Student

Jen Carlin

Internship

Lighting Intern at Insomniac Games in Burbank, CA

Post-Grad Job

Lighting Artist at Insomniac Games in Burbank, CA

What is the best thing about the professors at Champlain?

The Game Art professors at Champlain are knowledgeable and invested in your future. They really go out of their way to help you whenever possible, but also make sure you develop the skills to help yourself. It’s easy to build a one-on-one relationship with your professors since class sizes are so small. I still see former professors around from classes I had two or three years ago, and they always take a moment to catch up with me.

How has Champlain prepared you for the professional world?

Throughout my years at Champlain, I’ve really had a chance to practice networking at events like the Womxn in Gaming dinners, where students and alumni get a chance to mingle. You get a chance to develop soft skills as well as technical skills at Champlain.

Can you tell us about your internship?

I worked as a Lighting Intern at Insomniac Games in Burbank, California. I helped the lighting team on Spider-Man PS4 with elements of the game like open-world reflections, lighting cinematic cutscenes, and lighting the game’s loading screens. Champlain’s Game Art program made sure I was ready to handle the workload of a major studio, even after only three years of education. My internship led to me being hired as a full-time Lighting Artist with Insomniac after graduation.

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Hansel Carter IV

Internship

Writer and Assistant Director for The Wishlist, Production Designer for Cake

Favorite Class

Screenwriting III

What’s your favorite Core experience?

My favorite Core experience was my Food For Thought Class with Kelly Thomas and Cyndi Brandenberg, where we learned about food systems and how food deserts impact communities all around us. We cooked and ate dinner with members of a halfway house, talked with farmers who shared the successes and hardships of being in that profession in Vermont, and had a meal at Handy’s Lunch with the owner. My favorite part of the class was doing a research project into a dish we loved. I chose an egyptian dish, koshary, and tracked down ingredients right to their sources. Another core class I enjoyed taking was Tween Alliance: Kid Heroes with Kristin Novotny. We were paired with a 6th grade student from Hunt Middle School and followed Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” Together, we created a superhero with a backstory and their own journey. It was such an awesome opportunity to work with the kids and see them grow throughout the semester.

What relevant life skills have your on-campus jobs taught you?

I have worked as a CCM SGA Representative, Eco-Rep, Eco-Rep Area Coordinator, Resident Advisor, Orientation Leader, Eco-Rep Captain, OIE Office Assistant, and Study AbroadAmbassador on campus. Through working as an Eco-Rep Captain, I have been able to work on my leadership skills by holding meetings and working with more than 20 members of a team. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and basic levels of knowledge about environmentalism and sustainability. It’s my job to guide each eco-rep into the program and teach them how to educate others through student outreach and engagement.As a Study Abroad Ambassador, I get to meet students from all years and majors who are interested in studying abroad. I have developed my communication and interpersonal skills through conversations with students and parents at campus-wide events and tabling opportunities.

Can you talk about your internships?

I was a Writer and Assistant Director for a project I co-wrote called The Wishlist. Beginning at the start of the fall semester, we had weekly video calls with Saudi interns and came up with ideas for scripts. We then split up into different departments (writing teams, production teams) and had weekly meetings with the interns in our departments. We had the opportunity to share our cultural differences with one another through this experience.I also worked as a Production Designer for a project called Cake. I set up a call with the Art Director and Director of the film to go over what we needed to come up with fora set look for production. I was able to share my knowledge and experience in set design with the Saudi interns and learn about their ideas and their knowledge.

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Charlie Carucci

Specialization

Sonic Arts

Internship

Game Design Intern at Insomniac Games in Burbank, CA

Post-Grad Job

Associate Designer at Insomniac Games in Burbank, CA

What is the best thing about the professors in the Game Design program?

The professors at Champlain all have experience in the industry. They can talk to us and say, “Listen, when I worked at EA…” or “When I was working on Myst, this is how we did things.” Plus, since they have been in the industry, they have connections at big companies—your professors can actually help you land a job after graduation.

Can you tell us about your internship?

During my internship at Insomniac Games, I did a lot of hands-on work for the new Spider-Man game for PS4. The work I did mostly involved level design and scripting using Insomniac’s visual scripting language. I also attended weekly design meetings, participated in feedback playthroughs for different missions of the game, and worked with several departments in the studio.
The most rewarding part of my internship was getting to watch the gameplay demo for Spider-Man close the 2017 E3 Sony Conference. I couldn’t stop smiling and thinking about the fact that I hadn’t even started my senior year of college yet, and a game I’d been working on was one of the most impressive games shown at E3.

How did Champlain prepare you for the professional world?

Skills I learned in my production classes—like working on a development team, using version control, and becoming familiar with the development cycle—made it easy for me to adjust to Insomniac’s way of working. Even beyond the classroom, getting involved with different parts of the college through my work as a Student Ambassador taught me how to be a productive member of a team who communicates when I need help. These are skills that I used every day at my internship. I’m confident that everything I have done at Champlain has prepared me to be a successful part of the game industry.

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Roger Castillo

Internship

Video Intern at Champlain College Marketing in Burlington, VT

Favorite Class

Directing & Acting for the Screen

How did you choose your major?

I chose the arts as my field because of my passion and drive to create. I didn’t know I wanted to major in Filmmaking until I was told by an Admissions Counselor to focus on my day-to-day activities, that my calling was in there somewhere. I noticed that I’d already been watching and studying films way before I was remotely interested in going to school in that field.

What has been your experience with the Filmmaking program?

I truly love the Upside-Down Curriculum—it gave me the opportunity to feed the beast that has been my artistic ambition since my first semester. The professors are a valuable and important part of my experience because they are all working professionals with an abundance of knowledge about how our industry is run.
I also value the connections I built with my peers. Because of the need for collaboration in filmmaking, we were all working on each other’s projects and bouncing new and fun ideas off of each other. The element of competition is removed from the curriculum, which is great because it allows us to help one another grow.

How has Champlain prepared you for the professional world?

Champlain has taught me the patience, techniques, and networking skills that are essential to jump-starting my career. I’ve had opportunities to work on student films, indie films, and even industry commercial work. This experience paired with my degree will definitely give me a leg up over other candidates for similar positions. The Career Collaborative is also a great aid to students, especially those who want to get started early.

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Jonathan Castro

Specialization

Cyber Threats & Mitigation

Internship

Cyber Security Intern at Boingo Wireless in Los Angeles, CA

Post-Grad Job

Associate Consultant at The Crypsis Group in Los Angeles, CA

What made you choose the Computer & Digital Forensics major?

I realized that [Digital Forensics] was what I’ve always wanted to do, I just didn’t know it was an actual profession—as far as I knew, it was what detectives did. When it came time for the application process I emailed the Senior Analyzer for Digital Forensics at DirecTV and I asked him which school he recommended for Digital Forensics and he essentially told me that if I was really serious about the major to go to Champlain College. The interns he’s had in the past from Champlain have by far been the best. It was sort of a no-brainer. Go to Champlain College because it has a good reputation in the industry.

Can you tell us about your work with The Leahy Center for Digital Forensics & Cybersecurity?

The thing I love about the Leahy Center is that it’s an actual world-class laboratory that allows students to do ground-breaking research their first year there. Although they [classes and the Leahy Center] both teach real-world things, at the Leahy Center there are real-world consequences. In class, if I do something wrong I can just start over, but at the Leahy Center if I’m doing research and I mess something up, I have to start the whole project over because the evidence I had has been tampered with and it won’t be proper to analyze.

Have you had any internships in your field?

I was a security engineer at a small company called Boingo Wireless and what they do is that they distribute wifi for major venues like airports and military bases.When I got there, within the first week I was actually confronted by the director and he said, “Hey, I don’t know if you don’t feel comfortable or not, but always feel comfortable to ask questions during meetings,” because during the first week I essentially attended every meeting that they had. He was surprised when I told him, I actually understood everything—that was the reason I wasn’t asking any questions.
Towards the end of the internship they were trying to get me to get Champlain grads to work at Boingo because of the fact that they saw me as a sophomore and how experienced I’d been.

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Juliette Cavanaugh

Specialization

Motion Graphics

Internship

Graphic Design Intern at Burlington City Arts in Burlington, VT

How did you pick your major?

I’ve always been a creative person and graphic design seemed like a great way to express that creativity both in the classroom and in the professional field.Initially, there are a lot of preliminary steps you need to take, such as learning how to navigate certain software or how to articulate design language. Learning those skills early on has allowed me to hone my design skills and become more confident in my field.

What has been your experience with the Core Curriculum at Champlain?

While focusing on my major is obviously important, I think that being aware of what is going on around you-both locally and globally-is just as important. Especially being a graphic designer, I feel that I’m very aware of this because I know images can easily transcend cultural and language barriers. They’re universal. Because of this, it’s important to recognize who your audience is and how your work might be interpreted around the world.

Have you had any internships?

I was the Graphic Design Intern at Burlington City Arts in the summer of 2017. My duties included creating promotional materials for events and exhibitions, digital signage and social media assets, as well as printing vinyl signage for events, classrooms and office spaces. I also helped set up and run the Festival of Fools, which takes place on Church Street every summer. Seeing my designs all over Church Street was very exciting and rewarding for me.

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Erin Chaput

Internship

Graphic Designer for Champlain’s Office of Advancement

So far, what classes, projects, subjects, or experiences have been most meaningful or impactful? What action or change have they inspired?

One project that has been very meaningful was a book I had to design involving opposite concepts. I picked the subject of mental health, specifically suicide, and used this design as a opportunity to showcase the ways in which media romanticizes this very serious topic. I put this concept against the reality of suicide and Division of Information Technology & Sciences impacts on the person and families. I was really passionate about this book and even had a physical copy of it printed, and I think it is one of my more successful pieces to date. It showcases the realities of this subject and why we shouldn’t let the media glorify it the way it does.

What is something you’ve grown to be proud of while here?

Something I’ve grown to be proud of is my work. When I first started design, I was confident, but not in my work Division of Information Technology & Scienceself. I was confident in my ability to critique design and see things critically. Champlain has helped me harness and expand on that ability and has even helped me find a direction I want to go in using that skill. This has given me more confidence in my design work.

Why did you choose Champlain for studying Visual Communication Design?

When I went on a tour of Champlain, I was really impressed by the work that was up as well as the qualifications the design professors have. They have lived out long design careers and have worked with many different companies. This was extremely compelling as a student who had no idea what sort or company or position I’d want in the design world.

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Riaz Clark

Internship

Family Programming Activities at the YMCA in Burlington, VT

What has been your experience in the Social Work major?

I love it. I love that it’s a very small, tight-knit group of people. We have our group chats, and we’re always looking out for each other. If one of us isn’t in class, we’re on it, making sure they’re OK. It’s because we’re Social Workers; we’re built to do that.

Has the Upside-Down Curriculum enhanced your education?

Oh, 100%. What stuck out to me when I took my first tour at Champlain was that it doesn’t believe in standardized testing. As someone with two learning disabilities, I don’t learn very well through text and reading. And, it was incredible that during the second semester of my first year, I was able to start volunteering at the YMCA, and now I have a job there. At a traditional school, with a traditional curriculum, I wouldn’t be doing that until my junior year.

Do you have a favorite Core class?

I was in a class called Bodies: Radical Awakening with Faith Yacubian. I just love Faith. She makes sure that everyone gets what they need. The class was based off that, about radically understanding your body. She told us in class, “If your body is telling you that you need to get up and that you need to do something, you need to listen to it.” It was really interesting to learn how to listen to what your body needs.

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Andrew Connell

Focus

Secondary (High School)

Specialization

Social Studies

Internship

Student Teacher at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington, VT

What do you like best about your major?

The best part of my program is the people I get to work with. The professors in the major are some of the most amazing people I have met. A benefit of having small class sizes is that we really get to know each other. Plus, the professors are all extremely knowledgeable in their fields. Every professor I’ve had has some major accomplishments under their belts. Many of my professors have had books or scholarly articles published.

Have you gotten any experience in the classroom?

The fall semester of my first year I got to help out in a classroom, which is rare for education majors at other schools. I have also interned at Edmunds Middle School in Burlington, VT. Twice a week, another student and I went into a classroom for one period, helped out with the lesson, and worked one-on-one with students. It was a great opportunity to actually work in a school. We got useful, hands-on practice and learned more about working with students. Since my first year, I have been taking notes, observing professionals, and learning about what I can incorporate into my own classroom.

How has Champlain prepared you for the professional world?

After graduation, I would like to get a job teaching in a high school. Then I plan to begin looking into graduate schools and getting my master’s degree.

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Ella Countess

Advice to Students?

Front load your work

Favorite: Book, Movie, Podcast?

Movie: Spirited Away

Inspirational Quote?

“We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” – Bob Ross

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Jayy Covert

Favorite Class

Abnormal Psychology

What made you choose your major?

I came into Champlain as a Psychology major, but in my second year I decided that I wanted to add a double major in Education. I started with a class in Elementary Education, but then realized that Secondary Education was a better fit for me. I grew up with depression and anxiety and tried to seek help, but found the mental health system lacking qualified therapists and support for queer and trans youth in particular. I wanted to dedicate my life to providing the support that I knew I needed, but never received, so no one else would have to suffer. But on the other hand, I’ve always felt drawn to the world of education. In high school, I helped out at our embedded preschool program, designing lessons for three and four-year-olds. I hold my elementary school teachers as the basis for the strong support I had growing up and the desire to always keep learning more. I couldn’t decide on just one major or one career path, so I chose to study both because I feel they’re deeply interconnected fields that often get separated into singular specialties.

What do you like about your program?

Both the Psychology and Education programs are held in the EHS Division, and we’re like a big family. We connect with different majors all the time in our classes; I have friends from basically every major in EHS. Being two of the smallest majors also means we have the chance to really work with our professors in their fields of expertise on projects that we feel inspired by. I also love that EHS students take Service Learning classes as part of our curriculum so that we can engage in meaningful work for the local community. Our motto sums us up the best: “We do good work.”

What projects have you worked on in classes that you’ve found particularly rewarding?

I took a Core class called Interdisciplinary Project Studio, which is a course where students can pitch their own project ideas on any topic they want to focus on throughout the semester. I worked on developing a unit plan to teach 9th grade students about the modern history of the Korean peninsula. This not only gave me the chance to add something to my portfolio when I go into the field looking for a job as a teacher, but also allowed me to explore my own heritage and culture more deeply in a project that is both relevant and meaningful.

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Tom Cyr

Piece of advice to students?

Branch out and explore new things. You will grow by trying something new.

What's your favorite book or movie?

Movie: The Dark Knight

Inspirational Quote?

“Satisfaction comes from suffering.”

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Zhomart Dairov

Double Major

Business Administration and Finance

Internship

Finance & Marketing Intern at meXBT in Shanghai, China

Post-Grad Job

MBA Candidate at the University of Connecticut School of Business in Hartford, CT

Have you worked on any particularly exciting projects in the Business Administration program?

In my Business & the Entrepreneurial Mindset class, we ran a six-week simulated coffee shop competition, called BizCafe. We made weekly decisions surrounding coffee orders, hiring servers, setting employee wages, and promoting the business. We placed first out of six virtual coffee shops in our course.

You were part of the Freeman Foundation Grant internship program in Shanghai, China. What was that experience like?

The Freeman Foundation Grant allowed me to spend two months in Shanghai, China, interning at meXBT, a FinTech company that operates in a payment service provider industry, all while experiencing authentic Chinese culture. My internship experience proved to be valuable in terms of exposure and knowledge, and provided me with a cumulative opportunity to integrate all I have learned at Champlain and apply it in a practical setting.

What do you like about going to college in Burlington?

One of the great things about going to college in a small town is the way the community caters to students. Eateries stay open late, public transportation is convenient, and local businesses welcome their student customers. College is also a great time to be living so close to the great outdoors. Champlain has active outing clubs that sponsor free or highly subsidized trips, so students living in the city can still enjoy the natural beauty of Vermont.

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Caitlyn Dangvu

Double Major

Accounting and Finance

Internship

Audit Intern at KPMG in Colchester, VT

Favorite Class

Financial & Economic Modeling

Post-Grad job

Auditor at KPMG in Colchester, VT

How has Champlain prepared you for the professional world?

Champlain taught me how to act professionally, encouraged me to be a team player, and provided me with a foundation of knowledge to help propel my future career. At the end of my internship with KPMG, I was offered a full-time job post-graduation! I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to work for a Big Four accounting firm if I hadn’t landed the internship.

What projects have you worked on in classes that you’ve found particularly rewarding?

I took a finance class where we built data models in Microsoft Excel. The knowledge I learned in this class allowed me to build data models and systems as I worked at other jobs. I was able to create Excel systems that streamlined processes and analyzed data that were then used by my employers.

What advice do you have for students thinking about coming to Champlain?

If you value a close-knit community and personal connections, Champlain is for you. I’m astounded by the opportunities I’ve come across and the fantastic network I’ve built here, all stemming from the individual connections I’ve made within this community. I feel like everyone—my professors, my Advisor, my Career Coach—cares about me as a person and helps push me to succeed.

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Emma Dannenberg

Concentrations

Visual Arts and Film

Why does your field matter – how does it impact our world/the average person?

I think separately, my study of art and environmental issues matter so much and impact the world and average person immensely. Art is a universal language, something that is loved, thought provoking, and needed in the turbulent times that we are facing so much nowadays. Art allows for expression of feelings and is also a powerful tool in education and advocating for important things that need to be discussed. I think looking at the intersection of my fields is where I have truly found my life’s passion and purpose, and where I think the world could benefit greatly. This intersection is the realm of environmental art, which is using art as a form of education on the environmental issues we are facing today, such as the climate crisis, mass extinction, deforestation, etc. I think it is an incredible way to reach large audiences and introduce these tougher topics to the mainstream population and get people to become passionate about saving our planet and all the species, including us, who call it home.

Why did you choose Champlain to study this?

Champlain’s smaller class sizes allow me to make connections and build relationships with professors, faculty, staff, and other students. The close connections I have made at Champlain will hopefully allow me to secure a job after college in something that will be supportive, but also something I am passionate about. Champlain’s location in Burlington allows for wonderful experiences and relationships with people, businesses, organizations, and NGOs that are both in the art world and the environmental studies and activism world.

Describe your other professional experiences so far. Have you worked on-campus or in a work-study position?

I have been so incredibly lucky to be a part of the Eco-Reps program as my work study on campus. It is my second year in this position and I can already confidently say that Eco-Reps has changed my life. Dr. Christina Erickson, who runs the Center for Service and Sustainability, initiated the Eco-Reps program here at Champlain and has fostered an inspiring and educational environment that I am so glad to contribute to and learn from. As an Eco-Rep, I’ve had the opportunity to grow my leadership skills, become a peer educator about sustainability practices and environmental awareness, and get to work with an amazing group of individuals. Because of Eco-Reps, I have been able to hear from so many inspiring speakers and play a part in so many amazing events. Most recently, I volunteered with Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s Beach Turtle Nesting clean up at North Hero State Park where I got to learn and be an active participant in the wildlife conservation efforts for the endangered Spiny Softshell Turtle and help release some hatchlings back into the wild. Even though my time here at Champlain isn’t quite done yet, I know that being an Eco-Rep has been one of the greatest opportunities of my experience here.

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