CGS Students Learn Valuable Skills, Make Connections, with Assists from Alumni

“Alumni also benefit from the fresh perspectives and strong communication, research, and tech skills our students bring,” says Dean Natalie McKnight

By Chelsea Feinstein

One of Natalie McKnight’s strategic goals since becoming CGS dean in 2013 is connecting current students and alumni.

“Our alumni offer a treasure trove of experiences in almost every profession you can imagine,” McKnight says, “and their pathways through majors and minors and into their careers vary considerably. Simply hearing their stories helps students gain confidence that they, too, can find their way into fulfilling and successful careers and civic lives.”

In the summer of 2022, CGS paired three students with alumni for internships. William Wang (’22, Questrom’24) and Acheson Ye (’22, Questrom’24) worked with Michael Ippolito (’84, Questrom’86), a senior managing member of the private investment firm Veyron Global. Wang’s and Ye’s internships focused on doing market research, developing potential client lists, and producing marketing materials.

Ippolito, who also serves as chair of the CGS Dean’s Advisory Board, was eager to host CGS interns when McKnight approached him about it. The college was instrumental in his own growth and development, he says, and he wanted to give that back to current students.

“If you have an opportunity to establish relationships with professionals, if you have exposure to people who have established careers in any industry you may be interested in, that creates more excitement for the student, makes them more well-rounded, helps them build relationships with potential mentors, and gives them skills outside of just learning about that industry,” he says.

Wang says he learned a lot about marketing and communications from his internship with Ippolito at Veyron Global, and that the experience cemented his interest in business and exposed him to new fields, such as real estate and analytics.

“Everyone there was very supportive and willing to work around my interests,” Wang says. “I believe that Michael, being a CGS alum, was helpful as well, since he helped me gain an interdisciplinary foundation in different business practices, while stressing the importance of teamwork and cooperation. These were all things I was exposed to during my time at CGS.”

Peter Shankman, a best-selling author, an entrepreneur, and a corporate keynote speaker, who is also a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board, hosted intern Benjamin Myers (’22, CAS’24). Myers worked to research and connect with potential clients who could use Shankman’s services and promoted the business through social media.

“Working with a CGS alum meant that there was a bridge between Peter and me that helped foster a caring relationship from the beginning,” Myers says.

Shankman (’92, COM’94), who says he enjoys working with student interns, wanted to offer an opportunity he didn’t have at CGS.

Two of the three internships were funded through the CGS Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning, which provides hands-on research and internship opportunities to CGS students as early as their first year of college. The third was funded by Veyron Global. Students were paid a stipend to work part-time for the CGS alums.

Fostering these sorts of connections has value, says McKnight.

“Our alumni want a meaningful connection to their alma mater,” she says. “They want to give back, and they enjoy knowing that they can have a significant positive impact on the lives of current students. It’s the same kind of satisfaction many of us feel as professors. Alumni also benefit from the fresh perspectives and strong communication, research, and tech skills our students bring to the internships they offer. It’s truly a pleasure for me to see the impact of these connections and to foster them whenever possible.”

Helping Incoming Students Find Their Strengths

Nancy Harwood Katz (’81, COM’83), founder of the career coaching company Life Designs, has always had a passion for helping young people find their strengths. Katz, a member of the CGS Dean’s Advisory Board, is closely involved with the college and hosts workshops for students and alumni.

In 2022, Katz made the CliftonStrengths assessment tool, an online test that helps people to identify their unique strengths, available to all incoming CGS students, free of charge, so that they can begin exploring who they are and what they’d like to pursue before they set foot on campus. Students were given access to the tool at the beginning of their gap semester and encouraged to use it to prepare for meetings with their academic advisors as they began setting academic goals, applying to internships, and planning for their futures at BU and beyond.

Katz says that finding their strengths early is instrumental in helping students get the most out of their college experience.

“Everyone has strengths. Everyone has their own unique way of adding value,” she says. “When individuals get involved with the things they care about—those things they find fun, cool, interesting, or meaningful—and then align with their unique strengths, that’s where they find their flow and zone of excellence. My goal as a coach is to support as many young people as I can to do the work of gaining self-understanding and self-awareness, because by doing so, that’s how we discover our personal best. It’s the path to greater happiness, success, and overall well-being. Who wouldn’t want that for their kids?”

Katz was inspired to give back because of her own experience at CGS, where former Dean Linda Wells was a mentor.

“CGS takes a big urban environment like BU and turns it into a close community,” she says. “I always say CGS opened the door and empowered me to step into who I really was and wanted to be.”