Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career

What can you do with a communications degree? More than you might think. In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, Beth sits down with Nichols College alumna Hope Rudzinski, Community & School Outreach Coordinator for the Worcester County District Attorney's Office. Hope shares how her background in English and Communications helped shape a career focused on building r...

When most people think of criminal justice careers, they often think of law enforcement, but the field offers far more opportunities than many students realize. In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, Beth sits down with Nichols College alumna and double Bison Brianna Gill, who earned both her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and her Master's Degree in Counterterror...

What does it take to rise from frontline hospitality roles toexecutive leadership? In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, Beth sits down with Nichols College alumnus Dom Librandi, Executive Director at Christopher Heights, to discuss his career journey and the lessons he's learned along the way. With a background in Hospitality Management, Dom shares how people-focused...

Thinking about graduate school? Interested in psychology, counseling, or helping professions? In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, Beth sits down with Nichols College alumna Heather Gauvin, who is completing her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Merrimack College. Heather shares her journey from earning a psychology degree at Nichols to pursuing ad...

What happens when you combine a passion for leadership, public service, and lifelong learning? In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, Beth sits down with Nichols College alumnus Tyler Dunn, a Technical Support Specialist at Kennebec Savings Bank and a Selectman for the Town of Mount Vernon, Maine. Tyler's journey is anything but traditional, from earning three degrees a...

How can students prepare for careers in a world increasingly shaped by data and artificial intelligence In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College toCareer, Beth is joined by Damien Cabral, Co-Founder and President of PrepU, and Dustin Cabral, Senior Practice Director of Data Visualization and Analytics at Cleartelligence. Together, they explore how analytics, data literacy, and AI are tr...

Can you turn a creative passion into a successful business? This week on Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, Beth sits down with Nichols College alumnus Austin DuVarney, founder of DuVarney Film and Photo, to discuss how he transformed his love for photography and videography into a thriving entrepreneurial career. Austin shares his journey from student to business owner, including the exp...

In this solo episode, host Beth Gionfriddo , Director of Career Operations at Nichols College, reintroduces the podcast, shares updates from the past year, and talks about the exciting things ahead for the Career and Professional Development Center. Beth also dives into some of the most important career lessons every college student should know, including: Why getting involved on campus matters Th...

What does it take to build a successful career across multiple industries, generations, and leadership roles? In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, Beth sits down with longtime Nichols College faculty member, mentor, coach, and leader Len Samborowski. Throughout his career, Len has worked in military leadership, government, consulting, higher education, and business educat...

Welcome to Season 4 of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career! In our season premiere, Beth sits down with Nichols College alumnus Matt Taylor, Client Relationship Leader at CliftonLarsonAllen, to discuss his journey from an entry-level role in finance to a leadership position focused on building strong client partnerships. Matt shares insights into the banking and finance industry, the skills...

Welcome to the Season 3 finale of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career. In this final episode, host Beth Gionfriddo, Career Coach at Nichols College, is joined by Charlie Robert—former Nichols Athletic Director, faculty member, mentor, and trailblazer in collegiate athletics. Charlie shares her career journey through higher education and athletics administration, reflecting on her experience...

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, I reconnect with Paul Angelucci, whose career pathn highlights the value of persistence, reflection, and embracing a non-linear professional journey. Paul currently serves as an Embedded Counselor for Residential Well-being at Virginia Tech while also working as an outpatient counselor with National Counseling Group. In addition to his...

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career I talk with Bill Keefe, a retired police sergeant and former Criminal Justice faculty member at Nichols College. Bill has spent years helping students prepare for law enforcement careers, including conducting mock interviews and coaching candidates through some of the most demanding hiring processes in public safety. In this conversatio...

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, I’m joined by Aisling Dowling, a Nichols alum and former Student Government Class Officer, who has built an exciting career in professional sports by taking strategic risks and saying yes to new opportunities. Aisling shares her journey from being a General Business major with a Sport Management concentration to starting her career in...

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, I’m joined by Nicole Gawlik, an alum whose career journey spans the Disney College Program, hospitality and luxury hotels, sports entertainment, and Human Resources. Nicole currently works as an HR Manager in the wine and spirits distribution industry, where she leads people operations and recruitment.  Nicole shares how her career evo...

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career we talk with Nichols College alum Irving Eggleston ’18, a Senior Audit Analyst at CVS Health. Irv discusses his path into the accounting profession, what drew him to audit work, and what a typical day in his role looks like today. He shares how his early experiences after graduation helped shape his understanding of the profession and t...

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career I sat down with Tim Power, a Nichols alum and former Graduate Assistant who has gone on to build his career with Discover Central Massachusetts. Tim shares his professional journey after graduation and discusses how his role has allowed him to combine strategy, sales, and relationship-building while working to promote tourism and econom...

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career , I’m joined by Billy O’Malley, a 2011 Nichols College graduate who now serves as the Regional Director of Marketing at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Nevada. Billy walks us through his career journey after graduation, sharing how his path evolved from early professional roles into leadership in sports, events, and venue marketing. We d...

In this episode I’m joined by Marissa Bastian, who works in the education sector and previously served as the Director of Tutoring at Nichols College. Marissa shares her career path and offers a candid look at her recent experience going through a layoff and job search. We spend time discussing practical, real-world advice for navigating uncertainty, staying organized during a job search, and appr...

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough: From College to Career, I’m joined by Oscar Chavez, a Career and Transfer Counselor, for an engaging and insightful conversation about careers in higher education, student support, and practical career development advice. Oscar shares his career path across multiple areas of higher education—including admissions, advising, and career services—and explains how...

In this episode of Season Three, I’m joined by Dom Coppola, an alum who earned both his undergraduate and master’s degree from Nichols College. After completing his graduate program, Dom worked as a Graduate Assistant in Admissions before transitioning into risk management at an insurance firm. Dom shares his career journey, what risk management work looks like on a day-to-day basis, and how his g...

In this episode, I’m joined by Amber Basso, an alum who works in recruiting to talk about what the recruiting profession looks like day to day—and what students should know if they want to stand out as candidates. We discuss her daily responsibilities as a recruiter, common mistakes she sees students make, and best practices for resumes, interviews, and professional communication. We also spend ti...

In this episode of Season Three, I’m joined by two Criminal Justice alumni who have taken very different career paths—one now works as a lawyer, and the other works in Intelligence. Together, they share insights into their respective industries, what their day-to-day work looks like, and how their Criminal Justice background helped prepare them for careers outside of traditional law enforcement ro...

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough, I’m joined by an alum John Thomasina who began his career working in the finance field before transitioning into banking. Today, he serves as the President of a bank. We talk through his career progression, how he made strategic moves within the financial services industry, and the experiences that helped position him for leadership. He also shares practical...

In this episode of Bison Breakthrough, I’m joined by Janina Messerlian, who works in her family-owned jewelry business, focusing on marketing, boutique events, and business operations. Janina shares her experience on the Hill, her background in business, and how those experiences shaped her current role. We talk about what it’s really like to work in a family business, how marketing and events dri...