Political Science Alumni: Where Are They Now?

Michelle DiPuma (2007) works as a Tax Associate in the Accounting Methods & Credit Services practice of KPMG’s Boston office. She plans to explore Boston once she defrosts from her first New England winter. Michelle also published an article, “Why the Recent ‘Boeing Case’ Will Not Ultimately Limit a State’s Ability to Provide Incentives to Attract Businesses,” in the Summer 2013( Vol. 66 , No. 4) issue of The Tax Lawyer.  

Gustavo Escobar (2002) is currently finish-ing his 5th year as a Special Education teacher in the NYC Department of Educa-tion. He is teaching 8th grade at PS 127 in East Elmhurst, Queens. After attending New York Law School, Gustavo worked in the non-profit sector at The Action Center in Far Rockaway, Queens as its academic director. He then earned his Master’s in Special Edu-cation as a NYC Teaching Fellow, and grad-uating from LIU-Brooklyn. Gustavo recently celebrated his first wedding anniversary and runs a sports podcast that can be found on twitter and instagram @cngsports.

Vivian Fridas (2010) finished her graduate studies in Government and Politics at St. John’s University in December 2013. Vivian is active in disability advocacy and is a member of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). She has participated in lobbying Congress for issues that would create and apply more equality for Americans who are blind or visually impaired. Vivian continues to serve the guide dog community by being an executive member on the Graduate Council for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Vivian is grateful for the wonderful gift of her guide dog, Ditto (a black lab), who allows her to be more mobile and independent. The two will celebrate their third anniversary together in May. Finally, Vivian will be participating in a summer program sponsored by the United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD). Vivian will be paired with an organization in Washington, D.C. that deals specifically with international affairs and development issues.

David Fuller (2006) was elected chairman of the Stratford Zoning Commission in January, and has won the Karl A. Sholanick Award for “Most Valuable Republican” by the Stratford Republican Town Committee. David is working on his Master’s Thesis in Communications at Fairfield University, which analyzes increasing localization of news content between global media conglomerates. David also works as an editor for Hamlet Hub, a hyper-local online news site in Westchester and Fairfield Coun-ties, and is advising James Brown, candidate for Connecticut’s Third Congressional District. David does not sleep.

Joanne Joseph (2012) is in her second year at Cornell Law School and is serving as the Vice President of the South Asian Law Students Association and as the Acquisitions Editor for the Cornell Journal of Law & Public Policy. Her Note, “Uprooting the American Dream: The Diminished and Deferred Rights of the U.S. Citizen Child in the Immigration Context”, will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Cornell Journal of Law & Public Policy. One of the highlights of this semester was the opportunity to travel to Nepal with the Cornell International Human Rights Clinic, where she discussed litigation strategy with a network of South Asian women’s rights lawyers. This summer, she will be working as a summer associate at the Washington, D.C. office of a large international firm.

John Miller (2012) is in his second year at Harvard Law School. He recently published an article, “Unmasking Masculinity in Negotiation Scholarship,” that was featured on the Harvard Negotiation Law Review‘s home page.

Aleksandra Pinkhasova (2013) is finishing her first year at the George Washington University Law School. For the first part of the summer she will be interning for a fed-eral judge in the Eastern District of New York, and for the second part of the sum-mer she will be studying international hu-man rights law and advocacy at Oxford University. In her free time, Aleksandra plays soccer in the Metro Sports League for a co-ed division I team.

Tayyaba Bukhari (2010) worked for NGOs focused in policy analysis and human rights after graduating from Adelphi. She is currently completing her first year at Brandeis University’s The Heller School of Social Policy and Management. Tayyaba is concentrating in women’s health and educational development, and intends to intern at a women’s public policy center in summer 2014. 

Ashley Noveck Ortiz (2008) is taking time off to focus on her family. Ashley and her husband, Jesse, just welcomed their second child, Nora Anne, on March 21, 2014.

Michael Salvi (2006) was to married Angela Lanza this past Valentine’s Day at East Wind in Wading River. Michael is the Office Services Manager at Penton Media in NYC.

Kerri Souto (2010) started a new job in Intergovernmental Relations in the office of Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone. She is heavily involved in community outreach initiatives and coordinates the internship program. Kerri is enjoying her new position and is taking advantage of every opportunity to learn first-hand how Suffolk County government functions.

Nick Tomasso (BA 2011, MA 2012) is a 2013 Teach for America corps member in Chicago, Illinois. He is currently teaching Middle School Special Education in the North Lawndale community of Chicago. When not at school, Nick enjoys riding his bike alongside Lake Michigan (polar vortex permitting).

Andrew Zang (2009) recently completed his Master of Laws in real estate from New York Law School this past May. He is in his second year of work at the global real estate firm Studley, where he advises corporations on all aspects of their real es-tate needs, whether it be acquisitions, leasing, sales or subleasing. Their clients include CBS, Sirius XM Radio, Major League Soccer as well as numerous law firms and financial institutions. Andrew is looking to get more active in various NYC political and real estate-oriented organizations that include city plan-ning and zoning as well as economic development.

Svetla Marinova (2010) received an M.A. in Cli-mate and Society from Columbia University in 2011 with the intention to continue with an academic ca-reer; however, she was recruited by an investment research firm called AlphaSights just a few days after starting her PhD program, and ended up picking the job over grad school. Svetla is currently at McGraw-Hill Financial, where she is Lead Business Analyst at the IQ Lab, which is the R&D arm of the company. She works closely with engineers in iterative cycles, building the next generation of financial analytics products for the investment world. She is also taking evening classes in finance at CUNY Baruch. In her free time, Svetla frequents electronic music events and festivals, travels the world, and paints what she calls “rave art.”

If you would like to appear in future Political Science Newsletters, please keep in touch. We love hearing from our Alumni!

Traci Levy
levy@adelphi.edu