Senior Spotlight- Life After Bucknell

We asked 18 awesome seniors what their plans are for after graduation and what they will miss most at Bucknell… check them out!

• Will Niblock
  1. Next year, I will be leaving to join the Peace Corp. I will be moving to Cameroon where I will spend the next 27 months working in the agriculture sector to create more sustainable and efficient farms in the local communities. They have not told me exactly where I will be stationed so I could be placed in a populated town or isolated village but either way I am happy to go where I am needed. Most the population also speaks French and I don’t know a single word so I will have to spend some time this summer getting through the basics if I want to get anything done while living abroad.
  2. I will miss my friends the most. While I am with the Peace Corp, I will not be getting many vacation days so not being able to see a familiar face, family or friend, for 27 months will be difficult. Hopefully I will be able to find some places with Wi-Fi so that I can post updates and see what everyone is up to every once in a while.

• Madison Bonessi
  1. I will be attending University of Michigan to pursue a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree. I’ve been awarded a Health Professional scholarship through the Navy, and in return, I will be commissioned as a Navy Dental Officer to serve in VA hospitals after school.
  2. I am going to miss the comfort of knowing so many faces on this campus and the connections I’ve made with the Lewisburg community.

• Morgan Gisholt-Minard
  1. After graduation I’ll be interning for BBC World News at the BCC’s Washington Bureau (and supplementing my woefully unpaid status with a waitressing job). I’ll be doing a lot of different things, probably (if it sounds like I am being intentionally vague because I don’t know what I’ll be doing, you’re right!), but I do know for sure I’ll be working on some real news and non-alternative facts.
  2. What I’ll miss most about Bucknell is the amount of opportunities we are presented with to interact with people and things that are different from what I intrinsically know, and the feeling of being proud to know that many of my friends and peers care about so many important things across the board. I’ll definitely miss being involved with The Bucknellian, because that has absolutely shaped both my personal and career trajectories, for which I’m infinitely grateful. Also, Siam, of course.

• Rodney West

1. I have been accepted into a two-year Graduate School program at NYU for Performing Arts Administration. I’m excited to jump start a career in the Arts.
2. I am going to miss the Harvey M. Powers Theater. I have found an amazing artistic community on and off stage with in the Bucknell Theatre department. “If all the world’s a stage then I want better lighting.” I hope the light shines brightly on the class of 2017.

• Jack Robinson
  1. I am going attending Boston University Law School in the fall and hoping to concentrate on intellectual property law. BU Law has clinics where law students work with MIT kids who are trying to patent their ideas and inventions, and so we advise them and try to help them out.
  2. I’m going to miss being on a sports team, but even more than that I’m going to miss pancakes from the bison.

• Louis Tobias
  1. I took a job with The Fund starting in July. The Fund is a non-profit lobbying and canvassing organization. I’ll be managing our Albuquerque branch in New Mexico. The organization works primarily on government transparency efforts and environmental protections. For me this was the perfect blend of public policy and grassroots affairs, and for an organization that I feel I could make an impact in.
  2.  the Bucknell campus is terrific, but it’s the people that I will miss most. The friends and culture of the track and cross country teams have been like no other I’ve experienced. Moving so far away is both exciting and terrifying because I’ll be so far from the friends who defined my Bucknell experience.​

• Emma Shimony
  1. I will be pursuing my Masters in Public Health (MPH) at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School in New York City where I will be focusing on the Global Health specialty track. I’m really interested in the mental health field and hope to take courses that will further my educational passion.
  2. I’m going to miss my friends that not only make me a stronger person but accept me for my clogs. I will also miss living so close to everyone and being in walking distance to Pronto.
• Ariel Senackerib
  1. Next year I’ll be attending Sotheby’s Institute for a Master’s in Fine and Decorative Arts in New York City. The program focuses on American art from 1850 to the present day and is about 15 months long. Upon completion, I hope to get a job in a gallery or auction house!
  2. I’ll miss my friends, my social life, and having direct access to such an intellectual community.  
• Becca Reeve
  1. Next year I will be teaching English in Paris through TAPIF, a French-English exchange program. I’m also trying to get a side-gig giving fun tours in the Louvre while I’m there.
  2. I’m going to miss being within a ten minute walk of all of my closest friends. I’m also really going to miss my Art History professors– shout out to Janice, Roger and Christiane.

• Sharmen Hettipola

1. I haven’t quite worked out plans for next year, but I’m interested in environmental policy, so I’m hoping to work for the federal government on forthcoming environmental initiatives. I’m also involved in different projects in Sri Lanka that assist impoverished students gain access to a proper education, so I’ll definitely be continuing with that after graduation. 
2. What are you going to miss most about Bucknell: I’m definitely gonna miss the people at Bucknell, from the professors to my best friends. I have met some incredibly people who have taught me so much, inspired me, and most of all, have kept me laughing through all four years of college. I’ve already cried like four times at the thought of having to say goodbye to everyone.

• Rebecca Forbes
  1. What I’m Doing Next Year? Beginning in July, I’ll be joining the Institutional Equity and Prime Brokerage Team at Morgan Stanley in New York City. This role operates within the Sales and Trading space but also includes major aspects of consulting, market analysis, business analytics and relationship building. I am so excited to get started.
  2. What will I miss about Bucknell? I’m going to miss the beautiful campus and all the hours spent relaxing outside on the quad with friends. 

• Ally Mascali
  1. I am really excited to be working for Valerie Wilson Travel Inc., a luxury travel firm, in New York City. I will be in charge of various marketing campaigns, special marketing projects, and event planning. I will also be working hand in hand with their partnered luxury hotel and cruise line suppliers. 
  2.  I am going to miss having all the people who make this campus an amazing place, all in one place. Also, there is truly nothing like the feeling of driving over the bridge downtown and seeing the lampposts and steeple to the chapel because it indicates to me that I am home.

• Emma Frawley
  1. I’ll be picking up and moving to St. Louis for a research assistant position at Saint Louis University, where I’ll be working in a crop improvement and sustainable agriculture lab. I’ll be directly involved with two projects, the first of which is a wine-grape grafting project. We’re taking wild grape rootstocks and grafting them with a domesticated grape to grow the combined version under varying climate conditions at wineries across the US. This will inform us of any genetic and phenotypic changes in the plant – basically how wine grapes will adapt to a changing climate, information that could help wineries make important breeding and business decisions in the future. The second project is a perennial grain, legume, and oilseed endeavor, where we identify herbaceous, perennial species for pre-breeding and domestication programs. This is essentially determining new species to be used as food crops: species whose perennial characteristics (deep root systems, long reproductive cycles, etc.) are more suitable for sustainable agriculture initiatives and could help mitigate a lot of the issues modern day agriculture systems face (soil erosion, monocultures, etc.). I’m super excited to be involved with this lab, headed by Dr. Allison Miller. She’s awesome, and, shameless plug, you should check out her webpage: http://millerlabatslu.weebly.com/. 
  2. There’s a lot I will miss about Bucknell, namely my friends, my academic and research advisors, and the free New York Times subscription. I feel really lucky for all of the doors Bucknell has opened up for me, and I think my academic experience here has been unparalleled. It’s a good place with a lot of smart people, and the friendships I’ve made along the way are what define it for me. 

• Nate Medrano
  1. I will be working for the Miami Dolphins as a Membership Development Associate. I will be selling memberships, suites, and other seating options that the Dolphins have to offer. I’ll also have a small part in helping out the marketing department.
  2. I will miss Athletes Bible Study the most. It’s such a solid group of people who have a really cool passion for their Christian faith.

• Claire Figel

  1. I am so excited to be working on the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the US House of Representatives next year. The Committee works on a variety of issues ranging from trade to foreign assistance to human rights. I’m looking forward to expanding my learning of a variety of global issues and deepening my understanding of government.
  2. I will miss seeing the ladies at the library cafe. Dee Dee and I go way back, and although she probably doesn’t know my name, I know the feeling is mutual.
• Courtney Bolivar
  1.  Next year I am working at Amazon Robotics in North Reading, MA as a software development engineer. The company basically handles the robots in Amazon’s shipping warehouses. I was able to intern there last summer and was really excited for the opportunity to work full time with a few other Bucknellians!
  2.  Other than commons salads, I think what I’ll miss most about Bucknell is being surrounded by so many people all the time. Having such a diverse set of perspectives from people of all different majors around you is something I definitely won’t have next year being at a Software company. Also being a second semester senior definitely lends toward a lot of free time to chill, go to the craft center, get a pet fish, drive through Amish farms. With a 9-5 job, I’m going to miss the freedom to pretty much do whatever whenever.

• Ella Tazuana-Johnson
  1. Immediately following graduation, I have a fellowship this summer in Bosnia called Humanity in Action, which focuses on human rights and discrimination from WW2 to present day. I’m really excited for it because I don’t know much about Eastern Europe, and this will give me a chance to educate myself and others on many of the different ” -isms” and phobias that persist in the world. This fall I will officially join the Peace Corps in Morocco. I’ll be working in Youth Development as a “Youth Asset Builder”. I’m not exactly sure what I’ll be doing haha, but I get to put on my own projects in whatever community I’m placed in.
  2. And, what are you going to miss most about Bucknell? I think I’m going to miss the resources and opportunities the most here. I’ve been able to do so much due to being here, and after graduation, I will miss all of the resources that I’ve ever utilized in a time of need that I may not have access to in the next few years (like the TLC!!). Also, nacho tots.

• Morgan Heaps
  1. The day before Bucknell’s Commencement I will be commissioning into the United States Army as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Adjutant General Corps. Following Graduation, I volunteered to help run and teach ROTC Cadets at Basic or Advanced Camp at Fort Knox Kentucky. Basic Camp trains new cadets entering the ROTC program and then Advanced Camp is a mandatory training for ROTC Juniors going into their Senior year. After 2 months at Ft. Knox, I will transition to Ft. Jackson South Carolina for the Basic Officer Leadership Course(BOLC), where I will learn to be an officer in the Adjutant General Corp. Upon completion of BOLC, most officers travel to their first duty station to start their Army Careers. Currently, I will be stationed at Ft. Polk, La. Eventually, I would love to be stationed overseas in Germany or the Middle East, as well as Ft. Lewis in Washington State.