Table of Contents
Comings and Goings: Class of 2000
Comings and Goings: Class of 2000
Alison Cleary '00
Lawyer
Practice Makes PerfectFour years ago, Alison Cleary was closing her books at St. Lawrence and opening them at the University at Buffalo Law School. Today she is opening business and tax law books at her desk as an associate of Hiscock & Barclay, LLP.
Cleary says, "Although this is where I hoped to be four years ago, I certainly wasn't expecting it." When she left St. Lawrence, Cleary was planning to study sports and entertainment law; she changed her focus to tax law and general business and corporation law because she found it suited her interests more.
Cleary worked as an intern at Hiscock & Barclay for 10 weeks in her second year of law school. "It was a great experience because it exposed me to many different types of law," she says. "I had the opportunity to work in many areas of legal practice and my time in the office allowed me to meet people who worked in each of these fields. My work there re-enforced my interest in business and tax law."
When she was ready for a full-time job, Cleary knew of an opening in the firm's tax department. She applied and is now one of 160 attorneys in its five offices statewide.
--Morgan Doherty '04
Sara Constantine Cronk ‘00
Medical Illustrator
The Less-Traveled RouteFour years ago, Sara Constantine was having a hard time deciding which fork in the road was calling her—veterinary medicine or medical illustration. She eventually followed Frost's footsteps by taking that less-traveled route and forging her passions into a new career.
Now a small business owner with a graduate degree in medical illustration from the Medical College of Georgia, Constantine resides in Lexington, Ky., along with husband Michael Cronk '99, Transylvania University's assistant director of career development. "I decided that for me, veterinary school was too one-sided; the illustration work I do now is a better fit all around," says Constantine, for whom daily projects might include illustration work for doctors or their patients, pharmaceutical companies, lawyers, or an educational institution.
"St. Lawrence gave me a broad base of education; I was encouraged to try lots of different things, and let me tell you…that's helped me quite a lot," says Constantine, who now uses a half-dozen high-end computer illustration programs daily. "There's quite a learning curve on some of these programs, but you just have to make yourself jump in there and say ‘I'm going to learn how to do this.'"
While most of her ideas originate on paper, they quickly morph into 3-D animations or computer-enhanced drawings. "St. Lawrence helped me to develop that ‘just do it' attitude and not shy away from learning to use new tools and explore new ideas," concluded Constantine.
--Joe Kerper '00
Wily Jones '00
D.C. Tour Guide
"And on your left…"Within minutes of speaking to Wily Jones, you realize that his enthusiasm is contagious. When asked what he's been doing since graduation, he lists a number of internships and jobs, describing each more passionately in turn.
He's equally enthusiastic about his years at St. Lawrence. "It was a great experience," he says. "I can't underestimate the value of St. Lawrence in helping me learn to communicate. And the professors were wonderful — great people who could teach you so much." Jones also notes the benefits of alumni connections, explaining how he secured an internship in Washington, D.C., through a trustee he met during Reunion Weekend.
Today, Jones has found a career that combines his government degree and his outgoing personality. "I'm a licensed tour guide in Washington, and am planning on opening my own tour company in the next year," he says. He explains that he was working in the entertainment section of washingtonpost.com when the events of September 11 "made life seem too short not to take chances." Jones also works for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), registering people for disaster assistance, and is planning on returning to school for a master's degree in tour administration/hospitality at George Washington University.
--Nicole Gabriele '00
Janné Linares '00
Human Rights Specialist
Living a Liberal Arts LifeFour years after graduation, Janné Linares is well aware of the impact of her college experience. "St. Lawrence got me where I am today," she says from her home in New York City. "I don't regret anything I did."
And why would she? Linares spent her four years in Canton wisely: she interned with the St. Lawrence County District Attorney, served as house manager for the Intercultural House, was academic coordinator of the Black Student Union, and worked as a tutor in the Spanish and English Writing Centers.
Today, all that involvement and service have paid off in her job as a human rights specialist with the New York City Commission on Human Rights.
"The whole college experience prepared me for my job," she explains. "St. Lawrence made is easier to communicate with people, and that's extremely important when investigating cases of discrimination." Linares also credits her multifield major with helping her succeed in the legal field. "My major allowed me to draw from all areas of the University," she says. "That's the beauty of going to a liberal arts school. You can make what you want out of it."
Now she's making the most of a job she loves. She says proudly, "I've always wanted to help people who couldn't otherwise get help." Linares plans to continue her focus on civil rights when she enrolls in law school in a few years, but for now she's happy raising daughter Karina, 3, and learning first-hand about the law every day.
--Nicole Gabriele '00
Kristian Margherio '00
Investment Banker
Still a Team PlayerIn college, Kris Margherio was on lots of teams: Young Business Leaders, Thelmo, men's hockey, the Student Athlete Advisory Council…. Today, teamwork is an essential component of his performance in investment banking at Morgan Stanley Public Finance in New York City, he says.
"Our goal is to help not-for-profit healthcare organizations find the most cost-effective and strategically prudent ways of financing capital needs or restructuring existing debt," Margherio explains. "The analytical, teamwork and detail-oriented skills that I developed at St. Lawrence have proven invaluable in this experience."
After St. Lawrence, Margherio, a Phi Beta Kappa scholar, spent a year as a paralegal in Pal Alto, Cal., then completed a graduate fellowship in public affairs with Coro, a non-profit, non-partisan organization with the mission of training leaders to strengthen communities. In his native, St. Louis, he worked in the mayor's office on economic development projects designed to revitalize the downtown area. Margherio says, "St. Lawrence prepared me well for these challenges by encouraging student growth in team-oriented pursuits."
Margherio's next stop was England, where he earned a master's degree in international relations/politics of the world economy at the London School of Economics. "I was excited to see that I could contribute just as much as I was able to take away from others. St. Lawrence not only gave me the tools to express myself thoughtfully, but it also prepared me to listen and evaluate the ideas of others with an open mind," he says.
--NSB
Monique Nichols '00
Hospital Administrator
Mission AccomplishedWhen Monique Nichols graduated in 2000, she knew she wanted to go straight to graduate school for a master's in health administration. During her four years at St. Lawrence, Nichols majored in biology and minored in economics and sport and leisure studies. She took her interests further by working as an athletic trainer and became a teaching assistant in general biology. Then it was on to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health for her Master of Health Science in Health Finance and Management and Health Policy degree.
For a few months prior to attending Johns Hopkins, Nichols worked at Massachusetts General Hospital, in the quality management division of its radiology department. After graduating, she did a one-year administrative residency at Newton-Wellesley Hospital; she now works there as project manager of new programs. One such "program" is the construction and development of a new Emergency Department, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2006.
"I've been able to travel a lot since graduating from Hopkins," says Nichols. "I've traveled to Playa Del Carmen, London, Kauai, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and Florida. I also love to hike in New Hampshire and Maine during the summers," she says.
--Devon M. Rodonets '04
Booth Platt '00, Graduate Student
The Mighty World of Entomology
By Joe Kerper"Mites have eight legs, like spiders." Strange as that might sound if overheard at, say, a political fundraising dinner, from the mouth of someone seeking a master's degree in entomology it's oddly fascinating. Enter the world of Booth Platt.
Currently studying in Syracuse, N.Y., at the Environmental Science and Forestry wing of SUNY, Booth is in his second year of his graduate program. While the world of mites isn't an exact fit with entomology, it's close enough for him. "One of North America's experts in the study of mites teaches right here," says Booth, who adds that mites are an excellent medium with which to study climactic change.
Booth's thesis deals with aquatic mite habitat preferences. "This project ties in directly with what I studied at St. Lawrence during my senior year," he says. He took an interest in fossilized mites back then, and a research paper he co-wrote with Chapin Professor of Geology Mark Erickson has recently been published. "My senior project at SLU gave me an enormous amount of confidence," he says. "I know that I have the tools to finish this project and the confidence that it will turn out all right."
Booth's ultimate calling however, may take him in a completely different direction. "I've been so immersed in the academic world that part of me just wants to do something completely different after I get my degree, at least for a while," he says. For a man who's already been a ski instructor, started his own woodworking company, and guided two-month long canoe trips for the past few summers, that's saying quite a lot.
Josh Stearns '00
Communications Associate, Campus Compact
Still Driven by HopeApproaching his graduation, Josh Stearns '00 says he was "ready to go out and return those favors of opportunity" he was given as a student. And he has done just that. "It is clear the profound and unique ways my years at St. Lawrence shaped what I have done since," says Stearns, who is a policy and communications associate for Campus Compact, a national coalition of more than 900 college and university presidents committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education that is based in Providence, R.I.
An English major, Stearns examined the intersection between literature and community, focusing on the political and social context of literature. Following graduation, he published a book of poetry, Under the Bark, then volunteered with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and AmeriCorps in the Adirondack Park. "I continued to study literature and write poetry," he says, "but with a new focus on literature of social movements. I was intrigued by the way I saw literature bringing together communities in my work."
It was through the SCA program that Stearns was "introduced to the power of education interwoven with community service," a concept that led him to Campus Compact, where he works to influence national service policy to increase opportunities for students to serve their communities.
"I think my aspirations have remained the same," Stearns says. "Regardless of my job title, or responsibilities, I am still driven by hope."
--Amy Zarriello '04
Andrew Wadoski ‘00
Graduate Student
The Bard of RochesterI wouldn't look for The Virgin of Menace at a playhouse near you right now, but who knows when that might change.
Andrew Wadoski, author of the aforementioned Shakespearean revenge tragedy written entirely in period-specific blank verse, is working toward his doctorate at the University of Rochester, with a concentration on—you guessed it—Renaissance literature.
After graduation, Wadoski, who was a member of the Nordic ski squad, took a year off and taught telemark and cross country skiing at Stowe, Vt. "Now I'm largely living a monastic lifestyle," says Wadoski, who still attempts to ski frequently. "I hope eventually to be gainfully employed as a professor somewhere in the Northeast," he adds with an almost audible smirk.
The background he received from his English professors at St. Lawrence is still paying dividends. "The attention to and close reading of poetry that I learned in college is particularly helpful. I'm probably one of the more better-prepared students in my program because of that," he says.
"St. Lawrence provided me with an environment in which I was free to explore what I was interested in, and encouraged to do so as well," says Wadoski, who when we talked this spring was working on essays dependent upon close readings of poetry by George Herbert and Francesco Petrarch. No word yet on when The Virgin of Menace will begin production.
--Joe Kerper '00Diana Walden '00
Environmental Scientist
A Seamless TransitionArmed with a degree in environmental studies and biology, and an evolving sense of confidence and independence, Diana Walden left campus after graduation and very quickly secured a paid internship at BSC Companies, an engineering/environmental consulting firm in Worcester , Mass. Her internship became a full-time position, which she still holds, and she recently applied for graduate work at UMass/Amherst for a Master of Science degree in wildlife and fisheries conservation.
"I found that the hands-on experience that I had at St. Lawrence has been extremely important," says Walden. The biodiversity studies on the Kip Tract, assessments of nearby lakes and streams, the labs and required identification of species, and especially the field trips to perform studies in different areas of the Adirondacks or to observe the way people develop the land were all essential." She also credits the focus on excellent writing skills as an advantage that "really put me ahead of other applicants and made life easier in a professional environment."
Even with what seems to be a smooth transition from college to career, Walden says she thinks she could have added more internships or volunteer work to her St. Lawrence schedule. "When I first started applying to jobs, employers looked for more experience," she recalls. "Volunteering can often be a good way to get your foot in the door." --LMC
Sascha Werner '00
Graduate Student, Counselor, Trainer
Advocate for the Liberal ArtsFour years out of St. Lawrence, Sascha Werner has put her major in psychology and her double minor in biology and sport and leisure studies (now sports studies and exercise science) to good use. In May she completes a master's in counseling psychology at Boston College, where she works for the head of her department, doing research. She also runs intervention and prevention programs in Boston's public school lower grades, concentrating on risk and resilience, health and wellness, and substance abuse. The former member of St. Lawrence's diving and squash teams is also a certified personal trainer, working at two clubs; is doing an internship in a high school; and intends to earn her Ph.D. in sports psychology.
Who said the liberal arts don't convey transferable skills?
"I love working with adolescents," says Werner in explaining the matrix of her life. That demands self-confidence, an attribute that as a senior she reported was a key benefit of her time at St. Lawrence.
"I feel even more strongly that way today," she says. "I was able to be a leader in lots of arenas, and had to gain confidence in order to perform. I felt I had lots of support from my professors and coaches in that regard." Two she credits in particular are Associate Professor of Psychology Catherine Crosby-Currie and Dean of Student Life and Co-Curricular Education "Cissy" Petty. "I hope to inspire others the way they inspired me," she says with conviction.
"St. Lawrence changed my life," says Werner. "I found my place academically, socially and spiritually. The liberal arts experience means more to me the longer I'm away from it – I preach about it to the kids I counsel, and I'll want my own kids to go to a small liberal arts college." --NSB