Posted on

Meet Alumna Emma Skumurski ’21, Environmental Scientist at CarriageHouse Consulting

Name: Emma Skumurski

Class Year: 2021

Title: Environmental Scientist

Organization: CarriageHouse Consulting Inc

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail? 
I am an environmental scientist at CarriageHouse Consulting Inc, where I collect environmental samples for petroleum product-related companies and then provide these companies with written analytical reports.

 

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?    

This opportunity came to me in a totally unexpected manner!  A fellow Holy Cross classmate and friend passed along the employment opportunity to me. I am so grateful she did! I then followed a very planned path of researching the company and sending a tailored application.  Ultimately, I learned that Carriage House would be a great fit for me by reaching out to Holy Cross alumni at the company.  The alumni gave me great insight into the positive, exciting, and professional working environment fostered at Carriage House.  However, a majority of my job search did follow a very defined plan of attending networking nights, inquiring about informational interviews, and scheduling job searches with my professors and Shirley!

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

The beauty of Holy Cross is the depth of the opportunities that are available. I had the honor of being on the Division 1 field hockey team. I was a  grocery shopper for the Chaplain’s Office, a greeter with Liturgical Ministry, a leader and participant in the Spring Break Immersion Program, a Big Sister in the Big Brother Big Sister program, and a tour guide with admissions. I loved the diverse opportunities that Holy Cross had to offer, they allowed me to grow in ways I never could have imagined!

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

I was a Biology Major with an Environmental Studies Minor – the variety of classes enabled me to widen my horizons and broaden the opportunities available to me in the environmental field. I came into Holy Cross thinking I wanted to be a National Park Ranger and my eyes were opened to so many different and emerging fields!

 

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

One of the amazing skills I learned at Holy Cross that aids me as an environmental scientist is my ability to work with others and conduct creative problem-solving. Being in a very dynamic and hands-on field, my ability to think on my feet and to adapt my expertise to still collect clean samples has been a valuable resource.

6. What advice do you have for students today?

You all got this! Have some faith in yourself and do not be afraid to reach out to alumni!  A great resource can be contacting your prior classmates and learning about their experience transitioning into the workforce. Above all else make sure you help others realize their dreams as you are realizing yours!
Posted on

Meet CrusaderIntern Rebecca Stanton’18

Meet Rebecca Stanton’18 Research Assistant Intern at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse

Tell us about where you are interning and the kind of work you are doing.

My internship is held in New York City at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. My tasks mainly involve conducting extensive research and literature review for one of the organization’s on-going reports. This report is on early prevention programs and my job is to research and analyze the effectiveness of current programs and write overviews. These overviews will be analyzed and referenced in the report. Also, I am completing data entry for a report that will evaluate each state’s insurance coverage for substance use services. Additionally, I have been given the opportunity to write a blog post on opioid addiction and the elderly. Therefore, I have been researching the most recent data on this topic and its significance.

Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

As a psychology major, I have taken a substantial number of courses on mental health and courses that reference addiction. Therefore, I understand the majority of terms that are being used at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse and the organization’s mission statement. In my courses, psychology and others, I have conducted research and written research papers. At my internship, I have been using these writing and research skills that I have developed from my courses and help from my professors. For example, I have used my background knowledge of Psychology Statistics to evaluate studies and understand to what extent they are effective.

What has surprised you about being an intern?

The most surprising aspect of being an intern is how much responsibility I have been given. Before starting the internship, I expected that I would be writing and researching, but what I did not expect was the extent to which I felt part of a team. I frequently have meetings with my supervisors and research associates about the on-goings reports and find that my tasks are valued and appreciated.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

I plan to go into the healthcare sector, specifically as a Nurse Practitioner, and my experience thus far has reaffirmed my plans. What I have learned from my internship is the prevalence of addiction and the responsibility that healthcare professionals share in tackling this problem. From the extensive research I have done, I now have a better understanding of what influence I could potentially have in minimizing addiction.

Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

For students interested in an internship, the best advice I can give is to be open-minded. There are going to be things that you find to be exciting and intriguing and others that you find to be tedious. However, an internship is meant to be a learning experience and there is always something you can take away from it.