Posted on

Meet Alumna Lizzie McManus Streit ’13, Online Business- It’s a Veg World After All

Name: Lizzie McManus Streit

Class Year: 2013

Title: Self Employed/ Online Business

Organization: It’s a Veg World After All

 

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

I am a self-employed registered dietitian, cookbook author, and creator of It’s a Veg World After All who focuses on nutrition communications and culinary nutrition, providing science writing, recipe development, photography, and video content services.

 

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

Since I went to graduate school shortly after Holy Cross, I didn’t have a traditional employer right away. Instead, I spent the time between graduation and starting my masters program launching my blog, which started as a hobby website where I would showcase the ways I used vegetables from my community supported agriculture (CSA) share. I was definitely inspired by my coursework at HC to become a dietitian and pursue a career in food. One event that sticks out in my mind is a guest lecture that I attended in Fenwick by the professor David Montgomery from University of Washington (author of the book Dirt) on soil health. This lecture, as well as a course about nutrition and psychology offered by Professor Axelson that I took during my senior year, were two key events that inspired me to continue to learn about food systems and the intersections between food production, food choices, and the environment. Starting a blog and pursuing a masters in nutrition allowed me to explore these concepts while building up a portfolio that would eventually launch my career.

 

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

I was the co-chair of the Eco-Action club, a member of the Presidential Task Force on the Environment, and an intern for the Regional Environmental Council in Worcester. I also wrote a thesis in sociology on natural disasters and mental health with Professor Daina Harvey as my adviser.

 

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

I had a double major in Sociology and Environmental Studies. By combining these majors, I was exposed to both social and natural sciences. Having a liberal arts degree before pursuing a masters in science has really shaped how I work as a dietitian now. When writing about nutrition, I am able to understand and analyze scientific studies while also critically thinking about the application of science in real life.

 

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

Reading and understanding scientific studies, public speaking, and writing!

 

6. What advice do you have for students today? 

It’s never too early or too late to start pursuing what you want to do for a career. If you don’t know what you want to do right now, don’t stress! Attend lectures, go to networking events, email with alumni who work in your field of interest, or start writing and reading about topics that interest you.
Posted on

Meet Alumna Lauren Brown ’07, Assistant Attorney General

Name: Lauren Brown

Class Year: 2007

Title:  Assistant Attorney General

Organization Name: Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia

 

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

I work in the Government Contracts Section of the Commercial Division at the Office of the Attorney General, where I represent the District in bid protest litigation and review and negotiate contracts for various agency purchases that include items, such as new fire trucks for the District to working on the contract for a new bridge worth more than $440 million.

 

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?

After I graduated Holy Cross, I went straight to law school, so I didn’t start my job search until I was in law school. I knew I wanted to work for the government in some capacity, so I started applying to positions, but at the time, the legal market didn’t have very many open, entry-level positions. Moreover, I was fresh out of school with no actual job experience (beyond internships). Thus, my first few positions after law school were temporary positions, which provided me with an opportunity to gain work experience and additional skills while I continued my job search for a permanent position.

One of the key themes in terms of events that connected me to my employers has been networking. Even if a connection may not have a job opening right now, it is important to maintain that relationship because you never know when that individual will have an opening in the future or they will hear about an opportunity that they can share with you. I learned about my current position from one of my former supervisors at the Connecticut General Assembly, Office of Legislative Management. My former supervisor was attending a procurement conference in Washington, DC and heard that the Office of the Attorney General was going to be hiring procurement attorneys and she passed the information along to me. I then applied for that position, which is how I learned about my current job. Therefore, it is important to grow and maintain your network and to let your network know that you are searching for a job.

Working in some positions that weren’t necessarily the best fit has helped me realize what is most important to me when I was searching for my current position. What I like most about my current position is working closely with our agency clients to accomplish their goals to improve life for District residents. I also like that my position provides me with a mixture of independent assignments, as well as an opportunity to work on other projects as a team with my colleagues.

 

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

I tutored at the Nativity School of Worcester through SPUD, served as Vice President of the Holy Cross Chapter of Model United Nations, worked as an Article Editor for the Holy Cross Journal of Law and Public Policy, and was a member of the Political Science Student Advisory Council, the Holy Cross College Republicans, and the Investment Club.

 

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

I majored in Political Science and minored in Economics at Holy Cross. I loved majoring in Political Science and took so many great courses at Holy Cross that I knew I wanted to continue my pursuit toward working in the government. I considered getting a master’s degree in public policy, but at the time, I wasn’t sure that was ultimately the area that I wanted to spend my entire career in. After learning about the broad range of careers that people with law degrees have, from practicing law in the traditional sense to being CEOs of companies and everything in between, I decided that going to law school would provide me with more flexibility over the course of my career. Ultimately, the law school I selected to attend also offered a Law and Public Policy Certificate program, so I could still pursue that aspect of my education.

 

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

Some of the most important skills I developed at Holy Cross that I use in my work are the ability to clearly write and communicate, as well as to analyze complex issues and succinctly explain them to others. Also, time management is crucial because on a daily basis I have numerous competing demands that I need to balance in order to meet various, oftentimes short, deadlines.

 

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

I recommend reaching out to Holy Cross alumni to ask if they would be willing to do an informational interview with you. It is a good way to learn more about what their current position entails and the steps they took to get to that point in their career. I’ve met with numerous alumni who have all been very generous with their time and it is a beneficial way to informally learn more about various positions and career paths. The strength of the Holy Cross Alumni Network is very true.

Doing internships or volunteer work in an area in which you are interested in gaining additional experience is beneficial. Internships and volunteering also provide you with an opportunity to see whether that type of work is something that you truly enjoy doing and want to pursue as a career. Programs such as Holy Cross’ Washington Semester Program are invaluable in terms of providing you with a high-quality internship and work experience.

Another suggestion is to join professional organizations, even while you are still a student. Many organizations offer free or reduced membership rates to students, offer valuable mentoring programs, and provide leadership opportunities. I am on the Board of Directors of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia and we always encourage students to attend our events and to get more involved, which provides students with an opportunity to learn about various areas of the law in which they may want to pursue a career.
Posted on

Meet Alumna Sara Swillo Muckian ’05, Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development

Name: Sara Swillo Muckian

Class Year: 2005

Title: Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development

Organization Name: Assumption University

 

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

My job is to provide a wide variety of vibrant activities and leadership development opportunities on campus for all students as well as advise student leaders on how they can take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it to their co-curricular activities and in real world experiences.

 

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 working in OSI over the summer when I had a conversation with Brenda Hounsell Sullivan about how to remain active with orientation once my time as an OL was finished. She shared with me about getting a masters of education in student personnel administration and from there I applied to graduate schools. In graduate school, I attended a conference and was speaking after a presentation with one of presenter and thru a Worcester connection, I was offered an internship, at Assumption College, which then turned into my first job as Assistant Director of Student Activities. It is always important to make connections and maintain them!!

I knew that higher education was the right fit for me because I liked going to work, even on Mondays. I am a very extroverted person and being with students and hearing their stories fills my cup and gives me energy so I knew I was in the right field because I am happy to go to work!

 

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

As a student at Holy Cross, I was on Varsity XC, Winter and Spring track for two years before an injury prevented me from running. Then I became involved with CAB as the Special Events Chair. I was an Orientation leader for three years as well as a student employee in OSI. I also was on PKS and in charge of Purple Pride Day.

 

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

I was a Sociology major and to be honest I had no idea what I was going to do with that major. I did an internship my senior year in a middle school guidance counselor office  and realized rather quickly that I did not want to go into social work. I do love hearing people’s stories and learning about their backgrounds and how they work in a group so I knew I wanted to work with populations of people ideally in education. Just so happened that all my co-curricular activities were the starting point for my career.

 

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

Active Listening- I know we did so many activities as a student leader that involved active listening and it has helped me immensely in my career, especially when it comes to listening to students and meeting them where they are.

Reflection and Discernment- I do not think I truly appreciated these skills in college as much as I do now. I find that when I have to make a difficult decision or when I am unsure of the correct path I should take, I spend time reflecting on past experiences, talking with mentors and my support system as well as taking time to think of all the possible outcomes from my decision. I learned to journal at Holy Cross and continue to do so today!

 

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

Get Involved!!! Get involved with something you are passionate about and make sure to attend events and programs that are outside of your comfort zone- these are the programs where you will learn the most. And lastly, make sure to slow down and truly appreciate the four years you are on Mt. St. James, enjoy the late night coffee breaks with your friends, attending sporting events and lectures and make sure to take some time to find out what you are passionate about and what drives you! Holy Cross is a great place to find yourself!
Posted on

Meet Alum Sean Pacheco ’17, Creative Director at VIO Collective Inc.

Name: Sean Pacheco

Class Year: 2017

Title: Creative Director

Organization Name: VIO Collective Inc.

 

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

My job entails developing a voice for brands as well as producing results for small and large businesses through digital marketing methods, such as sales funnels, digital ad campaigns, innovative content creation, and more!

 

 

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?  

When I was a first-year, I started to practice using my camera to make videos and take photos. My first collaboration was with the Admissions Office, where my friend was a social media intern. We created videos for the Admissions Office, Kimball Dining Hall, and more organizations on campus. It snowballed from there where as the more I did work, the more people started to recognize me and ask me to do work for them. So, my networking and just putting myself out there, trying to see how to use my talents across campus eventually connected me to a content creator job for a phone app startup right out of college.

 

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

I was very involved in the Campus Activities Board. CAB introduced me to marketing in a very fun and experimental way, and taught me how to start analyzing how audiences react to certain initiatives. I eventually started a digital marketing/content creation sub-section of CAB in which I was able to practice my craft and eventually put that on my resume as a pre-professional experience that aligns with my industry.

 

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

My major was Psychology with a Film minor, and the one thing about psychology that still helps me to this day is analyzing data, statistics, and understanding research methods. In the digital marketing world, you need to understand data and how to read it and also how to visualize it appropriately. Psychology has also helped me understand the psychology of the online user and has helped me deepen my understanding when working in digital marketing.

 

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

A skill that I have developed at Holy Cross is presentation of information. Many times in the corporate world, you will be asked to present info and data, and Holy Cross prepared me in summarizing info, getting to the point, and figuring out what is the appropriate way of showing that info.

 

 

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

The advice I have is do things! Collaborate! You have a talent of some kind, whether if it’s artistic or not. Identify that and just try practicing it with clubs on campus, organizations, offices, and more. This is great for building your resume as well as developing your skills.