I was so pleased today to welcome back to campus one of my former students, who majored in Operations Management at the Isenberg School at UMass Amherst and who graduated in 2003. Ms. Christina Calvaneso is now Manager - Strategy & Operations, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and is based in New York City. She was back at the Isenberg School of Management to take part in a panel, Looking Forward: Views of Our Graduates on Career Preparation, at our Open House. Christina was a 2002-2003 Undergraduate Center Associate of the Virtual Center for Supernetworks and was a recipient of a 21st Century Leader Award at the May 2003 Commencement, an award that I nominated her for. There are photos of her commencement and activities with the Center on the 2000-2005 Center Photos Page (scroll down to the 2002-2003 photos).
Christina began her professional career at GE and has been with Deloitte Consulting for the past three years. It was terrific to see her and to "catch up." I asked her what she appreciated most about the education that she received at the Isenberg School and what she considered the most important skill sets that she now uses as a manager at a top consulting company. She told me that she solves problems every day and that the analytical skills and tools that she gained as an Operations Management major have been invaluable. She also spoke about the importance of strategy and "people" skills and in building relationships based on trust.
She has been very successful and, as a former professor of hers, I am extremely proud of her. It is always extra special to see our successful alums come back to campus and to share their pearls of wisdom with the next generation of students.
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