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Career Services Office at Ave Maria School of Law By Teresa Cajot At the Career Services Office (CSO) at the Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida, the knowledgeable staff meets the career development needs of students and alumni through a variety of services including online resources, career counseling, interview preparation, and career presentations designed to expose students to diverse career options.
Victoria Ryan, the Director of Career Services, has been at the Ave Maria School of Law since 2006, where she has mastered the act of balancing diverse duties. Ryan offers individualized counseling services to students and alumni on a range of topics from career search strategies to specialized practice information. In addition to meeting with students, Ryan is also responsible for reaching out to employers, coordinating the law school’s recruitment programs, and producing public interest opportunities. Prior to joining the Ave Maria School of Law, Ryan worked for a large insurance defense firm in Detroit as a litigation associate. She has also worked as a house counsel for an insurance company and served as a sole practitioner, specializing in probate and estate planning. She holds a JD from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and is licensed in Michigan. She completed her undergraduate studies at Indiana University, where she majored in Political Science. The Associate Director of Career Services, Norell Cefalu Albanis, has been with the CSO since 2009. Like Ryan, she provides counseling services for students and alumni and is involved with programming. She further approaches potential
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employers, investigates employment opportunities, and presents appropriate opportunities to students. Before joining the career staff at Ave Maria School of Law, Albanis worked for the City of Chicago’s Law Department as a labor and employment attorney. She earned both her JD and a Master’s in Human Resources from Loyola University in Chicago. She holds a degree in English Literature and Journalism from the University of Wisconsin. Darnie Sizemore, the CSO’s Career Counselor, has been with the university since 2007. She is available for counseling and for training students and alumni on the use of the office’s electronic resources. Sizemore also locates and evaluates employment opportunities and supports programming and recruiting efforts. She is also responsible for publishing the CSO e-newsletter, which is released weekly. The newsletter provides updates on job and program opportunities, as well providing deadline reminders. Before working with the law school, Sizemore was a program coordinator with Pewabic Pottery, where she managed instructors, taught classes, coordinated tours, arranged events, and handled grants. She holds a BA from Eastern Michigan University.
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