Madeleine del Cano ’19

I work as an exhibits assistant at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. I helped prepare the Museum for opening this October, starting as an intern in Summer 2020, hired in November 2021. I work on accessibility, writing assistive text, audio description, and captions for our media pieces. I help produce anything on a screen, be it a movie or a game, an interactive or a looping audio piece.

The intersectional nature of the Honors Program prepared me to take my skill sets and apply them to a new field that I'd never worked in before. I was quick to pick things up, and my strong writing and oration skills from Honors helped me turn my internship into a staff position.   

I plan on continuing my work in museums as long as I can. If I need a Masters, I'll pursue it, but so far my bachelors from New Paltz has proven to be all I needed for my dream job. 

Abbey Gallagher '16

Abbey Gallagher came to SUNY New Paltz in 2012 eager to learn and explore her various interests, hoping to narrow them down and find her "path." Instead, Abbey discovered many new interests while in college, making the decision to explore one path more difficult than she had ever planned. After her first semester, she made a "bucket-list" and became focused with #7: write a book (which retrospectively she recognizes sounds pretentious, but give her a break, she was 19). Abbey had always loved reading and writing, and soon declared English: Creative Writing as her major. However, it wasn't a smooth ride after that decision. In one calendar year, Abbey had her gall bladder removed, lost her mother unexpectedly, and soon after, broke her pelvis in a horseback riding accident. While recuperating, Abbey took several semesters away from school, and focused on writing about her experiences, mostly about her parents who had now both died. 

Derek Hawkins '16

BA Digital Media Production & English Literature

Job Title: SEO Analyst at MRM/McCann

Derek is the SEO Analyst at MRM/McCann. Prior to MRM/McCann, Derek worked for AC Lion, an executive search firm speciliazing in recruiting for the digital media and technology sector. He also worked for IcesStone, a manufacturer in Brooklyn where he headed marketing efforts for the company. Born in Binghamton, NY, Derek  joined the Honors Program in 2014 after being recommended to the program by Professor Pauline Uchmanowicz. During his time in New Paltz, Derek interned for Townsquare Media, Stick Figure Productions and Rosanne Sall Advertising. His Honors thesis “Love Me Until the Batteries Die,” was an exploration of relationships, poetry, and major life events within the media and tech-centric 21^st century. Derek currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.

Isabelle Hayes ’19

Isabelle Hayes ’19, is starting graduate school this Fall (2020) at Pace University to earn an MA in Environmental Policy.

Once I complete my graduate studies, I hope to work for an organization that focuses on the intersectionality of women's rights and climate change. I may even run for public office one day, we shall see.

The Honors Program completely transformed my experience at SUNY New Paltz and has taught me invaluable skills that are applicable after you graduate. The Honors Program teaches students how to view things through a different perspective and to think critically. It encourages open discussions on a range of topics, which doesn't end once you leave the classroom. The Honors Program is a community for like-minded, intellectually curious students to learn and grow together.

Sabrina Sarro '16

Sabrina Sarro is a graduate of the Columbia School of Social Work and holds her LMSW. She currently works full-time as a Community School Coordinator for Queens Community House, and is very involved in program development, parent outreach, and resource recruitment at Queens Satellite High School for Opportunity, the NYC transfer school where she works. She also serves as a part-time therapist at Aldea Counseling Services, where she meets with a diverse clientele. When she isn't counseling her students or aiding in parent-student cultivation at her high school or meeting with her clients, she can almost certainly be found reading literary non-fiction and memoir. She is an alumnus of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Santa Barbara's Writers' Conference, the Yale Writers' Conference, and the Community of Writers' Workshop at Squaw Valley. She hopes to one day coalesce her passion for narrative and love of social justice advocacy. She plans to obtain her CASAC, LCSW, MFA, and PhD in the future.

Miriam Ward '15 (History, Digital Media Production)

Segment Producer, The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC 

My liberal arts education thoroughly prepared me for my position as a segment producer on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.” At New Paltz, I double majored in history and digital media production and graduated from the school’s Honors Program. By studying history, I learned how to be an analytical thinker, how to conduct research, and how to be an effective writer. At my job, our show does a lot of historical parallels to modern day politics. In addition to having the technical skills that I learned from my digital media production major, in my job at Maddow I'm required to think analytically, conduct research, and synthesize facts throughout history. I would have been widely unprepared for working on a show like this if it were not for my wonderful history degree from New Paltz. My history degree gave me the tools to be a critical thinker and to analyze news through an interdisciplinary lens. I rely on the research and writing skills I gained from my history major every day at my job in cable news. 

My liberal arts education prepared me to become a global thinker and a global citizen in our ever-changing world. Before studying at New Paltz, I thought I would spend my college years studying strictly technical television production skills. I was terribly wrong. Studying the liberal arts and history in particular has made me a better producer and a better creative by having the tools to write and think critically. My liberal arts education prepared me to be a global citizen in a world that is extremely connected and diverse. The tools I learned through my liberal arts education are applicable in every aspect of my career.

One of the best aspects of SUNY New Paltz is the incredibly talented and generous faculty members. In my history major, Professor Michael Vargas provided invaluable advice and pushed me throughout my studies to become a more critical thinker and a better historian. I was so nervous about declaring a history major because I only saw myself as a TV producer, but Professor Vargas inspired me and donated so much time and effort to helping me succeed. Throughout my time in New Paltz, Professor Patricia Sullivan, the Director of the Honors Program, helped me to grow as an individual and as a person. Professor Sullivan guided me through my four years at New Paltz and helped me synthesize and connect my history and digital media production studies. I cannot understate the profound impact Professor Sullivan has had on my life and education. The Honors Program helped me to become an interdisciplinary individual and to think of my liberal arts education in a global context. I’m so grateful to have worked with amazing professors like Professor Vargas and Professor Sullivan.