Careers Unfiltered

Nick Colucci is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Publicis North America and Executive Chairman of Publicis Health, a major healthcare communications company. He received his B.S. in Neuroscience in 1981 and was also a football player and a brother of Delta Kappa Epsilon. Nick then went on to complete his MBA from Loyola University Maryland in 1990. Take a listen to hear Nick share how careers and life are not linear and how his professional life took him down many different paths. He explains the importance of trying new things to discover your passions and how it takes time to find what brings you joy. He share the power of meaningful relationships with people you meet along the way, from undergrad to the present, and a different way to be a part of the healthcare industry from a marketing and communications perspective.

Yashika Sharma is currently a second year PhD student in nursing at Columbia University with a focus on cardiovascular health in minority groups. She graduated from the University of Rochester in 2018 with a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in computational biology and earned her Masters in nursing from Columbia University in 2020. She shares her experience as an international student navigating undergrad to graduate school and discovering which path to take in the medical field. As well as sharing some of her extracurricular activities and her work in on-campus labs and reminisced about some of her favorite study spots and places to check out in Rochester.

Oscar Lopez Hidalgo started playing squash when he was a kid in Mexico and fell in love with it. It influenced him to choose a college that offered squash and came to the University of Rochester where he earned his BS in Psychology in 2013. He completed his MS in Human Development from the Warner School of Education in 2016 and is now a Squash Professional at Genesee Valley Club and is also a volunteer Assistant Squash Coach at the U of R. Hear about Oscar's love for squash and how his passion for the sport became his career choice. Oscar shares the challenges of balancing being a student athlete and his experience as an international student at the U of R. He also shares some great recommendations for places that students can check out in Rochester.

Sofia Saravia is an Index Data Product Manager at Nasdaq working on identifying products that the company should build out. Sofia is an international student from Mexico who graduated from the University of Rochester with a B.A. in Financial Economics and a minor in mathematics in 2016. She shares how she pursued both her artistic and creative passions along with her love for economics while in college. Sofia shares how she discovered her passion in product management and what that she is responsible for. She also provides tips on how she took ownership of her internship at Nasdaq that eventually led to a full-time offer.

Amina Shareef is a creative designer who has designed an undergraduate major and also her future career path. She graduated from the University of Rochester in 2019 with a double major in Digital Media Studies and a self-made major in Education and shares her excitement to be a guest on the podcast she helped in its infant stages. She continued her studies at Kent State University in Ohio to earn her MFA in Visual Communication Design where she also acted as an Adjunct Professor. Some of her career goals include working in the industry, eventually teaching at the college level, and perhaps even owning her own business. Meanwhile she is working for her father's business, freelancing, and creating drawings on her Instagram account @ handivity. Amina shares how all of her experiences link back to her portfolio, where she gets inspiration from, and how completing her masters during the pandemic was a different, but insightful experience.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away Steve Blank graduated from the University of Rochester in 2007 with a B.A. in Film and Media Studies with a concentration in post-production. During his time at Rochester, he also had the opportunity to study abroad in London! His career journey has taken him to Nickelodeon as a Coordinator and Manager in Marketing, working on shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Legend of Korra, some temp work, and eventually finding his passion at Lucasfilm where he is now the Director of Franchise Content and Strategy, working across teams and storylines. Steve shares how he's been able to find a community at Lucasfilm leading the Lucas Pride employee resource group, creating and supporting projects and initiatives he finds personally meaningful. He also explains how taking the time to discover his career path was full of important learning opportunities and the joy of finding a great place to work. We hope you enjoy this episode!

Professor Joanna Scott has been at the University of Rochester since 1987. She is the Roswell Burrows Smith Professor of English at the University of Rochester and the Director of the Literary Arts Program. In addition to teaching, she is also a critically acclaimed author of several novels and short stories. You may find her teaching courses in fiction writing and modern and contemporary literature. Tune in as Professor Scott discusses what it's like to have a career in writing, the importance of collaboration, and so much more.

Professor Danielle Presgraves is an Assistant Professor in the Biology department at the University of Rochester. You can find her teaching courses that she wish she could have taken in undergrad: Intro to Programming for Biologists and Biostatistics. Tune in as she shares her journey throughout her career as a first-generation college student hailing from Canada to finding her true passion at the intersection of math and biology. In addition, she shares how taking time before graduate school was helpful for her, gives advice on how to put your best application forward, and the power of saying "yes."

In this episode of our faculty series we have Professor Allen Topolski. Allen has been at the University of Rochester for over 25 years in the Art & Art History department. You can find him in courses like Markings, Methods, and Materials, Visual Production, and Senior Studio and Seminar. Tune in to hear how Allen found his passion of art and how he transformed it into a career to teach students to think creatively. He also shares his experience as a first-generation student, his favorite place in Rochester, and some advice you can apply to your own college experience.

Professor Pablo Sierra is an Associate Professor in the History Department and the Advisor for the Latin American Studies minor at the University of Rochester. You can find him teaching Colonial Latin America, Modern Latin America, History of Latin America through Soccer, and Captives: Past, Present, and Future. Tune in to hear how Professor Sierra discovered his love for history and how that became a source to explore Mexican history, culture, and language further. He shares his favorite part of being a professor (hint: the students!) and gives incredible advice on taking advantage of the different opportunities at the University of Rochester. He also dives into why students should attend office hours and a few of his favorite books!

Professor Greg Gdowski has nearly 30 years of biomedical engineering experience and is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester. He is also the Executive Director of the Center for Medical Technology & Innovation which is a program designed for master's students to foster new ideas at the intersection of medicine, technology, and entrepreneurship. In this episode, Greg shares his experiences in both industry and academic settings and how choosing what do next is a difficult decision. He gives clear advice on how to negotiate for a higher salary and to set yourself up for success with the skills and knowledge made during your undergraduate career.

Welcome to the first episode of our special University of Rochester faculty series! We start with Professor Stephanie Ashenfelder who is currently the interim director of the Digital Media Studies program and the Program Advisor for Studio Art at the University of Rochester. Tune in to hear Stephanie share how she ended up in Rochester and how creativity can be applied across all fields. She also shares how when she was in college, a healthy dose of competition helped motivate and challenge her alongside her peers. Some of the courses that you can find her in are Introduction to Studio Art, Design Fundamentals, and the Digital Media Studies Senior Capstone.

Aron Levine graduated from the University of Rochester in 1993 as a double major in Economics and History. After he left Rochester he went to Rhode Island to join Fleet Financial Group and has been in the banking industry ever since. He is currently the President of Preferred and Consumer Banking & Investments at Bank of America, helping meet clients' needs while also creating lasting impact. Take a listen to this episode to hear some of Aron’s advice for making the most of your college days, ways you can prepare for life post-graduation, and how the banking industry is an important force for social good.

At the University of Rochester, Sarah was a college athlete in field hockey and graduated with a B.A. in Health Policy in 2013. She took time be a part of Americorps NCCC FEMA Corps Team in Mississippi for a year. She returned to Rochester to earn her Bachelors in Nursing in 2015 and is currently in the process of receiving her Masters in Public Health. She is also a Registered Nurse Care Manager at Accountable Health Partners in Rochester. Learn how Sarah stayed curious and connected her multiple past experiences and interests together to prepare her for a career in healthcare.

If you love learning about how people think and watching TV, then have you have ever considered a career that combines the two? Eric Steinberg graduated with a degree in psychology and a Certificate in Management in 1986 and made a career for himself in entertainment. He served as Senior Vice President of Research at CBS for 19 years and is currently Media Research and Insights Lead at Whip Media Group. Come find out how his psychology background served him in his entertainment roles, the behind the scenes data analysis to bring shows to life, and which major programs he was a part of while at CBS!

Are you interested in attending medical school, but don't have a traditional STEM background? Wonder how you can take advantage of your time at the University of Rochester? Take a listen to Danae and Casey's chat with Dr. Jeff Le, who graduated with a Bachelors in music and pursued a free fifth year of study in 2007. He attended medical school at the New York Institute of Technology in Long Island and is now a board certified physician and Cardiology Fellow at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. Learn how he discovered his passion in medicine, how music continues to be a source of joy in his life, and what advice he has for any and all pre-med students. Give him a follow at @drjeffle on Instagram!

Jesse Cramer graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2012 and later on his Masters in Mechanical Engineering in 2014. He currently works as a Systems Engineer at L3 Harris Technologies while simultaneously producing content for his personal finance blog, The Best Interest. He shares how he ended up pursuing both of his passions and how there are more similarities between the two than meets the eye. The Best Interest: https://bestinterest.blog/

Alice Fornari is one of the many people who takes care of a museum's artifacts. She is a Collections Program Technician at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History where her undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Studies and Masters in Museology and Museum Studies blend together perfectly. Take a listen to learn how she discovered the museum field as a career, how STEM and humanities can converge, and some fun and interesting stories from her time working at museums.

Do you have a LinkedIn account? Have you made it to over 500 connections? Want to learn how to leverage the platform for career and networking success? Come join our Co-Hosts as they talk with Sidhant Ahluwalia who graduated with a degree in Computer Science in 2018. He has become an advocate of LinkedIn to share his story and connect with likeminded people and shares some of his tips to make it fit your career needs. He is currently a Manager at Silver Line and a Co-Host of his very own career education podcast, Careers Uncorked. Check it out! Careers Uncorked website: https://www.careers-uncorked.com

To start off Season 4 of Careers Unfiltered, we are welcoming our new student Co-Host, Casey Ryu! Casey is currently in the Class of 2022 as an e5 student where she is learning about entrepreneurship and business. She is double majoring in Linguistics and Archaeology, Technology, and Historical Structures with a Certificate in Community-Engaged Learning. She shares her perspective on career building as a student and a wide variety of life experiences from archaeological digs, internships in museums, and study abroad to being the oldest daughter. So take a listen to welcome and meet our new student Co-Host!