May 04, 2012
Above: Jerilynn Sweet (left) and Meghan Darcy
Communications arts graduates from Mount Saint Mary College are
launching careers ranging from library science to marketing and
communications for biotechnology research companies.
English major Meagan O’Gallagher, a senior from Sound Beach, NY,
credits her internship at the Mount’s Curtin Memorial Library on
campus with helping her to decide to pursue library science in
graduate school.
Jerilynn Sweet ‘12, a media studies major from Ulster Park, NY,
works fulltime in direct sales and marketing for Fortune 100 and
Fortune 500 companies. She’s a corporate trainer for Lakeside
Consultants in Mahopac, NY, currently aiding the customer relations
side of Verizon FiOS.
Sweet said working at Lakeside Consultants is “something I truly
love.”
On the job Sweet uses skills acquired at her internship and in
classes at Mount Saint Mary College, including public speaking, how
to act during a meeting or lunch with clients, writing, and other
skills.
Her internship at Cinderella4aday Wedding & Event Planning
in Kingston, NY, prompted her to “come outside my comfort zone and
not be afraid to jump into a project I know nothing about.”
An internship at North Jersey Brain and Spine Center in Oradell,
NJ, helped Samantha Sinatra ‘12, build a professional portfolio and
gave her the experience to land a fulltime job.
A media studies/journalism major, Sinatra was involved in public
relations and marketing tasks at the neurosurgical group
practice.
“My internship in the healthcare industry helped me know
immediately that this was the right niche for me,” she said.
After graduation, Sinatra will work for Quintiles in Parsippany,
NJ, a clinical research and consulting organization servicing the
biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields. In her new role as project
executive, Sinatra of Old Tappan, NJ, will promote and market newly
approved pharmaceutical drugs and organize clinical trials for
doctors, along with creating effective patient brochures.
Meghan Darcy ’12 interned at CBS in Manhattan for the television
show 48 Hours Mystery. Her main task was to research murder cases
and pitch potential stories to producers.
Darcy also assisted CBS producers and editors with the airing of
The Royal Wedding and national reports on The Killing of Osama Bin
Laden.
“I was able to live my dream during my internship experiences,”
noted the New Windsor, NY native, “and am excited to see what the
future holds.”
Alumnus Matt Sautner ’90 recently returned to the Mount to speak
with Darcy and other public relations and media studies seniors in
professor James Beard’s class.
He shared about his career climb and current position as vice
president of prime time sales at CBS. A Rockville Centre, NY,
resident, Sautner majored in public relations at the Mount.
Other arts and letters alumni working in their fields include
Kathleen Grace Kellerman ’11, marketing and advertising assistant,
at Ralph Lauren; Gianna Cesa ’11, junior account executive, Behrman
Communications; Anthony Curti ’08, assistant district attorney,
Orange County District Attorney’s Office; Enny Pichardo ’06,
international correspondent, Nuestra Tele Noticias 24; Nicholas
Shannon ’03, manager of special events, Saint Francis Hospital and
Health Center; Corinn McBride ’00, director of recruitment and
admissions, Lehigh University/College of Business and Economics/
Graduate Programs; Lisa Morris ’94, director of marketing, Hudson
Valley Federal Credit Union; Terri Walters ’86, CEO and executive
producer, Moonfish Productions, Ltd.
Media production students, along with Hispanic studies majors,
were part of the Mount Media team that taped and produced public
service fundraising announcements for the Nora Cronin Presentation
Academy in Newburgh, NY. The campaign, titled “Their World, in your
Hands,” is a series of 30 second television spots, each featuring a
student and family from the academy. Mount Spanish students were
supervised by professor Victor Azuaje, and media studies students
by professor Dean Goldberg.
The arts and letters division at Mount Saint Mary College offers
a variety of courses, including literature, creative and
journalistic writing, digital and non-linear video production,
foreign languages, and the fine and performing arts.
Mount students are well prepared for graduate school, and for
careers in education, journalism, advertising, public relations,
and web media and design.
With academics plus internships, “You learn along the way,” said
Jerilynn Sweet.