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The School of Communication and Media kicked off its 2024-25 Mentoring Program on September 12 as Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ SCM students learned best practices about building their resume, searching for a job and interviewing, and enhancing their social media presence.

Now it in its seventh year, the program has accelerated and enhanced the job search process for dozens of students, and better prepared them for the workforce through one-on-one meetings, mock interviews, networking advice, and resume and cover letter tips. This year’s program has paired a record 32 SCM majors with highly accomplished leaders in media, public relations, news, social media, marketing, production and creative roles across the country.

Many mentors and mentees met for the first time as part of a fun and energetic evening filled with serious advice and humorous anecdotes about career paths. “I was offered a job as a writer on a network sitcom called Homeboys in Outer Space, said Michael Price, a Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus who joined the SCM Mentoring Program in its first year and is a longtime writer and executive producer for The Simpsons. “If you Google it, you’ll see it on the lists of ‘Worst Shows of All-Time,’ Price joked. “But it was fun and not a lot of people would’ve taken the job, they would have rather waited for Cheers or Seinfeld or something. I had a great time and met a lot of people who helped me get to where I am today. I always say, ‘Don’t turn your nose up at whatever your Homeboys in Outer Space is.'”

“Our Mentoring Program continues to be a huge success,” said Dr. Keith Strudler, Dean of the School of Communication and Media. “We are starting to see students who were in the program as mentees return to campus to mentor current students. We know we have a strong community of alumni and friends of our school who want to give back, so this program is a great way to give our top students every opportunity to succeed.”

This year’s mentee/mentor pairings are:

Dani Mazariegos with Al Prieto (ABC News, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Emily McCormack with Kristen Bunk (Mick Management, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna)

Will Robbins with Michael Price (The Simpsons, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Nicole Passero with Omnika Thompson (NBCUniversal, friend of the program)

Lana Kalapodakis with Keith Cutler (KCMG Consulting, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Professor)

Jordy Monegro-Ventura with Mike Banovic (Telemundo, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Wyatt Lardieri with Bobby Melok (WWE, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Jennifer Sanchez with Steven Vasquez (KXLY Broadcast Group, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Luciana Martinez with Mike Claudio (Yahoo Finance, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Isabella Alvarez with Chanila German (Walt Disney Company, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna)

Joseph Cassio with Marquise Hansford (NBCU, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Bryan Jaimes with Jason Olexa (Nickelodeon, friend of the program)

Jade Glassman with Sheyla Baez (MSNBC, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna)

Abbie Griffin with Joe Gressis (Producer, Writer, Director; friend of the program)

Tim Gastal with Emma Kaptein (New York Giants, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna)

Stephanie Twentyman with Rich Efrus (WHY Brands, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Gillian Muldoon with Geoffrey Phelps (Coyne PR, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Noah Pagella with Louis Biondolillo (NBC10 Philadelphia, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Gina-Marie Zoccoli with Stevie Vallellanes (EmblemHealth, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna)

Stephanie Pinos with Julia Higgins (Litzky PR, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna)

Luke Ciriani with Lenny Santiago (FIFA, friend of the program)

Silvana Wilson with Giselle Huasipoma (Calvin Klein, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna and Professor)

Demsi Ramirez with Alex Daus (NASCAR, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Sal DiMaggio with Tim Scheld (Radio Executive, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Professor)

Kaylee Seitz with Ciara Rolle-Harris (TikTok, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Vincent Picone with Sean McChesney (SiriusXM, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Victoria Smith with Gentrix Shanga (Video News Producer, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna)

Sophia Lazaridis with Jasmine Amjad (NowThis, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna)

Narendra Singh with Mike Mee (SpoonyVision Studios, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Tiffany Sosa with Corey Annan (NJ.com, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumnus)

Ryan Tullio with Kris Chapman (Warner Bros. Discovery, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna)

Paige Stewart with Stephanie Pitera (Business Insider, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumna)

The program was founded and is run by retired Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Professor Marc Rosenweig, with assistance from Professors Mark Effron and Keith Green.

I’m a ______, tell me more…

Students must apply to the prestigious program after receiving a nomination from a faculty or staff member during the spring semester, so if you are an underclassman, ask your professor about the program so they can keep you in mind for a possible nomination. For Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ alumni or friends of the university who might be interested in participating in the program as a mentor, for more info.

About the School of Communication and Media: The School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of more than 2,000. Offering degrees in film and television, social media and public relations, advertising, journalism and digital media, sports communication, communication and media studies, animation and visual effects, and an MA devoted to strategic communication, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. The School houses award-winning student programs that include ,Ìý newspaper,Ìý  Agency, the ,Ìý OTT streaming platform, and , as well as the , which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism. Student projects and programs have recently received national recognition from PRSSA’s Bateman Competition, an Edward R Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and a College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.