As members of the Class of 2023 turn their tassels from right to left and move into life after South Mountain, see where a few of them are headed, the journey to that amazing outcome, and how the folks at the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) helped along the way!
Isabel Lavine ’23
Biology with a Psychology Minor
Destination: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Position: Medical Student
Journey: Lavine came into Lehigh undecided as to her career path despite her interest in pre-med. When students were sent home due to COVID-19, it helped her to realize the important role of healthcare workers — their dedication, sacrifice, skills, research, and advocacy. Her admiration for her grandfather, a pediatrician, combined with her interest in her biology and chemistry coursework made clear that medicine was the right path. So she decided to go all in.
During her sophomore year, she was back on campus, but all classes were virtual. She had time as she navigated life in her bubble, so she began to volunteer at St. Luke’s University Health Network. At the same time, she was trained as a phlebotomist and worked at St. Luke’s where she drew blood and performed EKGs with a range of patients, from a few days old to 102 years old.
As a junior, she participated in a semester-long biomedical externship that had her rotate among specialties and shadow a variety of physicians. She met with Lehigh’s Health Professions Advisory Committee, which evaluates students to determine if they are ready to apply to medical school. She undoubtedly got the green light, and began a rigorous Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) study schedule.
The actual exam has four 90-minute sections and is administered on a Saturday over the course of seven-and-a-half hours. She replicated those factors 10 times, going to the library on weekends and taking practice exams. Eleven times is a charm — she also participated in a CCPD-administered mock exam with Lehigh Valley partner colleges.
When application season opened, she applied to 18 programs. Over the course of the first semester of her senior year, she was invited to six interviews with program leaders. She earned five acceptances. She was thrilled to enroll at Jefferson in a city she calls home.
Role CCPD Played: Lavine worked with Autumn Moser, associate director of the Pre-Health, Pre-Law, and Pre-Graduate Study program, on school lists, a personal statement, and interview prep. When Lavine was accepted, Moser shed tears of joy.
Amaya Smith ’23
Finance with Business Information Systems and Africana Studies Minors
Destination: Uber
Position: Strategic Finance Analyst Rotational Development Program
Journey: The Los Angeles native came to Lehigh and played volleyball for the Mountain Hawks for three years before medical retirement. But her hustle off the court was also solid. It began in the summer after her sophomore year when Smith held a remote internship at PwC in LA. Over eight weeks she learned about the various service lines in the company and was invited to return the following summer as part of the audit team.
Rather than jump at that opportunity, she instead spent the summer after her junior year at EY in LA. Smith conducted IT audits as part of the tech risk consulting team. While it was fun to be in the office and build relationships, she still didn’t feel like the work was the right fit.
She wanted to work in finance, so over the fall of her senior year, Smith began a robust application process and interview schedule. She had offers at several wonderful firms but ultimately selected Uber for a few key reasons. She wanted to be in New York City, and Uber headquarters is at the World Trade Center — the heart of the financial district. Uber also has her doing the work she is most passionate about — financial planning and analysis of the different lines of business — while also getting to rotate through teams … and enjoy the benefit of some rides to work! Landing the role wasn’t easy, with multiple rounds of interviews along with a presentation to leaders, but she knows it was worth the journey.
Role CCPD Played: She relied on CCPD for help with her resume prior to her PwC internship. “The team at CCPD were always visiting my classes to help us,” she says. She took advantage of mock interviews, assistance with her elevator pitch, and development of professional skills. “Coming to Lehigh involved a learning curve, but I found the best parts and tapped into the support that I needed to succeed,” she says.
Thomas Scaringella ’23
Accounting with Fintech Minor
Destination: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
Position: Audit Associate
Journey: Scaringella came into Lehigh unsure if he wanted to study accounting or finance, so he did some of both, learning the core principles in each and then layering on the tech skills that are so vital in today’s market with classes in computer science, artificial intelligence, and business information systems. As he has built his professional network, people see his fintech minor as a competitive edge.
As a sophomore, he estimates he applied to 100 companies, wanting to get his foot in the door before his upper-level courses began. He landed a 12-week remote opportunity at Dell Technologies. The Infrastructure Solutions Group he was on had students from Canada, Texas, and Denver. Together they worked on a business promotion playbook that would assist both the engineers and sales team. The work demanded skills in supply chain, finance, marketing, and operations. “It was very valuable as I learned a broader range of skills, how to be part of a team, and be comfortable with presenting key findings to upper management,” he says.
Leadership like that seems part and parcel of who he is as he was inducted into Beta Alpha Psi, the honor organization for financial information students and professionals, and elected vice president for the accounting club.
He began to prepare in earnest for his next summer internship early, knowing which firms he wanted to explore. He earned five offers from top firms and jumped at the chance to be at PwC. That summer, he worked on the Banking Capital Markets team. It was hands-on as the team prepared a Q2 release for a large-credit client, analyzing financials and reviewing financial reports. Prior to ending that summer experience, he was given a return offer, which he signed before the start of his senior year. “It was such an honor and a relief, given the last six months in the market,” he says.
He didn’t let his senior year slide though. He worked on a research project for two professors, collecting and analyzing National Labor Relations Board data. His capstone team had him work on a compliance project analyzing ChatGPT-derived loan offers for a major bank. It’s no wonder he received the Robert H. Mills Outstanding Accounting Major Senior Award.
Role CCPD Played: As Scaringella began his search for internships in his sophomore year, COVID-19 impacted how recruiting worked and experiences were delivered. He prepared for that reality by meeting with CCPD to review his resume, assist with his cover letter, become familiar with Handshake, conduct mock interviews, and get some career advice. Scaringella attended dozens of events to build his network and skills.
His coach, Christine Russell, even returned a call in the evening while he was at an airport and unsure of which internship to accept and which to turn down and how such a decision could impact his future. Russell also helped him figure out the credits needed so he could be CPA eligible at the time of graduation … which, of course, he did by taking seven courses over two summers.
Jouny Zedan ’23
Computer Science with a Business Minor
Destination: Amazon
Position: Software Engineer
Journey: Zedan left Syria amid the country’s civil war at age 15 and settled in Allentown among a sizable Syrian community. Three years later, he began his academic career at Lehigh. During his sophomore year, he started a bit too late in the game to land an internship but was very pleased with a Mountaintop fellowship. He assisted Joshua Agar, assistant professor of material science and engineering, with research by building backend tech that could store blood cell images classified by type.
By his junior year, Zedan actively began looking for an internship in the fall. He got hundreds of applications out there but gained the most traction when he attended the Career Expo. “I got to know the recruiters, which led to several interviews,” he says. He totally froze in the first interview but used it as a learning experience.
He improved those skills and soon earned a few offers. He spent his summer in Seattle for 12 weeks working at Amazon. His success during that experience led to his offer. He’s excited to move out there after graduation where he will work on a team that supports customers’ orders.
Role CCPD Played: He went to CCPD during his sophomore year, seeking help with his resume through multiple visits to Career Lab. That’s when he also joined Lehigh Connects, the exclusive career platform for Lehigh students and alumni. On the platform, he conducted mock interviews with alumni and got some good referrals. He took advantage of several career events hosted by CCPD, including the Career Expo, and reached out to his career coach when he had to make a decision from multiple offers and negotiate salary.
Bailey Romano ’23
Finance
Destination: Deloitte
Position: Risk Practice Analyst
Journey: Romano pushed herself, aiming for an elusive internship following her sophomore year. It was a tall order prior to starting her upper-level coursework. She nabbed a spot at the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center where she spent a week in California and worked in a virtual environment. She met many people from many companies and narrowed down her field by learning what she wasn’t interested in. She was interested in the big four firms, knowing each brought a variety of clients and opportunities for learning and growth.
During her junior year she attended a Deloitte event on campus where she met Joe McGrath ’04 ’05G. That personal connection helped her make a crucial connection with the team in Deloitte. She spent the summer at Deloitte in New York City where she focused on a compliance metric inventory project for a major client. Her teamwork and focus that summer paid off — prior to wrapping up the summer internship she was offered a full-time role. Of course, she accepted it. Following graduation she will have an office in Rockefeller Center and offer project-based consulting in compliance to numerous clients.
Role CCPD Played: Romano attended dozens of events during her four years including information sessions offered by employers to build her connections and learn about companies. She met constantly with her coach at CCPD. “Christine Russell became a true mentor,” she says. Russell, director of career education, answered questions and helped at each stage along the journey. “She was very excited for me when I received my offer,” she says. Romano also received good guidance from Marina Odierno, associate director of professional development in the Undergraduate Programs Office at Lehigh Business, when Romano worked as a student leader there.
Emma Chiusano ’23
IDEAS with Concentrations in Biocomputational Engineering and Biochemistry
Destination: Sanofi
Position: Vaccines Industrial Affairs Rotational Development Program
Journey: Medical school has been in Chiusano’s plans for years, which is why she attended a pre-med high school and pursued the pre-med track at Lehigh. From the get-go, she was actively trying to find her strengths and better know what to pursue.
During her first year, she looked at recently published manuscripts posted on the wall in the Psychology Department and emailed each professor listed to see if faculty needed any help with research. That initiative paid off as she helped one professor code interviews for a study.
The summer before her sophomore year, she focused her energy on an engineering project that eventually became a new campus renewable energy club. As a sophomore, she applied and was accepted to the Iacocca International Internship Program and was slated to spend time in Croatia, but COVID-19 grounded those plans. She was still able to do some virtual work for the project.
Prior to her junior year, she became a patient care associate in the neurology unit at St. Luke’s University Health Network. Later that year, she became certified as an emergency medical technician and joined the Lehigh University EMS where she often conducted COVID-19 tests. Her work in the medical space helped her to realize that what she wanted to pursue was not in direct patient care.
Being president of the Rossin Junior Fellows may have helped point her in a different direction. Prior to her senior year, she went to California as part of the summer program through the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. For a few days she met with startup leaders. Right before she was to then head to the Netherlands as a part of that program, she caught COVID-19 and had to isolate. But she was able to participate with Lehigh’s Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise and travel to Denmark and later published a paper based on that venture in the university journal Perspectives.
Through all of this journey, Chiusano realized that she likes the inventive nature of medicine and the research involved in it. Seems the perfect fit for Sanofi where she will rotate through several teams including vaccine manufacturing and quality assurance engineering.
Role CCPD Played: She spent a lot of time at CCPD, mostly working with Autumn Moser, associate director of the Pre-Health, Pre-Law, and Pre-Graduate Study program. Thanks to CCPD, Chiusano dove into Lehigh Connects and Handshake and took advantage of mock interview sessions, resume workshops, and dozens of pre-health workshops.
Daniel Kim ’23
Mechanical Engineering with an Aerospace Engineering Minor
Destination: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)
Position: Engineering Technician
Journey: During his junior year, Kim began applying for internships. In the spring, he landed one in the public sector: PennDOT. He spent the summer in Harrisburg conducting material tests on concrete. He would make concrete and adjust a variety of factors including the weight, temperature, and air content. He also split sand particles.
Beyond this work, he also focused on building interpersonal relationships. He will do that even more in his starting role as he rotates among teams: surveying, drafting and designing, construction and materials inspection, and traffic control and planning. Each rotation will help him build foundational skills and see what team and role best suits him. “I’m excited to work at the district office in Allentown, remain close to home, and enter this next stage of life,” he says.
Role CCPD Played: Kim learned about the career center through a first-year class for engineering students and then continued to connect with it all four years. Kim worked with CCPD to evaluate and improve his resume as well as prepare for interviews.
“The practice sessions I had with CCPD prior to interviews helped me to minimize mistakes and get better,” he says. The staff also gave him good pointers on where to find specific job postings for careers in his areas of interest.
Annalise Davis ’23
Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE) and Industrial Systems Engineering
Destination: FTI Consulting
Position: Health Solutions Consultant
Journey: While Davis had requirements to attend career fairs and resume reviews from her degree program, she was active regardless. It began with a summer remote internship after her sophomore year at Boston Scientific where she focused on global value process improvements. During the summer following her junior year, she had an in-person internship at B. Braun Medical where she worked with the continuous improvement team.
Davis knew she wanted to work in the healthcare sector rather than industrial or manufacturing. When she became a finalist for the role at FTI, Davis moved through two interviews prior to receiving an offer. At the same time, she had other interviews and offers. But she knew FTI was the right fit. She will be working with device manufacturers to improve their processes and efficiency with FDA regulations.
“I am really excited to work and live in the Washington D.C. area and about all the ways the position aligns with my interests in healthcare and process improvement,” she says.
Role CCPD Played: Davis tapped all of the options available to her: meeting with her CCPD coach, joining Lehigh Connects and building relationships with alumni on the platform, forming networks across a variety of events, improving her LinkedIn profile, attending all the career expos and consulting days, and leveraging the activities in IBE. When the offers rolled in, CCPD also helped as the interview process wound down with evaluating offers, seeking deadline extensions, and negotiating salary.
Madison Hernandez ’23
Earth and Environmental Sciences with an Environmental Studies Minor
Destination: Penn State
Position: Master’s of Geosciences in Applied Hydrogeology
Journey: Going to graduate school was not in the plan when Hernandez began her classes as a first-year student, but that changed as she dove into research and field work. It started following her sophomore year when she participated in the STEM Summer Institute, a 10-week research-intensive training program.
She conducted research for Joan Ramage Macdonald, associate professor, earth and environmental sciences. Hernandez studied the distribution of an air pollutant called PM2.5 across the Lehigh Valley by placing purple air sensors in locations and gathering their data. “Working with technology in the local area was a very interesting experience,” she says.
The summer after her junior year, she joined Lehigh University Field Camp, a selective program that offers motivated earth scientists an opportunity to participate in intensive field training and discovery. Hernandez visited Idaho, Wyoming, and South Dakota and worked alongside Steve Peters, associate professor, earth and environmental sciences, on a geo mapping project.
She continued what she began there as she worked on the weathering of clay minerals in Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon for her senior honors thesis. Honors are no surprise for this member of Phi Sigma Pi, a national honor fraternity. Applying the science matters to her, so rather than study in graduate school how the world around us formed, she is interested in how we are informing the world around us, specifically in our water systems.
Role CCPD Played: She turned to CCPD for help with her resume, and as graduate school application deadlines loomed, she sought assistance with a personal statement.