ST. JOSEPH HILL ACADEMY Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series
WINTER / SPRING 2022 January 5, 2022 Math, Accounting, Actuarial Science, Risk Management and Data Analytics January 10, 2022 Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy February 1, 2022 Fashion: E-Commerce, Design, Merchandising and Product Development
February 28, 2022 Veterinary Medicine, Vet Tech and Animal Care March 14, 2022 Art, Film and Television March 28, 2022 Writing, Journalism and Social Media
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Hill's Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series takes place on Zoom and is open to current students only.
ST. JOSEPH HILL ACADEMY Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series
WINTER / SPRING 2022 Math, Accounting, Actuarial Science, Risk Management and Data Analytics Session One: January 5, 2022 Samantha Allocca, ‘10
Deborah A. Genovese, CPA, '87
Colleen McDonough, ‘13
Jordan Pearsall, ‘15
Grace Kaiser, CFE, CPA, ‘15
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Hill's Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series takes place on Zoom and is open to current students only.
MATH, ACCOUNTING, ACTUARIAL SCIENCE, RISK MANAGEMENT AND DATA ANALYTICS SESSION 1
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
SAMANTHA ALLOCCA, ‘10 Senior Manager, BDO USA, LLP Samantha Allocca is based in BDO USA's NYC office and is responsible for managing and executing Third Party Attestation engagements across the East Coast. Samantha has more than 7 years of experience in accounting and auditing, and her areas of focus include System and Organization Controls Reporting examinations (including SOC 1, ISAE 3402, SOC 2), and internal control audits, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance reviews, and risk and internal audit assessments. Samantha provides services to clients in various industries, with a strong focus on financial services and fintech clients. Prior to joining BDO, Samantha began her career at Grant Thornton, LLP. Samantha earned her Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Undergraduate Wharton School of Business. She graduated magna cum laude in 2014 with concentrations in management and accounting. In her spare time, Samantha coaches a competitive cheerleading team at her elementary school, St. Charles, and enjoys spending time with her family.
DEBORAH A. GENOVESE, CPA, '87 Certified Public Accountant / Tax Specialist Deborah (Imparato) Genovese attended Pace University and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Public Accounting. Upon graduating she chose to continue her career at KPMG Peat Marwick LLP, which at the time was known as one of the "Big Six" accounting firms. While there, she concentrated her work in the nonprofit sector of the
MATH, ACCOUNTING, ACTUARIAL SCIENCE, RISK MANAGEMENT AND DATA ANALYTICS SESSION 1
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
organization, working on firms such as Lenox Hill Hospital, the Sisters of Charity of New York and Daytop Village. She also rotated as a tax specialist in their tax department. After obtaining her CPA, Deborah founded her own firm and has continued to work as a tax specialist for the last 22 years. In addition to her work experience, Deborah also currently serves as the Treasurer on the Board of Directors of Michael's Cause, is a member of the Holy Child Church Finance Committee and served on the Board of Directors of Saint Joseph Hill Academy. She is a member of the AICPA, the National Society of Tax Professionals and also registered with the Internal Revenue Service. In her free time Deborah enjoys playing pickle ball, volunteering and spending time with her husband and three children.
GRACE KAISER, CFE, CPA, ‘15 Senior Accountant, Ernst & Young LLP Grace Kaiser is a senior accountant at Ernst & Young LLP. In this role, she serves on a team of external auditors who verify the accuracy of the financials of various hospitals in the tri-state area. She attended Cornell University where she studied business and accounting, receiving both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in her 4 year stay thanks to the AP credits earned while at Hill. She passed the CPA exam shortly after graduation followed by the more specialized CFE exam. She currently works semi-remotely from her home in Staten Island. During her time at Hill, she was heavily involved in Mock Trial, Forensics, Drama Club and Hill Singers — all of which helped her start a career as a woman in business.
MATH, ACCOUNTING, ACTUARIAL SCIENCE, RISK MANAGEMENT AND DATA ANALYTICS Wednesday, January 5, 2022
SESSION 1
COLLEEN MCDONOUGH, ‘13 Lead Associate Actuary, Willis Towers Watson At Willis Towers Watson, Colleen is responsible for pricing and managing corporations' employer sponsored retirement and health care benefits. She attended Siena College and received a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science. While a student at Siena, she was a summer intern at Willis Towers Watson and returned full-time after graduation. She is currently pursing her associateship of the society of actuaries in her company sponsored exam program. At Hill and Siena College, she was a member of the swim team and captain her senior year on both teams! Now she enjoys reading, cooking, and is training for her 2nd marathon in the Spring.
JORDAN PEARSALL, ‘15 Yield Strategy and Monetization Analyst, NBC Sports Group Jordan is a Yield Strategy and Monetization Analyst for the NBC Sports Group in Manhattan. After graduating Hill in 2015, she attended SUNY Cortland, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics. Jordan began working with the NBC Sports Group in 2019 and has been there for over two years. Her role includes analyzing and planning the commercial inventory for sports shows such as Sunday Night Football, Notre Dame Football, and Premier League. Jordan also works on tent pole events such as the Olympics, Super Bowl, and World Cup.
ST. JOSEPH HILL ACADEMY Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series
WINTER / SPRING 2022 Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Session Two: January 10, 2022
Jennifer Egle Gentile, DPT, ‘92
Rachel Haber, OTR/L, ‘13
Anne Marie McDonough, BSN, MPH, FACHE, ‘80
Victoria Valdes, MS, CCC-SLP, TSSLD, '14
Janine Kipp, MA, CCC-SLP, '04
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Hill's Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series takes place on Zoom and is open to current students only.
SPEECH THERAPY, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND PHYSICAL THERAPY Monday, January 10, 2022
SESSION 2
JENNIFER EGLE GENTILE, DPT, ‘92 Physical Therapist with multiple advanced certifications Dr. Jennifer Gentile earned her Bachelor of Science in Comprehensive Science at Villanova University and her Doctorate in physical therapy from New York University. She is certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties as a Sports Clinical Specialist and also holds advanced certifications in prenatal, postpartum, and pelvic health physical therapy through the Academy of Pelvic Health of the American Physical Therapy Association. Jennifer is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Physical Therapy at Kean University, Union, NJ where she teaches musculoskeletal content including pregnancy and pelvic health related concerns. In addition to teaching, Jennifer works as a physical therapist in the Atlantic Health System in New Jersey. Dr. Gentile has been practicing physical therapy for 20 years and her clinical interests include orthopedic and pelvic floor issues in the female athlete.
RACHEL HABER, OTR/L, ‘13 Occupational Therapist Rachel Haber is a licensed and registered occupational therapist who holds a Master’s in occupational therapy from the University of Scranton as well as a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Human Development. She has worked with individuals in various settings such as neurological rehabilitation for spinal cord and brain injury, outpatient hand therapy, adult vestibular therapy, school-based pediatrics, and
SPEECH THERAPY, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND PHYSICAL THERAPY Monday, January 10, 2022
SESSION 2
private practice pediatrics- providing her experience that has offered her a specialized skill set for treating across the lifespan. She is passionate about thinking outside the box to improve the functionality of her treatments to foster occupational engagement and independence of her clients. She has also taken courses to further increase her ability to treat sensory and behavioral dysfunction.
JANINE KIPP, MA, CCC-SLP, '04 Speech Language Pathologist During her time at St. Joseph Hill, Janine volunteered at the Seton Foundation for Learning and observed speech pathologists work with students to improve their speech and language skills. Her passion to help these children led her to a career path in speech pathology. She completed her undergraduate and Master’s program with honors in speechlanguage pathology from Kean University in 2011. She is the supervisor of speech services for the Eden II school programs for students 7-21 years old with autism in Staten Island, NY since 2008. Janine has supervised countless speech interns and also manages the process of new hires at Eden II to ensure they are prepared for a successful experience. Janine has presented on topics at speech conferences and webinars related to the positive effects of naturalistic teaching, promoting spontaneous communication and using technology to increase communication. These topics include using iPad applications to enhance language and social skills to adolescents with autism.
SPEECH THERAPY, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND PHYSICAL THERAPY SESSION 2
Monday, January 10, 2022
During her time at Eden, she attended an autism conference in Paris, France that placed an emphasis on applied behavior analysis as well as speech conventions in Chicago, Florida, Boston and Colorado. In addition, Janine works privately as a speech provider for the Department of Education and services individuals with a variety of speech and language disorders while working in their home and community. She is a member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association. Janine is highly recognized for her kindness and compassion to individuals with speech and language disorders so they can better connect with others and lead more fulfilling lives.
ANNE MARIE MCDONOUGH, BSN, MPH, FACHE, ‘80 Sr. Director Rehab Medicine, Staten Island University Hospital Anne Marie started her career at the opposite end of the healthcare spectrum for Rehabilitation as a Critical Care Nurse. After completing a Master’s Degree in Public Health /Healthcare Administration from Columbia University, Anne Marie led the Rehabilitation Medicine Department at Staten Island University Hospital; a Level 1 Trauma & Academic Medical Center in the Northwell Health System. The Northwell Rehab service line includes beds at Glen Cove in Long Island and & Phelps Hospital in Westchester. Anne Marie has also served as a Board Member for American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association for the past 6 years and chairs the Denials Committee. Anne Marie resides with her husband of over 30
SPEECH THERAPY, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND PHYSICAL THERAPY Monday, January 10, 2022
SESSION 2
years, 3 daughters and grandchildren on Staten Island in New York City. Her interests and hobbies include swimming, tennis and pickle ball. Anne Marie coached the Hill swim team for 25 years and took the team from the bottom of the league to NYC championship titles for 3 years 2016-2019. She retired from SJHA Swim in 2020 with the birth of her grandson.
VICTORIA VALDES, MS, CCC-SLP, TSSLD, '14 Speech-Language Pathologist Victoria is currently working as a licensed speech-language pathologist with The Sensory Studio, a private, family-based medical practice located on Staten Island. She manages a caseload of 30 children of varying ages (10 months to 12 years old), diagnoses, and disorders. She attended Marywood University in Scranton, PA and was enrolled in their 5-year Communication Sciences and Disorders program. She received her Bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2017 and her Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology in 2019. During her graduate school clinical experience, Victoria worked in both a public school setting and in an adult rehabilitation center. She has experience working with a variety of diagnoses including but not limited to learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down’s Syndrome, speech disorders/deficits, language disorders/deficits, sensory processing disorder, and self-regulation and behavior deficits/disorders. Victoria has her
SPEECH THERAPY, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND PHYSICAL THERAPY SESSION 2
Monday, January 10, 2022
Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities certification and currently holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association. She is also first level trained in PROMPT (PROMPTS for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) and is a firstlevel trained orofacial myologist.
ST. JOSEPH HILL ACADEMY Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series
WINTER / SPRING 2022 Fashion: E-Commerce, Design, Merchandising and Product Development Session Three: February 1, 2022
Alexa Amato, '07
Danielle Paino, ‘13
Amanda Rose Benjamin, ‘13
Rosemary Paone, ‘12
Alyssa (Saraniero) Masucci, '08
Caroline Vazzana, ‘10
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Hill's Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series takes place on Zoom and is open to current students only.
FASHION: E-COMMERCE, DESIGN, MERCHANDISING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Tuesday, February 1, 2022
SESSION 3
ALEXA AMATO, '07 Senior Site Merchandising Manager, Moda Operandi Alexa, a Hilltopper since preschool, graduated from Boston University in 2011 with a degree in Psychology. Alexa interned for a streetwear website Karmaloop in Boston during her senior year at BU, which became a full-time Assistant Buyer position after she graduated. Alexa moved back to New York in 2012 and joined the Buying Leadership Program at Macys.com where she then held a variety of buying positions for nearly four years. Following Macys.com, Alexa joined Moda Operandi, a luxury ecommerce website, as a Site Merchandiser where she is currently the Senior Site Merchandising Manager. She leads a team of three and manages the upload of all new products to the site as well as the visual merchandising of the site. Alexa lived in Brooklyn for about eight years before moving back to Staten Island recently with her husband, seven month old baby boy Hudson, and her Yorkie, Truffle.
AMANDA ROSE BENJAMIN, ‘13 Product Life Cycle Retail Specialist with a focus in Visual Merchandising for Nike Amanda Rose Benjamin is currently a Product Life Cycle Retail Specialist with a focus in Visual Merchandising for Nike at their SOHO Flagship store. After graduating Hill in 2013, Amanda attended Hunter College as a Muse Honors Scholar and completed her Bachelor's Degree in Theater in 2016. She was able to graduate in three years thanks to all the AP and College credits she earned at Hill. While in college, she began working
FASHION: E-COMMERCE, DESIGN, MERCHANDISING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT SESSION 3
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 for Nike in 2014 as a sales associate at their Flatiron location which led her to develop a passion for the fashion and retail industry. She earned her Master's Degree in Fashion Merchandising and Retail Management from LIM College in 2018, during which she interned with Halston Private Brands working under the Director of Retail Buying and the Visual Merchandising Manager while she continued working for Nike. Throughout her almost eight years with Nike, she has held multiple positions, such as Visual Merchandiser and Stylist at Nike SOHO, Product Life Cycle Specialist and Operations Specialist at Nike Staten Island. In her current role, Amanda's focus is to lead her team to create product presentations that enhance the consumer journey and tell impactful stories revolving around the brand while driving the retail business. During her time at Hill, Amanda was a member of the Cross Country and Track Team, Hill Singers, Drama Club, and Mock Trial. She is thankful for her experiences at Hill as they helped her develop the skills to handle any obstacle thrown her way and fueled her passions of athletics and art which led her to her career path.
ALYSSA (SARANIERO) MASUCCI, ‘08 Senior Manager of Product Development and Technical Design at Tory Burch Alyssa (Saraniero) Masucci attended LIM College in New York City where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Merchandising. During her time at LIM, she spent an entire semester interning at Michael Kors where she landed her first corporate job as an Assistant Production Manager. After her time at Michael Kors, Alyssa switched gears and entered the
FASHION: E-COMMERCE, DESIGN, MERCHANDISING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Tuesday, February 1, 2022
SESSION 3
creative world at Tory Burch where she helped to design and launch Tory Burch's very first sportswear brand, Tory Sport. Alyssa has been working alongside Tory Burch for 8 years now where she has grown into her role as Senior Manager of Product Development and Technical Design. During her time at Tory Burch, Alyssa has built strong cross functional relationships with overseas garment makers and vendors to help create the best possible product for the Tory Burch consumer. She works very closely with Tory to bring these designs to life. Alyssa is very proud to work for Tory Burch and she sees a very strong future for herself there. She lives on Staten Island with her husband, Lee, and son, Elio. She also enjoys cooking and traveling.
DANIELLE PAINO, ‘13 Senior Designer, PepsiCo Design Team Danielle is a Senior Designer currently working on the PepsiCo Design Team. In her role as a designer she gained experience across multiple facets of design including Graphic Design, Packaging Design, Illustration, and Brand Strategy. Danielle has worked across numerous food and beverage brands including TAZO Tea, Pure Leaf, Brisk, and most recently Pepsi Cola. Danielle attended the Fashion Institute of Technology where she earned degrees in Illustration, Graphic Design, and Packaging Design. She graduated from FIT in 2018.
FASHION: E-COMMERCE, DESIGN, MERCHANDISING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Tuesday, February 1, 2022
SESSION 3
ROSEMARY PAONE, ‘12 operations manager, lululemon Rosemary Paone is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design and Construction (concentration in women’s sportswear). She achieved a double minor in Art History and Italian Language after completing her sophomore and junior year studying abroad at the Politecnico di Milano. Rosemary’s thesis collection was the Critic’s Choice Award Winner at FIT’s Future of Fashion show in 2016. Currently, Rosemary works in New York City for lululemon, managing their in-store alteration departments across the country. In her spare time, Rosemary also does highend tailoring and bridal alterations for private clients and teaches sewing lessons.
CAROLINE VAZZANA, ‘10 Fashion editor, stylist, influencer, and the author and founder of “Making it in Manhattan" Caroline Vazzana is a fashion editor, stylist, influencer, and the author and founder of “Making it in Manhattan.” She began writing “Making it in Manhattan” back in 2015 while working at InStyle magazine, and subsequently launched her brand as one of New York City’s most colorful influencers, sharing her tips and tricks and shedding light on the industry to the future fashion generation.
FASHION: E-COMMERCE, DESIGN, MERCHANDISING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT SESSION 3
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 Growing up in New York, Vazzana always had her sights set on the fashion industry in Manhattan. In the summer of 2012, she landed her first internship with Anna Sui and then went on to intern at Marie Claire magazine. In the summer of 2014, Vazzana landed her first “real job” in the industry working at Teen Vogue on the print fashion team. She then decided she wanted to learn more about the digital side of the industry and went on to work at InStyle, where she came up with the idea for “Making It In Manhattan”, the future name of her editorial site and book - an outlet to share her journey, career advice stories, and unique sense of style. Today, aside from running MakingManhattan.com, Vazzana is also involved in a wide range of social media brand collaborations and campaigns where she’s able to lend her unique eye, voice, style, and message to a multitude of brands. In the past she has also styled celebrities for various red-carpet events such as the MTV Video Music Awards, The Tony Awards, and Comicon. Vazzana has also been featured for her unique sense of style on sites such as VOGUE, Elle, Harper's Bazaar and Vanity Fair.
ST. JOSEPH HILL ACADEMY Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series
WINTER / SPRING 2022 Veterinary Medicine, Vet Tech and Animal Care Session Four: February 28, 2022
Lauren N. Costa, DVM, '98
Lauren Novak, DVM, '09
Mia Roccaro, '18
Vanessa Spano, DVM, '09
Sandy Petrizzo, '84
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Hill's Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series takes place on Zoom and is open to current students only.
VETERINARY MEDICINE, VET TECH AND ANIMAL CARE SESSION 4
Monday, February 28, 2022
LAUREN N. COSTA, DVM, '98 Veterinarian and Owner/Operator of PetScan Mobile Services LLC Dr. Lauren N. Costa is a St. Joseph Hill Academy ‘lifer’ attending the Academy from Kindergarten through 12th grade. It was that educational foundation and entrepreneurial spirit that helped her hone the skills to propel her into higher education and life beyond. After a medical undergrad at Loyola University in Maryland, Dr. Costa attended St George’s University on the island of Granada. Upon graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Costa initially worked in a large referral facility in New Jersey but her family background in business is what pushed her into pursuing her dream of opening her own business. She is currently the owner/operator of PetScan Mobile Services LLC - a veterinarian owned and operated Mobile ultrasound and diagnostic practice. She services multiple animals hospitals in the state of New Jersey as well as on Staten Island and Brooklyn. On top of her business, Dr. Costa is married with two wonderful children. Emerson is currently a 1st grade student at SJHA and Luke will be attending Pre-K 3 in Fall 2022. She hopes both of her children follow and learn the same SJHA skills she received many years ago. She is excited to share her knowledge of veterinary medicine, business, and life with the students of St. Joseph Hill Academy High School.
VETERINARY MEDICINE, VET TECH AND ANIMAL CARE Monday, February 28, 2022
SESSION 4
LAUREN NOVAK, DVM, '09 General Practice Veterinarian at Prospect Heights Animal Hospital Lauren Novak graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in biology in 2013 and received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University in 2017. She also spent a year abroad at the Royal Veterinary College in London during her veterinary school studies. After graduation, she returned home to New York City and completed an internship at the ASPCA on the upper east side of Manhattan. Lauren enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but has a particular interest in surgery and dentistry. She currently lives in Brooklyn and is a general practice veterinarian at Prospect Heights Animal Hospital.
SANDY PETRIZZO, '84 Non-profit Project 2 Heal Founder and Bookkeeper Sandy Petrizzo graduated from Hill in 1984. She attended St. John’s University and graduated with a BS in Mathematics. Sandy worked for an actuarial firm in Secaucus as a Retirement Benefit specialist. She was married in 1989 and moved to New Jersey. Sandy and her husband, Charlie, adopted their first daughter, Melissa, in 1995 and second daughter, Kristen, in 1996. Sandy made the choice to be a stay-at-home mom to their two daughters.
VETERINARY MEDICINE, VET TECH AND ANIMAL CARE SESSION 4
Monday, February 28, 2022 In 2001, the Petrizzo’s moved to the Charlotte, North Carolina area for Charlie’s job in the banking industry. In 2005, through their mutual love for dogs, Charlie and Sandy began breeding Labrador Retrievers for the purpose of assisting service dog organizations and those in need, with their puppies. Most service dog organizations do not have a breeding program and rely on shelter dogs which have a 12% success rate of becoming service dogs. As the need grew for their work, Charlie and Sandy founded Project 2 Heal, a non-profit organization based in Waxhaw, North Carolina. The mission of Project 2 Heal is to reduce the cost and time it takes to place a service dog with a person in need. They accomplish this by nurturing, socializing and training purpose-bred Labrador Retriever puppies, for donation, to carefully selected service dog organizations. Over the past 11 years as a non-profit, Project 2 Heal has grown to partner with 26 service dog organizations across the country, donating close to 500 puppies, and has an average success rate of 75% with their puppies graduating to become service dogs. Project 2 Heal has a presence in the community as the provider of therapy dogs in the local public school system and provides visits to assisted living facilities and local businesses for “stress down” days. Sandy has continued to use her Math background with the bookkeeping at Project 2 Heal and also as the assistant bookkeeper at their Church, Our Lady of Grace, in Lancaster, South Carolina. Sandy enjoys spending time with her family and many dogs, doing puzzles and crocheting (her newest hobby).
VETERINARY MEDICINE, VET TECH AND ANIMAL CARE Monday, February 28, 2022
SESSION 4
MIA ROCCARO, '18 Posse Scholar and Senior at University of WisconsinMadison majoring in Animal Sciences Mia Roccaro is currently a senior attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison on the Posse scholarship. She is majoring in Animal Sciences and just applied to veterinary school to fulfill her dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Right now, she is interested in small animal medicine with a possible specialty in ophthalmology. Her current jobs include a veterinary assistant and undergraduate researcher at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine (UWSVM).
VANESSA SPANO, DVM, '09 Resident, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists Dr. Vanessa Spano, DVM is a resident with the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. She currently practices behavioral medicine at the Behavior Vets of NYC in Manhattan. Having finished the clinical portion of her residency, she has seen 600+ primary behavioral cases to date. Dr. Spano graduated from the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada in 2017 and completed her Small Animal Internal Medicine & Surgical Rotating Internship at the ASPCA Animal Hospital in NYC. When she is not in the clinic, Dr. Spano engages in research and lecturing. She is currently conducting research on low-stress handling in sheltered felines through a Fear FreeTMgrant. She has lectured for numerous veterinary hospitals and universities
VETERINARY MEDICINE, VET TECH AND ANIMAL CARE SESSION 4
Monday, February 28, 2022 on behavioral psychopharmacology and the intersection of behavior and welfare and is a recurring lecturer for the New York State Veterinary Medical Society. Dr. Spano also provides behavioral consultation for a variety of shelters in the Tri-State Area, including the ASPCA. In her spare time, Dr. Spano enjoys spending time with her two adopted kitties, Little Prince and Dancer, and her friends and family. A former rescuer of her two beloved goats, she is passionate about farm animal welfare and dedicates part of her career to furthering the research on the behavior of our food animals.
ST. JOSEPH HILL ACADEMY Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series
WINTER / SPRING 2022 Art, Film, and Television Session Five: March 14, 2022
Alesha Borbo-Kilayko, '15
Sara Farley, '12
Kat Reilly, '05
Francesca Schirripa, '13
Dana Marano-Connery, '98
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Hill's Career Conversations: Alumnae Panel Series takes place on Zoom and is open to current students only.
ART, FILM, AND TELEVISION
Monday, March 14, 2022
SESSION 5
ALESHA BORBO KILAYKO, '15 Storytelling Arts Educator Alesha Borbo Kilayko (she/they) is a storytelling arts educator. She is the Children's Education Specialist at Middle Collegiate Church and the Programs Coordinator at Opening Act. In 2020, her proposal that explores theatre as an early intervention tool to mental illness in youth conferred her as a Semi-Finalist for the Fulbright Study Grant in the United Kingdom. (She chose not to complete this process due to obvious external reasons.) As an Excellence in Theatre Scholar, she received her BA in Theatre: Design and Production from Fordham University in 2019. As a Hilltopper, Alesha was stage manager of Drama Club for two years, president of Art Club for two years, writer and editor-in-chief of The Summit Newspaper, vice president of Book Club, treasurer of Hill Singers, and a Latin tutor in National Honor Society. Shout out to Ms. D'Ermilio, Ms. Loretta, and Ms. Paladino for inspiring her to go into a career that combines theatre and community engagement!
SARA FARLEY, '12 Health & Safety Coordinator for Netflix Film Production Sara Farley, West Brighton native and Hill "lifer", has led a journey into the film industry since graduating Fairfield University in 2016. A wrong turn on accepted students day brought her to Fairfield's Media Center, where, four years later, she graduated with a Bachelor's in Visual and Performing Arts.
ART, FILM, AND TELEVISION
SESSION 5
Monday, March 14, 2022 She spent her time at Fairfield sideline reporting for the basketball team, making short films, and running the campus TV station. Her semester in Prague, Czech Republic helped her gain international film experience with workshops and a film festival internship. Post college, Sara became a LinkedIn success story when a recruiter from Connecticut-based Blue Sky Studios reached out to her based on her local internship at NBC. She spent 3.5 years at the beloved animation studio, working on Ice Age 5, Ferdinand, and Spies in Disguise. Blue Sky was like a family, which made it tough to leave and advance her project management experience at an ad agency in NYC. In August of 2020, after 6 months of working from home during the pandemic, the opportunity came up to work on a Netflix production. She jumped! Sara spent the year working on the highly anticipated Netflix film, The Gray Man, in LA, Paris, and Prague. As it often goes in the film industry, each job is an audition for the next. She soon got a call to join another Netflix production in Hawaii. Sara is currently based in Paris at the European unit of the same production. She enjoys working with the Netflix team and hopes that their film projects will continue to take her on exciting adventures!
DANA MARANO-CONNERY, '98 Vice President of Development and Programming for NBCUniversal Syndication Studios Dana is currently the Vice President of Development and Programming for NBCUniversal Syndication Studios overseeing the creation and production for various talk shows and unscripted programming both on NBC stations and off network. Previous employment has included HARPO Studios and The
ART, FILM, AND TELEVISION
Monday, March 14, 2022
SESSION 5
Late Show with David Letterman. Dana has a BS in Arts Administration from Wagner College. She currently lives in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn with her husband Sean and her two children, Jameson and Michelina.
KAT REILLY, '05 Principal Product Designer at Seesaw Learning Kat Reilly is a Principal Product Designer at Seesaw Learning, where she creates digital experiences that connect teachers and students in meaningful ways. Prior to joining the startup world, Kat was a product designer for The Walt Disney Company and Facebook (now Meta). Outside of design, Kat is an awardwinning paper artist. Her artwork has been featured in galleries across the U.S.
FRANCESCA SCHIRRIPA, '13 Creative Marketing Manager at HBO Max A St. Joseph Hill “Lifer”, Francesca is a Creative Marketing Manager at HBO Max based in Los Angeles, CA. Following her high school graduation in 2013, she received her undergraduate degree at the University of Miami where she majored in Media Management and minored in Marketing and Motion Pictures. Throughout college, she interned at the Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals and at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Upon graduation in 2017, she accepted a position at United Talent Agency where she helped develop strategies that enabled the
ART, FILM, AND TELEVISION
SESSION 5
Monday, March 14, 2022 company’s film, TV and music clients to expand their audience and unlock new business opportunities. In her current role, she manages the planning and execution of creative marketing campaigns for HBO and HBO Max Original Series. She has coordinated premieres, promotional stunts, and has art directed award-winning campaigns for Game of Thrones, Westworld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Emmys and more. Though a New Yorker at heart, she appreciates the California lifestyle and loves being in nature and staying active. Most important to Francesca is spending quality time with her family and lifelong friends, many of whom are proud Hilltoppers as well!