Once a year the Alumni Office puts together an afternoon of career sessions and workshops all led by SJND alumni. This year's virtual event is a rare opportunity for students to learn about different careers from alumni across the U.S. This year's lineup includes a New York Times sports writer, an athletic trainer from Grand Canyon University, news anchor from Spectrum News 1 Los Angeles, CPA from KPMG, a director of infrastructure at Wish.com, and many more. We will even have a special musical performance this year!
Students, please join us for Career Day on:
April 21, 2021
12:05 pm - 2:40 pm
Keynote Speaker: Dorell Wright
We are kicking off the afternoon with our Keynote Speaker, Dorell Wright. Dorell is a former professional basketball player. He was drafted in the 2004 NBA draft and played for the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Portland Trail Blazers. He retired from the NBA and currently works for the Golden State Warriors hosting the pre and post game radio interviews. He will talk about career transitions.
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Musical Performance: Murphy Holmes, Jr. '03
We are thrilled to kick off the Career Day sessions with a musical performance from Murphy Holmes, Jr. '03. Murphy or otherwise known as Young Murph the Kid or YMTK was recently spotlighted and interviewed by KQED for eclectic, spiritual, fun-loving R&B and hip-hop music. Come check out his performance!
Take a peek at what Career Day will look like!
Schedule
Part I: Keynote Session
Topic: How to recreate yourself when your career changes
12:05 - 12:35
Keynote Speaker Dorell Wright, former pro basketball player, now works with the Warriors Pre / Post Game Radio Host.
Musical Performance by Murphy Holmes, Jr. ‘03
12:40 -12:45
Part II: Career Field Breakout Sessions 1
12:45 - 1:20
BREAK
1:20 - 1:25
Part III: Career Field Breakout Sessions 2
1:25 - 2:00
Part IV: Skills Workshop
2:05 - 2:40
Career Field Breakout Session 1 Speakers
Diana Campbell ’09, Law Clerk, Ragghianti Freitas LLP
Field: Corporate /Business Law
After graduating from UCLA, Diana worked at large Silicon Valley law firm as a paralegal helping start-up and technology clients navigate financings, mergers and acquisitions, and general day to day business operations. She left the law firm after two and a half years to pursue her law degree at UC Hastings. While in law school, she worked at a financial tech (fintech) start-up and a law firm that specializes in advising cryptocurrency hedge funds. Diana currently works at a law firm in San Rafael, doing corporate transactional work for businesses of all kinds including some cannabis companies.
Josefina Rodriguez ’06, Sales Operations Manager, Quora
Field: Online marketing and data analytics
Josefina started her career in digital advertising and social media, working with companies like Microsoft, Adobe and Visa. She has since transitioned to sales operations and strategy at Quora, where she has helped the company grow its advertising business.
Jonathan Sayson ’06, Associate Athletic Trainer, Grand Canyon University
Field: Healthcare and sports/collegiate Athletics
I am in my eighth year with the Grand Canyon University Sports Medicine staff and my sixth year serving as an Associate Athletic Trainer. I oversee the medical coverage for the softball and swim and dive teams.
Prior to my current position I came to Grand Canyon in 2013 as an Intern Athletic Trainer. In 2014, I served as the Head Athletic Trainer for GCU’s growing club sports and cheer and dance programs, and its new club sports medicine staff. I was also the men’s rugby strength coach.
BS in Exercise Biology from UC Davis (2010) MS in Athletic Training from Weber State University (2013) Board of Certification - Certified Athletic Trainer (2013) National Strength & Conditioning Association - Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (2012).
2012 Jacksonville Jaguars Summer Camp - intern athletic trainer 2008-2010 UC Davis student athletic trainer internship .Other certifications: Graston Technique; International Cupping Therapy Association - Contemporary Cupping Methods and Advanced Cupping Therapy.
Ysh Espinosa ’07, Global Sales Operations Manager, Oracle
Field: Technology, Sales, and Leadership
Ysh is a Global Sales Operations Manager at Oracle where he collaborates and communicates with internal stakeholders providing analysis and recommendations on how sales teams should move forward. Prior to his current role, he was a Business Development Manager in the Oracle Offices of sunny Santa Monica, CA. He led a team of 15 sales reps overseeing all of North America Applications. Awarded Regional Manager MVP in 2018 and 2019, he has been recognized for his achievement in building quality pipeline, strategic planning and execution, and leadership.
Ysh earned his Bachelor of Organizational Communications from Sacramento State University in 2012.
John Campbell ‘88, Executive Vice President Investor Relations, Wells Fargo Bank
Field: Banking, corporate finance, and the stock market
John Campbell has been with Wells Fargo Bank for over 20 years. In his current role as the Director of the Investor Relations group, John works with Wells Fargo’s existing and potential shareholders, from large Wall Street institutional investors to individual shareholders. Prior to this role, John held positions in Treasury, Financial Planning and Analysis, and Accounting.
John has a BS in Accounting from Villanova University and an MBA in Finance from the University of San Francisco. He lives in Moraga with his wife, Vickey, and their 5 children.
Oskar Garcia ’99, Deputy Sports Editor, The New York Times
Field: Journalism, news, and media
As deputy sports editor, I help lead our sports coverage and department. Among other things, I oversee our coverage of college sports, including coverage of the current N.C.A.A. men's and women's basketball tournaments. Later this year, I'll help our team covering the Tokyo Olympics. I have been a professional journalist for 15 years, including two years with The New York Times and 13 years with The Associated Press.
Career Field Breakout Session 2 Speakers
Diego Flores ’06, Associate, Shartsis Friese LLP
Field: Law school, every day as a lawyer or civil litigation
I am an associate at Shartsis Friese LLP in San Francisco, where my practice focuses on civil litigation, including but not limited to business disputes. Previously, I served as a judicial law clerk for a Federal District Judge in Brooklyn, New York and a Federal Bankruptcy Judge in Manhattan, New York. I also practiced in the New York City office of a large international law firm, where I focused on complex commercial insolvencies, including related litigation and transactional work. I received my law degree from Harvard Law School in 2013 and my Bachelor's degree in Ethics, Politics, and Economics from Yale University in 2010.
Karina Myers ’13, MPH Epidemiology Student/Foodborne Disease Intern, Columbia University/New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Field: Science, public health or New York City
After graduating from SJND, I double majored in Public Health Science and Psychology with a Biology minor at Santa Clara University. I knew I was passionate about health but changed my mind about careers a lot during undergrad. After graduating, I worked at a tech company as a recruiter before realizing I knew I wanted to be back in public health. I currently am an MPH student at Columbia University studying Epidemiology. Since starting at Columbia, I’ve worked in global HIV/AIDS research and currently work at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) in the Bureau of Communicable Disease. My role at the NYC DOHMH includes analyzing data on foodborne diseases and conducting outbreak investigations. I had no idea epidemiology even existed when I was in high school, and I hope you get to learn about different fields in science!
Catalina Villegas ’08, TV News Anchor and Reporter, Spectrum News 1
Field: Journalism, television, news, media or TV production
Catalina Villegas is an anchor and reporter for Spectrum News 1 in Los Angeles. She anchors Your Weekend, a one-hour news show Saturdays at 5 p.m.
Catalina moved to the San Francisco Bay Area from Colombia in the late 90s. She attended UC Berkeley, earning a degree in Political Science. She has worked at the local, national, and international level for stations ranging from CNN, CBS, NBC, and Univision. Her career has taken her to Nevada and cross-country to Washington D.C.
This veteran journalist is known for her passion and extensive experience in every area of the newsroom from anchoring to producing to reporting. Catalina has covered everything from the Deep Web to snowstorms, politics, and more. Her favorite topics are immigration and social justice. Her bilingual and bicultural skills give her a deep understanding of the growing Latino community in the U.S., providing her with the unique ability to share those untold stories with an English-speaking audience.
Lizzy Easterday ’10, TV Development Manager, DreamWorks Animation
Field: Entertainment, animation, kids and family programming, working for a studio or network
As Manager of Development for DreamWorks Animation Television, Lizzy Easterday develops kids and family content for DreamWorks' global and domestic distributors including Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Apple TV+, and HBO Max. Since joining DreamWorks in 2016, she's developed multiple projects including Gabby's Dollhouse, Archibald's Next Big Thing, and Go, Dog. Go! for Netflix, Madagascar: A Little Wild for Hulu and Peacock, and Doug Unplugs for Apple TV+.
Lizzy got her start working in production at KTLA and ABC, and spent some time working in Consumer Products at DreamWorks before heading to their TV branch. Lizzy is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton and a proud Bay Area native!
Paul Zugnoni ’97, Director of Infrastructure, Wish
Field: Engineering or technical management career in Internet technologies, including networking, hyperscale computing, data centers, or general IT
Paul Zugnoni is currently serving his fourth year as a Director of Infrastructure at Wish.com, a recently IPO’d online marketplace company. His engineering specialties are in Internet and datacenter technologies. Paul’s professional career of almost 20 years includes tech startups as well as LinkedIn, Verizon, and Google.
He graduated from SJND in 1997. He earned a Bachelor's degree from UC Riverside, where he met his wife, Sophie. They live in the SF Bay Area with their two children.
Michael Republicano ’06, Senior Manager, KPMG
Field: Certified Public Account - interested in having a stable career, solving complex problems, and traveling the world
Michael is a senior manager in KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice in New York, New York. Prior to joining the Department of Professional Practice, Michael worked in KPMG’s Dallas, Texas office. He has served a variety of clients across different industries, including asset management clients (private equity and venture capital) and venture-backed (‘start-up’) clients. Michael started his career in KPMG’s Silicon Valley office.
Michael graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Minor in Economics. He is a CPA, licensed to practice in New York, Texas, and California.
Part IV: Skills Workshop
Discover your authentic dreams and be bold enough to follow them
Lena Jennings ’14, People Analyst, Google
Lena Jennings is a People Analyst at Google and the Executive Director at The Pretty2Me Foundation, a non profit focused on teaching young girls the value of loving themselves first. Before joining Google in 2018, Lena traveled the world to learn the universal language without words -- humanity. Her love for people drove her into the nonprofit sector to teach middle and high school students partnering with the Los Angeles School District to deliver programming to 5,000 students in Los Angeles. At Google Lena has begun to story tell with data to drive action and change at scale.
Read more about Lena Jennings here.
Adulting 101 - Basic finances, Job Basics (such as professional dress, interviewing) and Life Basics (simple meals, how to do laundry, cyber safety)
Diana Campbell ’09, Law Clerk, Ragghianti Freitas LLP
After graduating from UCLA, Diana worked at large Silicon Valley law firm as a paralegal helping start-up and technology clients navigate financings, mergers and acquisitions, and general day to day business operations. She left the law firm after two and a half years to pursue her law degree at UC Hastings. While in law school, she worked at a financial tech (fintech) start-up and a law firm that specializes in advising cryptocurrency hedge funds.
Diana currently works at a law firm in San Rafael, doing corporate transactional work for businesses of all kinds including some cannabis companies.
Resume Writing and Job Search
Michael Republicano ’06, Senior Manager, KPMG
Michael is a senior manager in KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice in New York, New York. Prior to joining the Department of Professional Practice, Michael worked in KPMG’s Dallas, Texas office. He has served a variety of clients across different industries, including asset management clients (private equity and venture capital) and venture-backed (‘start-up’) clients. Michael started his career in KPMG’s Silicon Valley office.
Michael graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Minor in Economics. He is a CPA, licensed to practice in New York, Texas, and California.
Adulting 101 – resume writing, student loans, basic finances
Josefina Rodriguez ’06, Sales Operations Manager, Quora
Josefina started her career in digital advertising and social media, working with companies like Microsoft, Adobe and Visa. She has since transitioned to sales operations and strategy at Quora, where she has helped the company grow its advertising business.
