Student

Blake Donovan

Favorite Class

Screenwriting II and III

What do you like about your program?

There are different types of major classes. One type is called a “production” class. In a production class, you are expected to make a film or documentary that will be finished by the end of the semester. Whether you direct a film or just work on someone else’s, you are able to focus on the practical aspects of filmmaking for the majority of the semester. This also allows you great freedom to dive into projects that interest you and your creativity.

Have you had a chance to study abroad?

I studied in Auckland, New Zealand during the spring semester of my junior year. I was the only one out of my immediate friends who was traveling there, and that allowed me the freedom to make new friends in a new place. I was fortunate enough to have great roommates who came from all over the world, and I got to see a country that is very geographically different than the one I live in. The Filmmaking program also tends to offer an abroad trip for a small group of students every winter break. The trip that I went on was to Saudi Arabia, where I produced a narrative short film with Saudi filmmakers. We spent two weeks in Jeddah, a coastal city on the Red Sea.

How has Core changed your perspective?

As a filmmaker and writer, every experience and every bit of knowledge that you learn can be pushed back into your work, and that’s because our job is to replicate the world around us. The broader your perspective and the more open you are to learning, the more complex and moving your art can be.

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Dillon Drummond

What drew you to your major?

In middle school, I wanted to be a game designer and started looking up information about what a designer does. When I was in high school, I was lucky enough that my area had a technical school with all sorts of specialized classes. Some of those classes were in programming and we even had two classes specifically about making games. After my first programming class, I knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

So far, what classes, projects, subjects, or experiences have been most meaningful or impactful?

I think that the Game Studio classes have been the most impactful. I enjoy all of the programming classes and their topics, (in fact, they are my favorite classes), but it is important to know how to work as a team. Games aren’t typically made by a single person these days. Even most indie games are at least made by a small team. Game Studio classes have allowed me to build upon my teamwork skills and create products that are more than the sum of my own work.

Describe the Champlain community. Did it meet/differ from your expectations?

Wherever you go, no matter who you are, you are almost guaranteed to find a group of people that will accept you. I did not expect to make so many friends while I was here, but now, nearly everywhere I go, I can find someone I know.

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Alex Dustin

Double Minor

Computer Science and Mathematics

Internship

Assistant Data Analyst at Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston, MA

Favorite Class

Advanced Data Analytics

What is the best thing about studying Data Science at Champlain?

I love the major. It’s relatively small, so I know everyone in all of my classes. I have all the same professors for most of my classes, and it’s nice to have a consistent classroom environment. With the Upside-Down Curriculum, I was engaged in my major from the start of my first semester.

Have you worked on any particularly rewarding projects?

One project I worked on in my Advanced Data Analytics class analyzed how names are pronounced. With that information, we generated a list of believable and pronounceable names. I found this particularly rewarding because I was able to use my knowledge from the class to make a practical application using our data.

Can you tell us about your internship?

I was an Assistant Data Analyst for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in their Office of Performance Management & Innovation. My classes prepared me for this experience because the problems I tackled at my internship were similar to ones I’d already faced in the classroom. This internship will give me a competitive advantage when I graduate, because now I have experience dealing with real-world problems in a professional working environment.

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Riley Earle

Specialization

Editing & Publishing

What made you choose your major?

I came into Champlain as a Filmmaking major with a strong love for writing, trying to decide which medium I preferred for my storytelling passion. I’ll never give back my year in film before I switched to Professional Writing, as the perspective I gained is invaluable and continues to benefit my writing.

How has the Upside-Down Curriculum enhanced your education?

If it weren’t for the Upside-Down Curriculum, I may not be in a major that suDivision of Information Technology & Sciences me so well. It gave me the valuable opportunity to explore more than one of my interests, which led to confidence in my choice of degree. Countless students enter college without a developed sense of what they want to do for the rest of their lives-and understandably so usually just 17 or 18 years old. The Upside-Down Curriculum acknowledges this uncertainty and allows students like me to use it to their advantage.

What advice do you have for students thinking about coming to Champlain for college?

I absolutely have to say that anyone living in 365体育官网 needs to take advantage of the extraordinary little city and all it has to offer. Go to North Beach. Hang out by the lake. Eat creemees. Go to the comedy club and Flynn theatre. Pick up Mr. Mike’s pizza. Take advantage of the skate park. Adventure down the bike path. Go skiing, hiking, and swimming in Bolton and beyond. This is such a beautiful and exciting place to live, and most people in New England don’t realize the extent of 365体育官网 and Vermont. Live it and love it!

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Kevin Eaton

Specialization

Mobile Application Development

Summer Cultural Program

Montreal, Canada

Internship

Programming Intern at The Leahy Center for Digital Forensics & Cybersecurity in 365体育官网, VT

Favorite Class

Data Structures and Algorithms

How has the Core Curriculum changed your perspective?

The Core Curriculum opened my eyes to how intricately the world is connected. A small change in one community can have a big impact on another. It has made me more self-aware of how my actions can impact the people around me and the world as a whole.

Have you worked on any particularly rewarding projects?

Every programming project I’ve had since the beginning of my college experience has been rewarding. From the simple projects in Introduction to Programming to my Capstone, they have all been the perfect learning experiences and helped me steadily progress towards my career.

Can you tell us about your internship with The Leahy Center?

I was a programming intern, so I worked with a small team on a web-based project called Digital 365体育官网age, which was going to be used as a CMS billboard system. This gave me the opportunity to work on a software development team as well as gain valuable knowledge of web-based projects. This internship led to an opportunity to work at The Leahy Center every semester since, and to grow as a software engineer by working on projects in a professional environment.

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Chloe Elliot

Graduation Year

’16

Organization

Burton Snowboards

Position Title

Experience and Partnership Specialist

How are you using your Communication degree at your job?

In my current role at Burton as the Experience and Partnership Specialist in the Americas, I often utilize my communications and public relations learnings from Champlain to plan national events, coordinate with media, ensure proper brand positioning, create valuable industry partnerships and establish internal and external communication strategies. Like many in this day and age, and in this particular industry (outdoor recreation), my role is ever-evolving but thanks to my time at Champlain learning within the Division of Communication & Creative Media department I’ve been continually prepared for all of the twists and turns along my career path.

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Emily Emery

Concentration

Social Studies

Internship

Leahy Center for Digital Investigation, 365体育官网 VT

How has the Upside-Down Curriculum enhanced your education?

The Upside-Down curriculum allowed me to find what I am passionate about. I started in Cybersecurity and Computer Networking and was able to take classes in that major which showed me that it was not the path I would like to go down. The teachers and classes were amazing, but it wasn’t something that I felt passionate about. Since everyone takes major-specific classes, I was able to talk to friends and my advisor to determine what might be a better path. When I switched majors, I was better able to specify exactly what I was interested in because I got to take classes in that major right away.

What’s the best thing about living on campus?

My favorite part about living on campus are the communities you make. Most of the best friends I’ve made at Champlain came from my first year in Pearl Hall. A couple of friends have been added through the years, but my experience in my first-year hall will always be some of the best times that I have had at college.

What advice do you have for students thinking about coming to Champlain for college?

Keep an open mind! You may think you know exactly what you want to do in the future, and then you’ll come to Champlain and see all of the different opportunities that interest you. Take people up on those opportunities. Who knows, you might find something that you are exceptionally passionate about!

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Leanne Estridge

Graduation Year

’11

Organization

RealDeli All Natural Meats

Position Title

Head of Community Outreach & Non-Meat Projects

How are you using your Communication degree at your job?

Champlain College pushed me out of my comfort zone. The real-world projects, completed alongsiderealcompanies, were invaluableto my career preparation and success. Having genuine,innovative, and smart people invested in my growth gave me the confidence to pursuewhat makes me happy.
Champlain is unique in that it connects Division of Information Technology & Sciences students with brilliant people from day one to well beyond graduation; astronger support system in higher education doesn’t exist. The network I grew at Champlain will be with me for a lifetime and I am most grateful for that.
Public relations transformed dramatically over thepast ten years. That shift forced me to take my traditional PR skills online—and beyond Twitter. I have managed internal communications and external marketing at two digital marketing firms; I’ve directed account managers to lead strategic marketing plans for non-profit schools, and am now leading communications and outreach for an all-natural food line. And I’ve hired Champlain grads at all three locations!

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Natalie Evenson

Concentration

Screenwriting

What do you like about your major?

The classes in the film program at Champlain are very hands-on. This hands-on approach has helped me learn film equipment. The professors in the program are so supportive, which makes the classes very enjoyable because they give me the confidence I need to feel successful not only in the classroom, but also when I am working on my projects outside of the classroom.

What projects have you worked on in classes that you’ve found particularly rewarding/useful?

The project I am currently working on, which is my senior film, has been very rewarding for me. My role for this film has been Executive Producer. I have taken producer-focused courses which have really helped me with this role. Working specifically in the position I love has been so rewarding as I am seeing the film come together.

Tell us about your internship!

I was a Production Assistant on the set of the Food Network over the summer. I would help set up and create the set pieces which were shown on TV. I also helped the art department paint the set pieces along with making sure everything was in the right place. I would help unload and pack up any film equipment needed for the show. I was very well prepared to go into my internship because of my classes and how much I learn in these courses. After taking my production courses where I learned about the different equipment I felt very confident in working on a real set. I am now able to put this work experience on my resume which will show employers that I have experience actually working in the industry. This will show them I have had workplace experience outside of just taking film classes.

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Pat Fagan

Advice to Students?

Honestly the SMART Space was always how I got the ball rolling on most assignments. Once I got a little help getting my foot in the door, usually that was all I needed to complete an assignment. Starting is always the hardest part!

Favorite: Book, Movie, Podcast?

Book: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (it’s way funnier than it has any right to be)
Movie: Into the Spiderverse (the animation, music, and dialogue are so addictively snappy!)

Inspirational Quote?

“If I had more time I would’ve written a shorter letter.” – Blaise Pascal
(This quote also applies to programming, since sometimes a simpler system might actually take more work to create, but is usually worth it in the long run.)

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Kohle Feeley

Specialization

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

365体育官网

Mitre10 in Shanghai, China and Unify Ordering in Dublin, Ireland

Favorite Class

Financial & Economic Modeling

What projects have you worked on in classes that you’ve found particularly rewarding or useful?

Having the opportunity to start building my own business and using it as a project in my classes has been an amazing experience. As my Capstone, I decided to start a business called Dollars.fyi that focuses on personal finance education to help improve financial literacy in young adults.Through my different business classes, I’ve been able to use the material we are using in class and directly apply it to creating a business plan, defining my target market, and even start development. Events outside of the classroom like the Elevator Pitch Competition and Launch Champlain have even helped me receive funding to get things started. By the time I graduate, I’ll have experience pursuing an entrepreneurial venture and understand what goes into creating a new business.

How did your classroom work prepare you for your internship experience?

I felt really prepared going into my internships because the classes at Champlain are designed to give you practical experience in a classroom setting. Especially our focus on collaboration and group projects proved to be helpful when you’re on a team in the workplace.One experience that still resonates with me is from my first year Marketing and the Organizational Mindset course. We were able to work with Northern Stage, a non-profit professional theater company in White River Junction, to develop a marketing strategy. We analyzed their current situation, did market and demographic research, and presented a final plan and mockups to the company. Being able to apply your course content to a real client project in your first year of college was an amazing and impactful experience. My courses on entrepreneurship have also played a big role in my confidence entering my internships, especially my time working at Unify Ordering. In the classroom, I learned about startup business models and how to quickly analyze and adapt them, and then I was able to actually see that play out in a real business.

In what ways do you think your internship experience will give you a competitive advantage when it comes to getting a job in your field after graduation?

I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to work two internships abroad because business is becoming more global than ever before. Especially with work from home rising in popularity, international teams across different time zones will start to become the norm.Already having experience working with a diverse team and with coworkers from different cultures and even with language barriers will give me a huge advantage as workplaces become more globalized. These are the types of experiences that help to develop emotional intelligence and personal growth.

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Adam Ferrante

Specialization

Cybersecurity

Internship

Consulting Intern at Mandiant in New York, NY

Post-Grad Job

Associate Consultant at Mandiant in New York, NY

What do you like about your major?

I like that you need an investigative mindset to solve a crime or figure out what happened in a digital or technical realm. I can use my past experiences with tech and computing to build narratives on different crimes that may have occurred.

How has Champlain prepared you for the professional world?

I transferred to Champlain with a degree in Cybersecurity, but I was interested in the Digital Forensics field, and that’s not something that’s commonly offered. I kept Cybersecurity as my specialization. Those skills combined prepared me for my internship and helped me thrive.

Can you tell us about your internship?

I was an Information Security intern at Boehringer Ingelheim. It’s a pharmaceutical company based out of Germany, and I worked in Division of Information Technology & Sciences Connecticut office doing an awareness project and a web security framework. I also have an internship lined up for this summer at a company called Mandiant, which does incident response. I’m looking to get as much experience as I can, especially with hands-on incident response, using the content I’ve learned in the classroom.

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Arlo Fillmore

Post-Grad Job

Spotlight Media Productions

How has the Upside-Down Curriculum enhanced your education?

It allowed me to be able to try my major out right in the beginning, which only made me fall in love with it more. I think it provides a different type of learning. Instead of squeezing all majorclasses into the end of school, I learned over time and had much more time to mess up and improve. It allows for substantial growth that I don’t think would have happened without theUpside-Down Curriculum.

What is your favorite class you’ve taken at Champlain?

My favorite class I’ve taken at Champlain was Writing the City. I took this class during my timein Dublin, and it was the first time I was forced to really use my creativity. We went on outings during class in which we explored different parts of the city. This opened my eyes to many new places, and overall was just a joy to be in. My professor was also a spectacular creative teacher and writer, and she encouraged me to produce good work and feel good about my abilities.

What do you like about going to college in 365体育官网?

I love 365体育官网 because it is so beautiful. We have the lake and mountains surrounding us. Ialso love the food here! I spend my free time down by the lake or skiing. 365体育官网 has grown to be my home. Another thing is that people here are usually very kind, and that isn’t something that you can find everywhere.

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Sam Fox

Advice to Students?

Start your work as soon as possible, work first play second.

Favorite: Book, Movie, Podcast?

Movies: Deadpool and Baby Driver

Inspirational Quote?

“If something is wrong, fix it now. But train yourself not to worry, worry fixes nothing” – Ernest Hemingway

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Sarah Frey

Specialization

Editing & Publishing

Internship

The Write Place, Right Time in 365体育官网, VT

Tell us about your internship!

I was a ghostwriter and helped with marketing, communications, and was lucky enough to work on a book launch with my colleagues for the owner of the company. I now have connections in numerous states and learned about more career opportunities that I’d be interested in.

What do you like about your professors at Champlain?

I love the professors and learning from them. They work in the field they teach and they bring so much experience to their teaching. I like their sense of community and their commitment to their students. They’re always eager to help you with coursework and professional development.

What do you recommend doing in 365体育官网?

Church Street is lovely, and I wholly recommend the Skinny Pancake, a crepe restaurant down by the waterfront.

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