Meet Alum Riccardo Camarra ’01, Senior Software Engineer at GSN Games

 

Name: Riccardo Camarra

Class Year: 2001

Title: Senior Software Engineer

Organization: GSN Games

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

Development of services that provide our players with a persistent and fair online gaming experience.
2. What were you involved in when you were on campus?
I had several jobs during my tenure. Everywhere from food services to professor’s assistant. I was also involved in the push to recognize CS as a minor, working closely with professors on various directed projects once I ran out of actual CS courses to take.
3. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?
Math was my major, along with a concentration in computer science. As far as how it affected my career decisions, it was probably more the other way around. I already knew I wanted to get into programming from an early age, so my focus had always been on math and CS.
4. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?
My first entry into professional programming actually came during my tenure at HC, and it was very much due to an “unplanned event”. It was the last day of my freshman year and I was handing off my very last final, which just so happened to be for my CS class. The professor’s door was closed, so I slid the take home assignment underneath. I started heading out, being more than ready to start my summer and decompress. Before I got too far though, my professor opened the door and called me over. He said that a local company was partnering with the college in order to offer a summer programming internship, and that he was asked to recommend some of his students. My professor handed me the info and I thanked him for considering me. Though I contemplated throwing out the info into the trash on my way out (I know, but like I said, I was already looking forward to a summer of vegging out!), I quickly realized that this was the opportunity that I had been waiting for. It was a chance to get some real world experience doing what I love, and I couldn’t pass it up. So I went for it, I got the job, and the rest is history. While the internship wasn’t in the video game industry (it was actually a biotech company), it was instrumental, nonetheless, in my personal growth and development as a professional programmer, and ultimately gave me the experience and the confidence that I needed in order to pursue my dream.
5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?
Besides the obvious technical math and CS skills that I learned throughout my time there, which are, of course, relevant to any job in the tech industry, Holy Cross taught me many interpersonal and collaborative skills that are just as important in order to advance and succeed. In the video game industry in particular, we are constantly collaborating with others from different disciplines, whether it be art, production, QA, marketing, etc. People with varying backgrounds and experience, working out of offices in different parts of the world, each with their own business culture and practices. As a liberal arts college, Holy Cross exposed me to many different areas aside from my focus on math and technology. That exposure was vital in being able to experience a diverse range of people which encouraged me to keep an open mind and view problem solving from many different perspectives. This skill is essential to what we do. We need to be able to communicate with people on a day to day basis that may not necessarily have the same technical background and mindset, but with whom collaboration is crucial when it comes to solving the complex issues that present themselves throughout the development process.

Meet Alum Richard DiMatteo ’12, EVP/Head of Capital Markets at Highland Electric Transportation, Inc.

Name: Richard DiMatteo

Class Year: 2012

Title: EVP, Head of Capital Markets

Organization: Highland Electric Transportation, Inc.

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

At Highland Electric Transportation (HET), a national provider of EV school bus financing and services, I arrange innovative financing structures for fleet electrification projects on behalf of school districts looking to convert their vehicles to electric.

 

2. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

In additional to course work within the Economics and Environmental Studies programs, I participated in the Student Managed Endowment Fund (SMEF), College Choir and Admissions Office.

 

3. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

As an Economics major, I had interest in how new financing products and business models (specifically in energy) could unlock opportunities and value in traditional markets.

 

4. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

While at HC, I regularly attended events which brought alumni to campus and through that process was introduced to the GE FMP program, my first career move. I was consistently impressed by alumni from GE and decided I wanted the same strong foundation for my own career.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Critical thinking. My broad spectrum of coursework at HC prepared me well to objectively review big picture issues while simultaneously managing details.

Meet Alumna Ashley Loyke ’11, Cuyahoga County Assistant Public Defender, Felony Division

Name: Ashley Loyke

Class Year: 2011

Title: Cuyahoga County Assistant Public Defender, Felony Division

Organization Name: Cuyahoga County Public Defender

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I provide competent, quality legal representation to indigent individuals charged with felonies in Cuyahoga County, who cannot afford an attorney but still maintain a right to one, as promised by the Constitution and Gideon v. Wainwright

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

I always wanted to be a lawyer, although I don’t know why. I was accepted into Ohio State Law, and I was first hired by the Franklin County Public Defender, because I told the interviewers that I had been vomited on as an RA at Holy Cross. I didn’t even really know what public defenders did, and I was hired into the municipal division where I handled DUIs, thefts, assaults, domestic violences, and child endangering cases. It was chaos, but, fortunately, I have yet to be vomited on (I did have a client vomit in court).

The Public Defender’s office is a unique place for an attorney–we all have a certain amount of ruggedness, but also passion for fighting the power, listening to those who ordinary folks would walk past, and giving humanity to individuals that society would prefer to be locked away behind bars without giving them another look. We don’t wear the fanciest suits, and we don’t have the ability to hire the best investigators, or slash and burn in courtrooms, because we have to be in the same courtroom again, tomorrow. We have way too many clients and not enough time. We spend a lot of time in jail visiting clients. We see the dirty, weak, and broken of our society. And we give them a voice. That’s how I knew I was home.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was an RA for two years and also a head RA my senior year albeit a terrible one. I played on the men’s club volleyball team, and ballroom danced. I did SPUD weekly at the Friendly House afterschool program, went on immersion trips, went on and led Manresa retreats, was a Eucharistic Minister, was a member of Alpha Sigma Nu and Eta Sigma Phi honors societies. I also generally made a good amount of trouble.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a Classics major with a minor in philosophy. I always loved tangling with difficult texts and esoteric concepts. That would have made me a terrific commercial property lawyer, but I think Professor Cahoone’s voice teaching me Kant’s categorical imperative stuck with me a little too much–we aren’t the sum of our actions, and rightness and wrongness don’t necessarily depend on the outcome of actions, but the fulfillment of duty. Classics trained my brain, and philosophy trained my heart.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

Ethics and a sense of duty. I could have gotten a good education anywhere. But Holy Cross taught me the importance of fighting for the right cause, standing up for your beliefs, and fighting for your convictions in a way that fair and equitable. I would not have had the strong desire to help the poor if I hadn’t taken Father Reiser’s courses and learned the importance of caring for the lowly and downtrodden. Professor Kendy Hess’s ethics class taught me that ethics means more than just doing the right thing, but doing the right thing for the right reasons. And while the courses I took taught me the theories of being a good person in the world, my campus experience solidified it. Being around so many like-minded, socially-conscious individuals cemented the importance of caring for others in my mind and heart.

I also learned the importance of attention to detail and hard work. Classics is nuanced, and if you miss a verb or noun ending, you completely misunderstood the entire passage you’re reading. All of my Classics professors taught me the importance of slowing down, reading carefully, digesting what you’re taking in, and then making a decision about the importance or significance thereof.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?  

Live with a true, burning heart. Find your passion and throw yourself headlong into it, but don’t take life too seriously. Be a good person. Be kind and gentle with others. Find the activities that make your heart sing. Don’t be afraid to look silly or take a stance that others don’t; we all look silly eventually. Don’t stress about the right career, or the right spouse, or the right house, or the right graduate school. What you choose will be right, because it’s your choice. Above all, if you find something worth fighting for, fight like hell for it.

 

Additional advice for students interested in law:

Indeed, choosing a specialty within the law is incredibly difficult. For this reason, most law schools provide summer internship opportunities and work-study programs which give real-life exposure to different areas of practice. The day-to-day of a public defender looks VERY different from the day-to-day life of, for example, a patent attorney or an estate-planning attorney or an immigration lawyer. In short, there’s no way a 21-year old could possibly know what area of law sparks their interest immediately upon leaving Holy Cross.

That said, the area of law is exciting because it suits well any individual who enjoys reading, writing, talking to others, problem solving, and engaging with difficult concepts. As a classics major, this made my heart sing–Latin and Greek is a set of rules (grammar, syntax, meter, and vocabulary) that apply to different circumstances (Plato, Cicero, Hesiod). It’s exactly like the law. The laws govern, but must be applied to circumstances. You have to do mental gymnastics to make the rules fit your facts. This is also why it’s an adversarial process: two people can come to two different conclusions about how the law applies.

All this is a long-winded way of saying: don’t worry about not knowing exactly what you want to do with your law degree. Take a class in law at Holy Cross to see if you even like engaging with the law, and case studies, and applying case law to different circumstances. if you want to punch a hole in the drywall, don’t torture yourself! But if you find law fascinating, if you enjoy mind puzzles, if you don’t mind listening to people talk about their problems and try to find ways to solve them… you’ll love the law.

Meet Alum Chris Mann ’00, Vice President / Corporate Sponsorships at City Year

Name: Chris Mann

Class Year: 2000

Title: Vice President, Corporate Partnerships

Organization Name: City Year, Inc.

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

My job is to work with major companies on ways to partner with City Year, putting their resources, people and expertise to use helping students and schools succeed.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

I was very interested in sports marketing and event management as a potential career. Doing an internship with the Special Olympics my junior year really opened me up to the realization that I could have a job where I was focused on those things while also doing good. John Hayes ’91 was working in the development office at Holy Cross and I was lucky to have him become a mentor to me while I was leading the senior class gift effort. After talking a bit about what I was looking for in a career, John thankfully connected me with Cyndi (Carton) O’Brien ’93, leading to my first interview and job at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & The Jimmy Fund and starting me on my career path at the intersection of companies and causes coming together to drive better business and greater good.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was a member of the track & field team, helped start the Gateways summer orientation program, served as senior class president, and did two Spring Break service trips with Habitat for Humanity among other activities. Each gave me an opportunity to make long-term friendships, build my skills at being part of and leading teams, and managing the busy schedule gave me a great head in adjusting to the workplace.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a psychology major with a minor in art history. Neither were directly related to my career path, but in hindsight I do think they both taught lessons about what it means to be human. The liberal arts education and academic rigor at Holy Cross also really helped me to develop into a creative thinker, a clear & concise writer, and hopefully a life-long learner.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

In addition to the critical thinking and writing skills, I think building relationships across so many different groups of people including fellow students, teammates & coaches, professors & administrators, and future students and their parents through all of my activities really helped me. It forced me out of my comfort zone and made me much more comfortable in my own skin. That ability to connect with others has been critical as I have pursued more public and people-oriented jobs in fundraising, marketing and communications.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

I would advise students to be patient and kind with themselves. There is so much pressure in today’s world to live up to your own and others expectations. To find the right job, to be successful, to present yourself in a certain way.  Building a career and a life for yourself is something that happens gradually over time, not all at once. I was really fortunate to receive some good advice early on to find work that you are personally passionate about with people who can help you learn and grow. I’ve tried to follow that throughout my career and it has worked out very well for me.

Meet Alumna Meg Ayers ’17, Transaction Manager at CBRE

Name: Meg Ayers

Class Year: 2017

Title: Transaction Manager

Organization Name: CBRE

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail? 

I manage global real estate portfolios for large corporations.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

It was an industry I was familiar with through family and family friends. I attended real estate panels at HC and leveraged my connections and reached out to Alum in the industry to facilitate conversations about what working in Commercial Real Estate was like. I learned it was a very fast paced business which is what I was looking for. After realizing I thoroughly enjoyed talking with everyone I met I decided to pursue an internship in the industry to decide whether or not it was something I wanted to do for a living.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus? 

I played on the women’s lacrosse team, participated in the pre-business program, and was an active writer for GoHolyCross.com as well as HerCampus.com.

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was a psychology major and participated in the pre-business program. I really enjoyed my classes and professors in the psych department but through my participation in the business program I realized I wanted to take a corporate career path. I think majoring in psych made me realize I wanted to be in an industry that was client facing and relied on constant interaction and problem solving.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?  

I think HC puts a big emphasis on using the alumni network both in school and when you graduate. When I was looking for an internship and determining what type of industry I wanted to pursue it was really the honest conversations with different alumni that helped shape my path. Now being on the other side I continue to seek out and connect with HC grads in my work and love to give advice and feedback to HC students looking to learn more about the industry.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today? 

Talk to people! I had no clue what I wanted to do after school but was able to connect with lots of great people who gave me perspective on different career paths. Be open to different industries to learn what you might like and dislike.

Meet Alumna Caroline Ambrose ’19, Production Assistant at MSNBC

Caroline Ambrose ‘19

Title: Production Assistant, All In with Chris Hayes

Organization Name: MSNBC

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I manage the show’s social media accounts, create clips to publish online, and coordinate the show’s on-air graphics.

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?  

During the summer before my senior year at Holy Cross, I landed an internship at NBC Nightly News through an HC alumna who was a senior digital producer there at the time. I had always been interested in digital media, and I found that I really enjoyed the intersection of social media and journalism. I loved how each day offered a new and exciting opportunity to tell a story. I also loved the collaborative and supportive environment that NBC News fostered.

After my internship, I stayed in contact with HR and some of the people I worked with at NBC News, and I  leveraged those connections to interview for the position that I have now.

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

Writer’s Workshop, Study Abroad, Digital Transgender Archive, Admissions Senior Interviewer/Greeter, Class Gift Committee

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

As an English major, I knew I wanted to pursue a career where I could exercise my creativity and fulfill my interest in story-telling. This left me with a lot of options, but it also helped narrow down what I did NOT want to do.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

I think my liberal arts education at Holy Cross encouraged me to approach the unfamiliar with openness. As a Production Assistant, I’ve had to learn a lot of new skills on the job, and I think HC taught me how to be comfortable with tackling those new challenges head on.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Take advantage of the resources the Career Center has to offer! I had the counselors look over all of my cover letters and resumes, and scheduled plenty of mock interviews with them throughout my time at HC (including when I was abroad).