What are your career goals / academic goals?

I just want to pursue knowledge and experiential opportunities that spark my creativity and are fueled on passion.

Why did you choose to pursue your graduate degree at Marist? Why did you choose to pursue this degree program?

I chose Marist because the beautiful campus made me feel at ease and connected to both nature and myself, and I chose my degree because I felt the knowledge I will gain in those areas will best suit my future endeavors. 

A project or course that was particularly meaningful to your professional development:

Data modeling with Professor Pantaleo was a course that I had a high interest in and throughout the course I gained an even stronger passion and advanced skillset that is more vastly applicable than I could’ve ever imagined. I truly feel that what I gained in his course will set me apart in the job market. 

Tell us about a meaningful experience you had at Marist as it pertains to your degree:

I hesitantly took BUS 340 (a marketing course) only as a requirement for my core, fully under the impression that marketing was all sales and infomercials, boy was I wrong. Professor Mohammadali Koorank Beheshti showed me marketing was way more than a car salesman; marketing is understanding the needs of the consumer. It is the psychology of color and how it affects the image of the product, it is the emotion behind a movement and it is curating an experience to make people feel heard. Professor effectively taught someone not at all interested in the subject by passionately sharing his knowledge and experience in such an engaging manner that I formed my own passion for the subject and subsequently added it as a concentration! 

What advice would you give to a student considering pursuing this degree at Marist?

Trust your instinct, not the voices of others. If something feels right deep down, do it. The worst that can happen is you try it and don’t like it, the best that can happen is a only limited by imagination.