sizes allow professors to really get to know their students and help them explore their passions both within the classroom and outside of it.”
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ARE YOU MOUNT MADE? DO YOU KNOW OTHER ALUMS LIVING OUT THE MISSION OF THE COLLEGE? LET US KNOW! MOUNTSAINTVINCENT.EDU/MOUNTMADE OFFICE OF ALUMNAE/I RELATIONS AND GIVING alumnioffice@mountsaintvincent.edu 718.405.3336 COLLEGE OF MOUNT SAINT VINCENT 6301 Riverdale Avenue Riverdale, New York 10471
@MountStVincent