Our Students
Electra Poulsen '20, Animation and Illustration
Electra learned early how NVU’s focus on hands-on experience is valuable for students. She used the skills she’s gained to create an ad for the most recent Animation Festival that ran in the statewide publication Seven Days.
Sam Cavazos '21, Education
As a sophomore, Sam spent 60 hours in a practicum at Cambridge Elementary doing a range of duties: observing, designing and executing lesson plans, reading books to students and helping the teacher.
CJ Gaunce '20, Outdoor Education, Leadership, and Tourism
Through his education at NVU, CJ has had the opportunity to work at Stowe resort, where he's gaining the skills he needs by operating and maintaining ski lifts and assisting guests in fall, winter, and summer.
Sara Ford '20, Political Science and Education
As a political science major working toward a secondary teacher licensure, Sara Ford ’20 has combined her passions and will be prepared to teach middle school social studies after graduation.
Rachel Valentine '21, Broadcast and Digital Journalism
As a broadcast and digital journalism student, Rachel works at News7, building skills that will help her stand out to employers. Her experience shooting, writing, and editing stories for classes prepared her to work at the station, where she and her peers do it all: report, edit, anchor, direct, produce.
Alec Jones '20, Environmental Science
Since he’s been at NVU, Alec has gained hands-on experience doing research with one of his professors — work that led to a full-time, paid summer internship and then to the part-time job he has now at Vermont Electric Cooperative in Johnson.
Catie Roman '20, Education
Catie appreciates the dedicated faculty in her program, particularly her adviser, Hannah Miller. “She will drop everything to write recommendation letters for me. She makes students such a high priority in her life," said Catie.
Olin Reed '21, Environmental Science
On a road trip across the U.S., Olin visited national parks, forests, and public lands. The trip inspired him to pursue an environmental science degree. “I figured that I should do something to help preserve places like that, do whatever I can to help better the world around me,” he says.
Rebecca Fiedler '21, Journalism
Every other Sunday morning, journalism major Rebecca lays out the biweekly, student-run newspaper, Basement Medicine, with other staff members. By that point, most of the heavy lifting has been done for each issue.
Our Alumni
Jordan Racine '16, Music and Business Industry
Shortly before he graduated, Jordan landed a position as a booking assistant at the Los Angeles company where he now works — and was promoted twice in his first two years.
Eliza Doncaster '15, Environmental Science
In Eliza’s position with the state agriculture agency, she's tracking disease-bearing insects and educating the public about how to avoid tick and mosquito bites.
Monique Priestly '08, Visual Arts
Monique uses all the skills she gained at NVU in her latest venture, The Space On Main, a Bradford, Vt, coworking nonprofit she founded in 2016, where she is executive director. The Space provides office amenities for makers and entrepreneurs in various fields and hosts community events.
Steven Lamonde '16, Environmental Science
Steven was known on campus as a “bird nerd” for the hobby that has steered his career. His love of birds, mixed with his geographic information system (GIS) talents have led to his work in bird conservation.
Kelly O'Brien '15, Broadcast and Digital Journalism
As a student, Kelly developed skills as a reporter, web editor, and producer at NVU’s News7-TV, the Emmy award-winning, student-run campus station that covers about 15 nearby towns with a live newscast every weeknight. “I was more prepared than anyone else for the job because of News7,” she says. “It’s very important to know every position and be multiplatform in a newsroom. That’s where the industry is going.”
Tom Benton '14, Journalism
Tom's experience as editor-in-chief of NVU-Johnson's student newspaper, Basement Medicine, prepared him for his journalism career and job at the St. Albans Messenger.
Cole Stillson '19, Criminal Justice
Cole spent a summer as an intern at the Vermont Correctional Academy in Lyndonville, which gave him the opportunity to learn a lot on the job.
Gabby Fetcher '17, Education
“I went into my job after graduation knowing what to expect, and I felt really good about that.”
Ben Fournier '18, Mountain Recreation Management
As an intern at Jackson Hole, Ben was tasked with doing fieldwork for avalanche education and wilderness medicine courses. Today, he's certified to teach avalanche education courses.
Francis Tarasiewicz '19, Atmospheric Sciences/Meteorology
In an unusual opportunity for college students, Francis and other NVU students prepared forecasts on campus for a Mount Everest expedition one spring, which he says is “the most intense forecasting I’ve ever had to do."
Emily Jones '16, Business
By working nearly full-time while in college, Emily could apply what she learned at NVU and in her job and discuss work challenges with her business professors.
Jordan Niles '19, Psychology
Jordan had the opportunity to do research as an undergraduate with psychology professor Gina Mireault on infant behavior, first on humor in babies and now a study of “curiosity and grit.”
Mike Paul '08, Exercise Science
“How to get from Point A to Point B in the healing process fascinated me,” he says. His experience with the injury convinced him that his choice of exercise science as a major was right, and it led him to pursue physical therapy as a career.
Emily Mixon '19, Interdisciplinary Studies
As an interdisciplinary studies major, Emily — with the help of her adviser — designed a curriculum with courses in literature, creative writing, visual arts, and education to prepare her for a career as a behavioral interventionist.
Colleen Hagan '18, Psychology
Her internship and job as an office assistant and orientation coordinator in Johnson’s Office of First-Year Experience helped her consider — and rule out — career options. “While planning orientation and helping these students, I felt a real connection with students at our school and gained so much knowledge of how I can help them,” said Colleen.
Marie Vaine '19, Outdoor Education, Leadership, and Tourism
As a recent graduate, Marie is excited about the many outdoor recreation career options NVU has opened up for her. “I feel like I’m ready to take on any outdoor job,” she says.
Tyler Cadorette '16, Broadcast and Digital Journalism
When Tyler Cadorette ’16 became an on-air reporter and weather anchor at WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine, soon after he graduated from NVU-Lyndon, his duties — and the station itself, where he had had an internship — were familiar to him.