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Anthony Burti, ‘10 is currently working for AIG Corporate Security in the Global Security Operations Center in New York City. He is responsible for monitoring employees who are traveling in high risk countries and AIG properties throughout the world. He also provides up to date intelligence and security risks to senior management and daily intelligence reports to AIG and Chartis employees worldwide. Anthony is currently on the waiting list for the NYPD, hoping to fulfill his dream of being a part of the New York City Police Department.
When asked about his experience in the Political Science Department Anthony said, “I enjoyed studying Political Science at St. Bonaventure. I liked that we all had a close relationship with the poli sci faculty. They were always available whenever we needed help.”
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Since graduating in 2009, Asale Collins-Anderson has been working in South Korea. She lives in Gumi, which is located 30 minutes outside of Daegu (the third largest city in Korea). She works at Okgye Elementary School teaching English to students in grades 3 – 6. She also teaches English to the Korean teachers at her school.
According to Asale, “this experience has been amazing and powerful. I am very intrigued by the history, culture and language of Korea. The experience has also allowed me to explore a lot of Asia. I have traveled to the Forbidden City in China and rode an elephant in Thailand.”
Asale will finish her contract in Korea in March and will then start her next journey. She will travel to Africa for a month-long backpacking excursion. She will travel to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nambia, Botswana and South Africa. Following her African adventure she hopes to start law school or graduate school in the fall.
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James Corke '08 is a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and is currently in flight training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He is in the final stages of the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter course. Upon completion he will be station at Fort Campbell, Kentucky with the 101st Airborne Division.
Since graduation Jim has gotten married and he and his wife Lauren are expecting their first child, a boy, in April 2011.
Jim says that “while my scholastic experience was difficult at times, it was an enjoyable and rewarding one. Professors Carter and Kubal were among my favorite teachers and advisors in my political science career. “
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Ian Coyle '02 current serves as the Livingston, NY County Administrator. He is responsible for the overall administration of country government and coordinates its daily operations. Previously Ian served as Brockport Village Manager.
Ian received an MPA degree from SUNY Albany’s Rockefeller College following his graduation from St. Bonaventure in 2002 with a B.A. in Political Science.
According to Ian, “My political science degree from St. Bonaventure University laid the academic groundwork for me to truly find my career calling in local government management while I was attending UAlbany.
I point to the background coursework in areas such as American Government & Politics and the final Capstone thesis project, along with sound career planning advice and encouragement from professors like Dr. Moor, as the most significant elements of my Political Science Department experience at St. Bonaventure.
The political science professors at St. Bonaventure always stressed the importance of difference-making, civic engagement and working towards and for a greater good. That is why I chose to work in local government, where I have a direct, daily connection to the people.
Working as a chief administrative officer in a large local government, nothing is more important to me than the knowledge that my decisions may influence and effect an entire community of people. I know that my political science education at St. Bonaventure prepared me for this awesome responsibility and that is something I truly value.”
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Matt Dabrowski '04 is a pollster and Republican electioneer. He has staffed legislative, Congressional & statewide campaigns in Connecticut, New York, North Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia. He was a project director at the respected McLaughlin polling & consulting firm. He was Newt Gingrich's pollster at the American Solutions organization, and his research contributed to Gingrich's 2008 book "Real Change." He also spent six months in Afghanistan as a survey research analyst. He is a native of Naugatuck, Conn., and has a master's degree in survey research from the University of Connecticut.
He is a member of the St. Bonaventure University National Alumni Association Board. At Bona's, Matt was a political science major-theology minor, and received the honorable mention for the 2004
Political Science Award for best major. He was involved with the College Republicans, and was news editor of The Bona Venture.
According to Matt, "Bona's is a great place to study politics. Our professors provide a solid background to the critical issues in the study of politics, and build a real camaraderie among the majors. Proximity to political activity in Buffalo and Albany, breeding grounds for some of the nation's most talented political professionals, creates opportunities for those willing to reach for them. I use the lessons from my Bona classes everyday in my profession. In many ways, Political Science is Bona's at its best."
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Brian Guppenberger is currently a third year law student at Georgetown University Law Center. While attending Georgetown Law, Brian worked in the legal department of Liberty Mutual Group in Boston as a litigation law clerk during the 2010 summer. Following graduation from St. Bonaventure, Brian worked as a paralegal in the antitrust department of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Washington DC for two years, working on many high profile cases. Brian graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2006 with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Theology. In 2006 Brian was awarded the Political Science Award for the highest GPA among Political Science majors, and was also inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha. Brian also served on the secretariat of Model United Nations then advised by Dr. Carter. Serving on the secretariat and attending MUN conferences immensely improved Brian's leadership and public speaking abilities.
Brian remembers “an open door policy among the professors in the political science department, where the professors were always willing to discuss questions that he had about class, assignments, or future career advice even when their office hours were not posted.” Having worked as a research assistant for Dr. Kubal, Brian fostered a relationship with her and they continue to keep in touch. According to Brian, “his experience with the political science department prepared him for work upon graduation from St. Bonaventure and still plays a role in his successful studies at Georgetown Law.”
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Rachelle Hoeflsweiger '08 will graduate from UB School of Law in May 2011. She has accepted a 2-year clerking position with the NY Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department in Rochester. She will spend her first year as a pool clerk, reviewing Records on Appeal and drafting memorandums for the Justices. In the second year she will be doing rotations in different Judge’s chambers. Over 300 applicants applied for the 8 positions.
During her second year in law school she served as an Association on the Buffalo Law Review and now serves as the Heat Note & Comment Editor. She is also in charge of handling the competition to select new Law Review members. She also organized an article writing competition for the Law Review Associate members. She has worked as a law clerk at the law firm of Hogan Willig throughout law school.
According to Rachelle, “I have so many nice things to say about my experience at Bonas! I directly attribute my successes in law school to the work and study habits I developed at Bonas. The curriculum was challenging and interesting and I learned so much about how the world works in my 4 years at Bonas. I also cannot say enough about the high caliber of the professors at Bonas. In addition to being experts in their fields, the professors truly care about the success of their students. They are not only professors, they are mentors.”
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Kevin Lafferty ’02 is the Annual Fund coordinator for Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School in Buffalo, NY> He also has a passion for campaign politics.
“My degree in political science has helped me in several ways. It dramatically influenced my view of world views, helped me to look critically at various situations, and to make reasonable decisions. I especially owe my personal success to the professors of the Political Science Department – Dr. Jim Moor in particular.
Dr. Moor, as tough and demanding as he could be, gave me the tools to be successful and did all he could to ensure that I was giving him my best. Dr. Moor was a great mentor and professor and his teaching has helped me in my professional life.”
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Brendan Little earned his J.D. from Ohio Northern University’s College of Law with distinction in 2007 and his B.A. from St. Bonaventure University, cum laude, in 2004.
He has worked at Lippes Matthias Wexler Friedman LLP since 2009, focusing his practice primarily on commercial and general civil litigation matters. He came to Lippes Matthias Wexler Friedman LLP with a comprehensive background in civil litigation which he gained while working for Paul William Beltz, P.C. Brendan handles a broad range of state and federal litigation nationwide. This includes corporate/business disputes, proceedings regarding shareholder rights, RICO actions and the prosecution and defense of personal injury claims, which require motion practice, alternative dispute resolution, arbitration and appellate practice.
According to Brendan, “the four years I spent under the guidance and instruction of the Political Science department were mutually rewarding and challenging. Along with the friendships I formed, the department honed my reading and writing skills, which greatly prepared me for the next phase in my life, law school.”
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Sabrina Maddeaux '10 was a double major, merging Journalism/Mass Communication with her Political Science degree. She is currently living in Toronto, Canada and working as the assistant to the entertainment editor at , the #1 women’s magazine in Canada. She also does freelance PR and writing. She notes that although it might sound like a glamorous job, she often works 12 hour days.
Sabrina was accepted at Boston College of Law and decided to defer her admission for a year. She is currently weighing her options and will make a decision about whether to pursue law school or continue in the magazine/entertainment industry.
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After graduating in May 2008, Megan Manjerovic worked for the United Steelworkers Union in their Political Department. While there, she was a Political Assistant and worked alongside the Regional Field Coordinators to recruit volunteers and organize/staff phone banks, canvasses, and rallies for major elections across the country.
Since March 2009, she has been working as a Field Coordinator for the Alliance for American Manufacturing. They are a non partisan partnership with America's leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers Union forged to strengthen manufacturing in the United States. Here, she works on a variety of items from doing research to scheduling and meeting with current Members of Congress to discuss their position on certain issues such as; currency manipulation, international trade, energy security and other issues of mutual concern.
In her spare time, Megan has been coaching a high school girls lacrosse team and travelling throughout Europe. Since January 2009, she has traveled through France, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria.
According to Megan, "As a freshman, I didn't even know if Political Science was the right major for me. However, after only a few classes, I knew that the professors had something special and the interesting classes that were offered helped reassure my decision. Even as an alumni, they are always available and ready to help with anything they can. The courses I took truly helped prepare me for the "real world". I often find myself thinking back to the great times I had in class."
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Since graduating from St. Bonaventure in 2009 John McGrath has moved to Charlotte, N.C. and obtained an insurance producer’s license. He currently works at Allstate Insurance as a Direct Sales Specialist. John is considering returning to school for either an MBA or a law degree in the near future. As the 2012 campaign season heats up John plans on returning to the campaign trail at the very least on a volunteer basis and contribute to the successes the Republicans saw in 2010.
According to John, “my Political Science degree allowed me to study something I enjoyed while at SBU but gave me the flexibility to enter several fields upon graduation. I valued my time with the Political Science department. One of the things that made it so special was the time and effort that eacjh professor put into knowing every study on an academic and personal level.”
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Lucy Morrisette graduated from St. Bonaventure in 2008, eager and determined to start her career in politics. For her senior thesis, she explored Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton’s campaigns for the presidency, but was not entire sure how to translate her knowledge and findings into a sound job. She quickly discovered a program for elections and campaign management at Fordham University. She spent one semester in New York City but decided she would be happier just jumping right into campaign work. While in NYC she interned for Bill de Blasio who was running for the NYC Public Advocate office.
Following Mr. de Blasio’s election as Public Advocate, Lucy moved back to her home state of Virginia and immediately began interning for Terry McAuliffe, who was running for governor. She helped with field work, meaning she was on the front lines, talking to voters and making phone calls as well as canvassing neighborhoods, speaking to voters in person. Following that election she moved on to Creigh Deeds’ staff for his race the following November.
Presently Lucy is working as a political and legislative advocacy coordinator for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. She speaks at union meetings about current legislation affecting the union and organizes and participated in press conferences intended to educate the public about working family issues. She also organized volunteers during the 2010 midterm elections to campaign for candidates endorsed by the union.
Lucy says, “I love my job and I am positive that if I hadn’t had such a wonderful experience at St. Bonaventure studying political science I would not have had the determination or confidence to enter such a demanding field.”
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Kathleen Schaffner '08, has spent the last three years working in electoral politics. Immediately after graduating from SBU, she took a job as a Regional Field Coordinator for Eric Massa's congressional campaign. While the campaign was successful in electing Mr. Massa, Kathleen did not join him in Washington. Instead, she decided to spend the "off season" at Northwestern University's Graduate School, pursuing a Master of Public Policy and Administration degree.
This election season, Kathleen was recruited by the Matt Zeller for Congress campaign initially to do voter outreach, but was quickly promoted to Senior Policy Adviser and Finance Director. In this role, she directed all fund raising activities and financial transactions, as well as advising the candidate on policy positions and preparing him for 11 key debates. Now, she's finishing her master's degree and vetting her choices for the 2012 cycle.
Kathleen says, "After four years, the professors have become more than just mentors -- they're my friends. They taught me about the political spectrum and the legality of civil rights, and they also taught me what I'm capable of and how high I really can reach."
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Ryan Shannon, ‘08 is currently a 3L at the University of Richmond School of Law and will graduate in May 2011. He is a member of the senior staff of the University of Richmond Law Review and is a teaching assistant for Professors Marla Decker and Stephen Mc Cullough. He is also currently enrolled in the clinical placement program, working with Genworth Financial on matters dealing with insurance law.
In May 2010 Ryan received the New York State Bar Association’s President’s Pro Bono Service Award. This award is presented annually to one law student from the State of New York who does the most to promote equal access to justice in the community. Ryan received the award based on his participation in the Law Students in Action Project, his successful representation of clients in front of the Unemployment Insurance Benefits Appeals Board and his research that is now being used by legal aide organizations throughout New York State in connection with the use of identification in applications for public benefits and for prisoners who are attempting to re-enter society.
According to Ryan, “Bonaventure was a great help preparing me for law school. The professors make a great effort to get to know each individual student and care about each one. You don’t see that at other schools. In addition, the ability to analyze legal concepts and think critically was greatly bolstered through classes I took in the pre-law program. In particular, Constitutional Law and Mock Trial put me a step ahead of other law students when it came to being familiar with legal concepts and how to present a case. Bonaventure was the right choice to prepare me for what one needs to deal with when out in the professional world.”
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Dan Volkosh graduated in December 2009 and then took some time to concentrate on the LSAT. He decided to attend the University of Denver Sturm College of law and in August 2010 packed up his car and drove to Colorado. Dan is currently in his first year of law school and is applying for summer externships. He will graduate in 2013 and hopes to enter the public policy realm.
According to Dan, “the Political Science Department at St. Bonaventure helped me continue what I enjoy. I came to know the professors very well and was able to drop by their offices whenever necessary. I was able to be politically active, heard deliberations before the U.S. Supreme Court, attended President Obama’s inauguration and met ambassadors and government officials through my numerous visits to Washington,D.C. and Canada.”
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