Join us in congratulating the 2022
30 Under 30 Young Alumni Award Recipients!
Diana N. Abourafeh Kelliher
MUDBS ’15, MSMUD ’18
Music Therapist, The Rebecca Center for Music Therapy at Molloy University
Diana N. Abourafeh Kelliher is a professionally credentialed, board-certified music therapist, currently working at the Rebecca Center for Music Therapy at Molloy University. She provides clinical services to people of all abilities and walks of life, with a professional mission to provide a safe space for people to access their sense of self-expression and creativity. In her work, she spearheads an annual inclusive community event which showcases people of all abilities through different forms of artistic expression: art, writing, music, storytelling, and more. Aside from her clinical and programmatic responsibilities, Diana serves as a supervisor to undergraduate students in the Molloy University music department during their clinical placements, conducts research, submits grant proposals, and serves on Molloy committees. Before coming full circle to working at MU, Diana was a music therapist at Northwell Health at the Orzac Center for Rehabilitation. She has a range of professional work experience as she has served on the executive board and committee members for the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association (MAR-AMTA). She also served as Public Relations Chair (MAR-AMTA executive board), public relations committee member (MAR-AMTA) and workforce & retention committee member (AMTA). Diana presented at several professional conferences for the MAR-AMTA, New York Mental Health Counseling Association (NYMHCA), conferences held at MU, and local school districts. Diana continues to uphold Molloy University’s pillars of service and community throughout her professional and personal life through her career and volunteer endeavors.
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Euginia Anthony
SWKBS ’14
Medical Social Worker, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital
Euginia Anthony continued her education in Social Work by earning her Master of Social Work degree as part of the Molloy Fordham University partnership in 2015. Upon graduating, Euginia has gained experience as a social worker through her work in the hospital and health care industry. She always “rises above the status quo” and holds herself and her work to a high standard. Euginia is driven to seek opportunities to become engaged in work that effects the greater community through social work. In 2019, Euginia enlisted in the United States Army Reserve, where she is a horizontal construction engineer and holds many leadership roles. She seeks continuous growth and learning opportunities personally and professionally to better serve people and communities. Euginia embraces challenges, thrives under pressure, and craves opportunities to be creative and to better herself and others. Euginia is also focused on the development and growth of her interior design and decorating business, named after her daughter (Ikeelah Gianna Master Designs LLC) as she works toward obtaining her Certificate in Interior Design and Decorating through Molloy’s Continuing Education program.
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Jacqueline Bassey
MKDBS ’19, MBMGT ’20
Lead Development Associate, St. Francis Hospital
Jacqueline Bassey is the Lead Development Associate at St. Francis Hospital. After working for a larger, corporate company for a year and a half, she chose to switch to a career in healthcare philanthropy to use her skillset to make a difference in the community, especially during pandemic and post-pandemic times. Jacqueline works with a team of fundraisers across hospitals to raise money for life-saving and innovative programs. She also cultivates and stewards’ donors, learning their stories and motives for giving back, and works regularly with the St. Francis BraveHearts to create their monthly newsletter. Besides her full-time job at St. Francis, Jacqueline is also a Real Estate Agent at Keller Williams in Massapequa.
Outside of work, Jacqueline has her own freelance photography business with a focus on sunsets. During the pandemic, Jacqueline started an Instagram page called @Project.Sunset_ where she would take sunset photos each night and share with family and friends to "spread sunshine during difficult times." She also hosts weekly trivia nights at local bars and restaurants through Tango Time Trivia. Jacqueline is a strong believer in continuing education, receiving her B.S. in Marketing and her MBA in Management from Molloy, as well as receiving her Certified Associate Project Manager (CAPM) certification. She volunteers at events for the Maurer Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, and she is a strong advocate for mentorship and giving back to the community that has helped her get to where she is today. She also has served as a Member-At-Large of the Molloy Alumni Board.
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Nicole Bergamine
BUSBS ’17 & DNUBS ’20
Assistant Nurse Manager, Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center
Nicole accepted a job at Long Island Jewish Medical Center as an RN in the Operating Room after graduating in 2020. Surprisingly, obtaining a job in the midst of COVID-19 was not as easy as she imagined. After going through a nine-month orientation, Nicole settled in the service line of neurosurgery and spinal surgery. Cohen Children’s Medical Center was in the process of opening and by the encouragement of her surgeons and colleagues, Nicole accepted the position of Assistant Nurse Manager of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery for CCMC. CCMC just opened eight brand new state of the art operating rooms which has been a challenge, but such a joy to be a part of. Unexpectedly enough, the surgeons and team that she works with today are the same ones that have operated on her partner’s niece when she was diagnosed with her brain tumor. Nicole believes that life has a funny way of surprising you with little coincidences and reminding you that maybe you’re exactly where you should be. Children that are patients of their service line include those who have brain cancer, hydrocephalus, seizure disorders, and scoliosis. CCMC is a 24/7 opened operating room and Level 1 trauma center, so staff and leadership must always be on their toes and expect the unexpected. Nicole takes so much pride in the skillset of the nursing staff and dedication of her team caring for children.
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Vanessa Burton
MKDBS ’17
Marketing Manager, L’Oreal
After graduating from Molloy, Vanessa accepted a position with 1-800-Flowers, where her passion for marketing grew. Since then, she has won numerous awards for her work in digital marketing and has spoken at nation-wide conferences and organizations, like Girls Who Code. Currently, Vanessa works as the SEO Manager for L'Oreal with top beauty brands like Kiehl's, Lancôme, YSL, & Armani. During the pandemic, she also started her own consulting business, helping brands to take advantage of the digital boom.
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Tyler Capozzoli
AZSBA ’16
Assistant Principal, Our Lady of Guadalupe School
Tyler serves as Assistant Principal at Our Lady of Guadalupe School, the first dual-language Catholic School on Long Island and a member of Boston College’s TWIN-CS Program (Two-Way Immersion Network of Catholic Schools). Our Lady of Guadalupe is the first Morning Star School led by the Marianist Brothers of Chaminade High School and Kellenberg Memorial High School, in conjunction with the Diocese of Rockville Centre. The mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School runs deep in the heart of the faculty, with a focus on providing the gift of Catholic education to underserved and diverse communities of Long Island. Rooted in the Gospel imperatives of faith, hope, and charity, OLG’s dual campuses in Central Islip and Deer Park joyfully serve over 500 students and their families. For the past five years, Tyler has also served as the Head Coach of Kellenberg High School Boys’ Track and Field program.
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Anne Collins
NUSBS ’20
Nurse Clinician, NYU Langone Long Island
Anne is a full time Nurse Clinician at NYU Langone Long Island. Since graduating Molloy, she has grown within her career as a Registered Nurse. Anne is a member of the NYU Nursing Professional Advancement program which provides opportunity for promotion through research-based projects and involvement within the institution. She currently maintains leadership roles on several councils within the institution as well. This past May, she received the Jillian Daly Memorial Award for Nursing Excellence during Nurses Week 2022.
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Nicole DellaPorta-Volpe
BIOBS ’15
Physician Assistant, Northwell Health
Nicole attended Touro College, after graduating from Molloy, where she was President of her graduating class and received her master’s as a Physician Assistant. Her first job as a Physician Assistant was at Weill Cornell, doing multiple surgical specialties and operated with some of the top Surgeons in the country. At Weill Cornell, she was nominated for the “PA of the Year” award. More recently, Nicole has worked at St. Francis Hospital in Vascular surgery and is currently working at Northwell South Shore in general and robotic surgery. She continuously helps her community by treating those that are sick or injured and is very happy with her career and the foundation that Molloy helped her to establish.
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Michael Dioguardi
ASPBA ’14
Educator K-12, Owego-Apalachin Central School District
Michael lives with his wife, Meghan, dog, Dood, and many fishes and plants in upstate New York. He teaches Spanish during the day at Owego-Apalachin Middle School and in the evenings at Binghamton University. He coaches field at Owego Free Academy, specializing in pole vault, discus, and shot put. In his free time, he enjoys volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Tier, where he works as a one-to-one mentor. His hobbies include writing short fiction, sculpting figurines, taking care of his aquariums and squash plants, and occasionally kicking ass in grappling class. Michael believes that strong communities start with quality education in the spirit of service—analogous to Molloy University’s Mission Statement; these virtues are essential for fostering respect and leadership among the next generation. Michael and his father, Frank, created the Dioguardi Family Scholarship in 2021 to help support students at Molloy studying Spanish who plan on studying abroad.
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Jessica Falcone
COMBA ’14
Digital Content Creator, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island
Jessica continued her education after graduating from Molloy in 2014, earning a master’s degree in Television and Film Production from NYIT. After graduating, Jessica spent many years working as a Digital Video Producer and Editor for Discovery, Inc. (now Warner Bros Discovery) on brands including HGTV, Travel Channel, Food Network, and more. Most recently, Jessica has transitioned into a role as the Digital Content Creator for the non-profit organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island. Jessica works to increase awareness, support, engagement, and funding through the use of video, photo, and social media across the digital landscape. This role has aligned Jessica’s passion for creativity and content creation with her desire to make a difference and serve others. Knowing the content she creates helps directly impact youth within the Long Island community is incredibly fulfilling to her and allows her to carry the Molloy mission with her each day.
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Amanda Gabayan
NURBS ’16
Interim Nurse Manager, Northwell Health
Amanda Gabayan began her nursing career at Northwell Health in their Critical Care Fellowship. Over the last six years, Amanda has excelled in her clinical knowledge and skills in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTU). In early 2020, Amanda became the Assistant Nurse Manager of the CTU and helped her team navigate through the uncharted territories of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amanda is proud of her team for their courage, determination, teamwork, and compassion they showed every single day. Last year, Amanda received her master’s degree in Nursing Education. Currently, Amanda is the interim Nurse Manager for the CTU at North Shore University Hospital, where they specialize in cardiac surgery, ventricular assist device implantation, and heart and lung transplants. Every day the CTU team makes a huge difference in the lives of their patients and communities. In March 2022, the CTU team completed the first lung transplant on Long Island.
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Amanda Gaimaro
MSSLT ’18
Speech Language Pathologist, Hempstead Public School District
Amanda Gaimaro has been a school-based speech-language pathologist for the past five years. She is certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and licensed in the state of New York as a Speech-Language Pathologist and Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD). She currently serves students at the Hempstead Public School District. Amanda has a passion for technology and helps provide staff professional development on various technology topics. She also embeds her love of technology into her speech and language therapy sessions to create an engaging and innovative environment for her students. In addition, she helps run her school's local news program where her students learn how to research and work on public speaking skills. She has enjoyed giving back to her field by supervising graduate student interns from Molloy University. Amanda hopes to one day receive her School Building Leader Certificate.
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Craig Gendjoian
ACDBS ’15
Senior Portfolio Manager, Financial Advisor, The North Shore Group at Morgan Stanley
Craig is a Senior Portfolio Manager, Financial Advisor, and partner of The North Shore Group at Morgan Stanley, who first started with the team in 2013. As a Certified Financial Planner™ and Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York, Craig understands the complex needs of clients and helps to solve them with practical solutions. Craig leverages his expansive knowledge in Financial Services to bring a deeply analytical lens to the financial planning and investment advisory process. Before joining the team, Craig was previously a Client Service Associate with The North Shore Group and was a Financial Services Consultant with Big 4 Accounting Firm, Ernst & Young.
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Eric Haslbauer
ACCBS ’15
Special Agent, United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Eric Haslbauer started his professional career at KPMG, one of the Big 4, working as a Senior Audit Associate where we worked for about four years gaining integral knowledge. After working with KPMG, Eric worked for W.P. Carey as a Senior Financial Reporting Associate for about a year. In 2019, Eric began working for the Department of Justice (DOJ) as a Forensic Accountant. Most recently, Eric has begun working with the FBI as a Special Agent and is an active Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Outside of work, Eric is married to Molloy alumna Mary-Kate.
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Ryan Lane
ABSBS ’14, M2AB ’16
Educator K-12, Plainedge School District
Ryan has spent his career teaching in Plainedge School District and is the only educator in Plainedge who has received tenure both as a science teacher and a special education teacher. He began his time there as a special education teacher with a certification in Biology before being hired as a member of the Science department in 2018. Ryan is certified in Chemistry and has taught a variety of courses including Advancement Placement Biology, Living Environment Chemistry, Oceanography, Forensics, and Astronomy. He also wrote the curriculum for a Conservation Science elective for the special education students rooted entirely in Project-Based Learning to make science more accessible for these students. Outside of his position as a science teacher, Ryan is very proud to be director of the musicals at the high school. He cherishes the opportunity to share his love of theatre with students. Ryan maintains a strong connection with the Molloy community. He served a Representative on the Alumni Board for two years after graduation. He has also been an adjunct instructor in the School of Education & Human Services since 2017, teaching courses in Science Methods and Educational Technology on both the Undergraduate and Graduate levels. He is honored to work alongside such a distinguished faculty and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to share his experiences with teacher candidates and in-service teachers alike as they prepare to go out and make a difference in their own classrooms.
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Alexandra Leftridge
POLBA ’16
Grant Reviewer, National Development Council
Alexandra has been working on several grant programs for the National Development Council over the last two years. The Council provides grants to small businesses around the country with emphasis on economic development to underserved communities. Alexandra loves her work and has enjoyed the positive impact it has made for people. In October of 2021, Alexandra received her master’s degree in Public Administration from Grand Canyon University. Outside of work, Alexandra is the Vice President of LUNA Reflections Inc., a small women’s empowerment non-profit based in New York. Their mission is “to provide programs that encourage and support girls/women to BE their greatest possibility.” Programs are designed to meet the emotional, physical, social, and educational needs of each participant. Through group classes, workshops, and one-on-one meetings, participants are exposed to opportunities that build self-esteem and self-love while providing overall enrichment.”
For the last six years, Alexandra has also been performing standup comedy on stages across the United States. Some of the stages she has graced thus far are Caroline’s, Broadway Comedy Club, Gotham, Comic Strip Live, Laughing Skull ATL, The Comedy Store LA, and she is a resident at NY Comedy Club.
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Nichelle Lewis
THABF ’21
Actor & Performer
Nichelle has been very busy since graduating from Molloy’s CAP21 Theatre Conservatory. She performed with the Jeff Lubin Band for Hank Lane Music at events throughout New York and Connecticut. In November 2021, she was a featured soloist at The Cutting Room in New York with the group Cellophane Flowers. From January 2022 through June 2022, she toured with the US National Tour of “Hairspray” performing as a Dynamite/Cindy Watkins and understudying Little Inez. In July 2022, Nichelle played Bessie in Speakeasy at the National Harbor in Washington, DC. In August 2022, Nichelle performed with the cast of “label•less”, a show created by Lea & Drew Lachey, that challenges discrimination in all forms hoping to spark meaningful discussions about difficult topics. In addition, Nichelle has been focusing her career on creating music and finding opportunities to share it with those who need it most. As part of the 2020 Molloy Galathon to raise funds for student scholarships, Nichelle performed “It’s Raining Men” with Paul Shaffer. Nichelle comes from a strong woman-led family that taught her to stay strong, keep aiming high and never stop dreaming. She wants to give others that inspiration. Although she knows she has a long way to go, she cannot help but get emotional at how far her reach has gone.
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Afsha Malik
SWKBW ’19
Law Student, Cardozo Law School
Afsha Malik, LMSW (she/her/hers) is a current 1L student at Cardozo Law School after graduating from Molloy. Prior to returning back to school this fall, Afsha worked as a Research and Program Associate with National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW), a legal advocacy organization based in New York City working to preserve the rights, health, and welfare of all people, focusing particularly on pregnant and parenting people, and those who are most likely to be targeted for state control and punishment — low income women, women of color, and drug-using women. During her time at NAPW, Afsha directly worked on client cases. During this time, Afsha also served in a supervisory role hiring, onboarding, supervising, and evaluating an MSW intern. Additionally, Afsha has been publicized in multiple media forums with respect to her work at NAPW, including acknowledgements in national outlets The Huffington Post and The Nation, as well as several geographic-specific outlets, including WORTFM and ANOKHI Life.
Within this past year, Afsha has also begun to work as a Junior Partner with DEInamic Consulting, providing professional development training to 350+ K-12 district employees and developing training materials all with the focus on supporting organizational transformation and advancement from a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework. Afsha holds 3+ years of experience serving as Regional Representative and Division Director of Nassau County for the National Association of Social Workers — New York State Chapter. In this capacity, Afsha has led membership meetings and organized several continuing education programming events. She received her master’s in Social Work in May 2020 from Columbia University and became a Licensed Master Social Worker shortly thereafter. Afsha hopes to continue to work within the spheres of social impact and responsibility after acquiring her Juris Doctorate.
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Shawn Martin
EESBS ’20
Environmental Scientist II, GZA
Shawn returned to New Jersey after graduating Molloy and currently works as an Environmental Scientist for GZA GeoEnvironmental in the site investigation and remediation division. When it comes to environmental work, there are many moving pieces, as they must keep the client’s needs in mind, as well as satisfy the standards of state and federal environmental agencies. Shawn’s Molloy experience greatly helped him prepare to work in his field and handle the different obstacles they face on a day-to-day basis. At Molloy, he learned vital communication, data analysis, organizational, and report writing skills that are vital to his work and keeping projects running smoothly and on schedule. Shawn’s responsibilities vary daily; however, he spends most of his time in the field at various sites throughout New Jersey. At these sites he conducts soil, groundwater, and vapor sampling in compliance with NJDEP standards. These samples are then sent to a lab to be analyzed for chemicals and compounds that are harmful to human health and the health of the ecosystem. After they receive the data back from the lab, they then develop a plan to remediate the contamination. No two sites are the same, thus each new project offers exciting and challenging obstacles that he and his team must overcome. The contaminants that they work to mitigate daily have been linked to numerous diseases, birth deformities, and cognitive problems - not only in human populations but throughout wildlife populations as well. Shawn also had the opportunity to work with GZA’s Ecological Division in studying and documenting the vast biodiversity of trees, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mammal species throughout New Jersey. Often going unrecognized, the health of these populations is directly related to the health of the ecosystem and therefore indicative of the health of human population as well. Although meeting client needs are important to Shawn and GZA, the most rewarding aspect of his work is knowing that they are having a positive impact on the health and lives of the communities in which he works.
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Lance Mason
ACCBS ’15
Founder & CEO, Count
Lance Mason is a New York Licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He is also the founder of Count, a company that helps CPAs meet their continuing education requirements. Lance began his career in public accounting, where he worked as an external auditor, serving clients in the financial services industry. After his time in public accounting, he worked as an in-house accountant where he honed his expertise in accounting software, revenue recognition, and several other financial statement accounts. Currently, he resides in Nassau County, NY – where Count is a client of Hofstra University’s ideaHUB, a New York State Board Certified Business Incubator. The pandemic created a need for accountants everywhere to think about their personal and professional role in a return to normalcy and economic recovery. It is Lance’s belief that the word “public” in CPA focuses on the public interest which includes the well-being of the next generation of professionals and the people in the community who benefit from accounting services. Count’s mission is rooted in that perspective, which is an extension of Molloy’s inheritance of the Dominican tradition. In his spare time, Lance also tutors Molloy students.
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Matthew McLeod, DDS
BIOBS ’15
Pediatric Dentist, Esteem Dental and Orthodontics
Matthew McLeod attended Howard University College of Dentistry to complete Dental School education after receiving his degree at Molloy. Matthew recently completed his residency as a specialist in the field of Pediatric Dentistry at Stony Brook University Hospital. He practices in Orlando, Florida as a Pediatric Dentist at Esteem Dental and Orthodontics, where he delivers the best possible care to a diverse population of children in the Greater Orlando area. During his time in Dental School and Residency, he was blessed enough to give back to several communities both national and worldwide. While at Howard University, he traveled to Jamaica and Vietnam on mission trips. During that time, he was able to give free and much-needed dental care to adults and children in these areas. While at Stony Brook, Matt took their renowned dental van to homeless shelters and different elementary schools around Suffolk County to provide dental care to numerous children. He attributes his commitment to service as something instilled in him by his parents and reinforced during his time at Molloy. He has participated in many community-service events such as the Long Island Breast Cancer Walk, Autism Walk, Boxtown, and his favorite - the New Orleans Spring Break mission trip. Through these events at Molloy, Howard, and Stony Book, he was able to connect with and impact the lives of children and adults, in ways far beyond what he perceived possible. He is forever grateful for these opportunities.
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Matthew Mekhail
NURBS ’15, MNAGP ’19
Nurse Practitioner, NYP Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Matthew is a child of first-generation immigrants but did not let that define him or hold him back. Matthew completed his undergraduate degree in nursing from Molloy and obtained a job immediately. After working for 6 months, Matthew felt that the job was not fulfilling enough and decided to make the leap and go back to school to further his education. Matthew enrolled in Molloy’s master’s program for Nurse Practitioner, while still working overnight as a registered nurse. Matthew was inspired by many of his fellow classmates who also worked, went to school, and had families to care for, and found this inspiration to be a driving factor behind his success. After receiving his master’s degree, Matthew was able to land his dream job – Nurse Practitioner in the Cardiology Critical Care Unit for NYP Columbia University. Matt values that this position now allows him to learn, collaborate, and teach.
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Jeneen Melo
INTBS ’19
Family Advocate, Long Island Head Start
Jeneen considers herself to be many things – an animal lover, music geek, pun enthusiast, a painter, an artist, video game enthusiast, and even a bit of a nerd. However, what Jeneen is most passionate about is in helping others. Jeneen volunteers her free time at an animal shelter, helping dogs who have been rescued from “high-kill” shelters find their forever homes. Jeneen had completed an internship with the Girl Scouts, where she helped implement high-impact programs in underserved communities. Being able to instill confidence and kindness in the girls and provide support to help them pursue and achieve their goals was very important to Jeneen. Since graduation, Jeneen has been a Family Advocate with Long Island Head Start, helping low-income families enroll their children in pre-school programs, as well as accessing them to other family support resources. Jeneen works tirelessly with other local community partners to ensure that these families have toys, books, and even food. Jeneen collaborates with the parents to ensure that the children are healthy, clothed, well-fed, and, happy. On some days, Jeneen even gets to bring in her violin or viola and play for the children, bringing them much joy. Jeneen hopes to continue serving the community and offering a helping hand and warm smile whenever she can.
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Jaylen Morris
BUSBS ’17
Professional Athlete, NBA
Jaylen Morris’s love for basketball began at an early age while growing up in Buffalo, NY. Jaylen came to Molloy, where he was a star on the basketball court and in the classroom. He attributes much of his success to the coaching staff at Molloy and the lessons they have taught him while on the team. After finishing his degree, Jaylen was drafted by the Eerie Bayhawks in the 2017 NBA G League draft. While playing with the Bayhawks, Jaylen had great success. On February 28, 2018, Jaylen was signed to a 10-day contract with the NBA team, the Atlanta Hawks. His 10-day contracted was extended and then he was signed for the rest of the season. After completing the season with the Hawks, Jaylen signed a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. Wanting to continue his career, Jaylen signed a contract to play in Greece, which was cut short due to COVID. Once restrictions eased, Jaylen was able to play in Israel. In 2021, Jaylen was signed by the Austin Spurs, and then was then signed by the San Antonio Spurs on a 10-day contract. Jaylen attributes his time playing with a Division II sports team as what helped him become so successful in his career and allowed him to create his business, D2HoopsToo, which highlights Division II athletes and helps them with their careers.
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Natalie Nassour
CHSBS ’14
Educator K-12, NYC Department of Education
Natalie pursed a master’s degree from Touro College in literacy after receiving her undergraduate degree at Molloy. In 2015, she began working at P.S. 93. Natalie started teaching second grade special education in an integrated co-teaching classroom, which she loved, and she has also taught third grade. Natalie is now teaching fourth grade special education. She focuses extensively on providing culturally responsive lessons to meet the diverse needs of students in her classroom and promoting equity among her students by serving on the school’s equity team. As a tenured teacher in a model classroom, she mentors new teachers and guides them through the challenges the world of education can present. Natalie also shows teachers how to effectively utilize teaching strategies such as Jan Richardson’s Guided Reading Framework and Jennifer Serravallo’s Small Group Reading Instruction. As she teaches in a Title One elementary school in the Bronx, students walk through the door with various challenges that may need to be addressed before academics can be the focus. She does her best to help each student strengthen socially and emotionally, not just academically. Additionally, every summer Natalie works for Nassau BOCES in their extended year program that partners with Northshore Child and Family Guidance Center’s intensive support program. She focuses on maintaining skills gained throughout the school year and meeting individualized educational plan goals. Currently, Natalie is pursuing an Educational Leadership Advanced Certificate at Stony Brook University with the goal of becoming a school administrator in the future.
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Ryan Roberts
RESAP ’18, HSLBS ’19
Respiratory Therapist, North Shore University Hospital
Ryan Roberts is a Respiratory Therapist for Northwell Health. He works as a Senior Therapist involved in the clinical development of Respiratory Therapists, facilitates the collaborative care meetings for the department, and is also one of the Respiratory Therapist Magnet Champions. He is also a per diem Respiratory Therapist at other hospitals, as well. Ryan takes pride in knowing that he helps people breath daily and truly loves what he does.
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Amanda Roth
NURBS ’15
Associate Clinical Professional Development Educator, Northwell Health
Amanda Roth continued to grow tremendously within the nursing profession since graduating. She started as an Emergency Department Nurse Resident, where she cultivated her passion for emergency nursing. After being a staff nurse for four years, she decided to go into management and held the role of Assistant Nurse Manager, before finally entering her dream role of becoming a Nurse Educator about a year and a half ago. She has demonstrated excellence in the field of emergency nursing and holds certifications in emergency, trauma, and sexual assault care. She is an instructor for Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, and Trauma Nursing Core Course. She assists multiple nurses and ancillary staff in their transition to the emergency department and enjoys sharing her love of nursing with them. She continues to engage with Molloy as the Student Affiliations Coordinator, coordinating clinical group and capstone student placements.
Outside of her career, she has a wonderful husband of four years and a two-year-old son, who have been very supportive of her along her journey!
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Susanne Rupes
ASSBG ’15
Foreign Language Educator K-12, Garden City School District
Susanne Rupes teaches German at the Garden City School District for 6th to 10th grade – level 1 thru 5 – and college levels for the 11th and 12th grades. Susanne has encouraged her students from both the Garden City Middle and High School to be actively involved in their community and the world around them. She has done this by initiating and arranging for her students to have monthly communications with the local Plattdeutsch Retirement Home’s senior citizens in their German Language. Through these monthly communications, students have become enriched by the life stories shared by the residents and the residents by students, for both, it shows them that someone cares. These interactions have been positive, especially when some may not have family members who are available to spend time with them. Due to Susanne’s efforts, her students have had Zoom conversations during the pandemic and now in-person with the residents. Students have even held fundraisers to support the senior center. In addition, Susanne has taken the initiative and arranged to have many high school students be pen pals with a school in Germany. Students have been able to continue their relationships with follow up zoom sessions so they can better understand the culture outside of a textbook and better equate what life is like for each other. Susanne shows her students the need to care for and respect each other and people around the world.
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Ava-Miranda Stone
M1AMT ’18
Math Educator K-12, Massapequa School District
Ava-Miranda Stone has been working at Alfred G. Berner Middle School in Massapequa as a math educator since 2018. During her time at Berner, she taught Math 7, Math 8, Math 8 Support, and Math ICT. While teaching, she has collaborated with colleagues to assure the curriculums align and incorporate resources that kept students motivated. Through these collaborations, she has explored and created many engaging activities that focused on cooperative learning strategies to build content specific language, procedural fluency, and conceptual understanding. With availability of individual student Chromebooks, it has been Ava-Miranda’s focus on technology-based learning strategies as a form of differentiation of instruction and application of material. She has found that incorporating these approaches and sharing them with her colleagues has improved engagement, overall class morale, as well as achievement rate on assessments.
Ava-Miranda is involved in a number of other ways in the school community. She can be found chaperoning extracurricular and athletic events while also acting as the 8th grade class co-advisor. As a club advisor, she assists in implementing yearly elections for running candidates and hosts many fundraisers, whose contributions are donated to the current 8th grade class. Although often challenging, this role has been incredibly rewarding as it has allowed her to build stronger relationships with staff, students, and families, and acknowledge her contributions to the many smiling faces in her school community.
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Marsha Varghese
MRKBS ’20
Associate Creative Strategy Manager, Hulu
Marsha Varghese is currently an Associate Creative Strategy Manager at Hulu, a company she has been with the last two years. During this time, she has worked on the creative strategy for paid media campaigns for shows such as “The Olympics,” “Only Murders in the Building,” and promotional campaigns such as Black Friday and National Streaming Day. Throughout her time at Hulu, Marsha has been vocal about her interest in the company and industry field, which helped her to be more successful. When she started as a coordinator in October 2020 focusing on the planning and execution end of campaigns, she actively expressed her interest in strategy and testing elements in the market. After a year as a coordinator, Marsha was promoted to her current position and now focuses on these areas.
Outside of work, Marsha enjoys connecting with college students on LinkedIn who are looking for mentorship and career guidance. She has assisted multiple students revamp their resumes and prepare for upcoming interviews. Her ability to pay it forward and guide students who are struggling with getting an interview has been extremely fulfilling. Aside from her professional career, Marsha is also an artist! She sells illustrations on her Etsy page - MarshaVIllustrations and maintains a TikTok account where she solely focuses on her art. She has been painting for sixteen years and it’s her favorite way to spend free time before or after work.
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