Inside This Issue:

Iona Dancer Overcomes Rare Condition

1

Alumna Returns to Inspire

2

Successful Twin Alumni Share Career Progress

2

Students’ Industry Questions Answered at

PRSA Roundtable3

In The Spotlight: Sean P. Fodera

3

Google leads Alumnus to Foreign Diplomacy

4

Journalism Grad Lands Job in TV Thanks to

Networking4

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Department ofMass Communication

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Editor:Sarah M. Ryck

Alumni NewsletterMass Communication

Iona Dancer Overcomes Rare Condition

Kristen Leccese ‘10BA dreamed of a life on the stage. Dancing was her passion and with her extensive training and impressive background, life as a professional dancer was just within her reach. That was until she was diagnosed with the rare condition Paget-Schroetter’s Syndrome.

In May, 2010, Leccese starred in the Iona Dance Ensemble’s show and worked closely with Professor Mapp and Professor Tharin, and performed a solo, which she choreographed, for The Hannah Kroner School of Dance Showcase.

“After the solo, several dance professionals who’d been in the audience told me there was no reason for me not to dance professionally,” said Leccese, recalling her excitement. “I had a lot of feedback saying I’d truly be able to make it in dance.”

Last May, Leccese graduated with her degree in mass communication with a concentration in journalism. Two days after graduation Leccese began to feel odd. Her left arm was numb, tingly, swollen and tight. When she took a better look, she noticed her veins were very prominent and her arm

was discolored in a red-blue-gray color. Something was certainly wrong.

Initial tests showed Leccese had several blood clots throughout her arm and shoulder. For a 22-year-old healthy dancer, her condition alarmed her.

Leccese was admitted to the hospital. After four grueling days of needles, tests and numerous doctors, she was told she had an extremely rare condition that affects one out of 100,000 people--Paget-Schroetter’s Syndrome.

Paget-Schroetter’s Syndrome occurs only in young healthy athletes who perform activities that overwork the arms. As a result, Leccese had blood clots deep in the veins of her shoulder and arm so she received emergency doses of anti-coagulants and underwent an emergency thrombolysis procedure to correct the issue.

Still, Leccese must give herself daily self-injections of blood thinners until she can have shoulder surgery to alleviate the symptoms.

Continued on page 2

Kristen Leccese ‘10BA demonstrates her talent in dance showcase.

Iona College Spring 2011

Spring 2011 Page 2

Continued from cover

Nicole Egan ‘08BA ‘10MA visited Dr. Jack Breslin’s MCO 200 Introduction to Mass Communication class for the second consecutive year, educating students about her experiences in the public relations field. “One of the objectives of the introductory class is to give students a sample of careers in mass communication,” Dr. Jack Breslin said. “What better way than to bring in experienced professionals, such as Nicole, to share their experiences in a profession they obviously enjoy? And we are especially proud to welcome back our successful alumni.”

Currently an account executive at the OTC health and beauty PR firm, Robin Leedy & Associates in Mount Kisco, NY, Egan spoke about her education, internships, daily work life, and even offered internships to students.

“Coincidentally, when I was a junior in college, there was a guest speaker that affected me so much that I

Following her u n e x p e c t e d whirlwind post graduate life, Leccese has taken time for herself. “ S o m e t i m e s as dancers and athletes, we put our sport or art before our own well-being,” she said.

For now Leccese must put her dreams of a professional dance career on hold. Taking care of herself means no dancing.

Leccese has since focused on her mass communication career. She landed a marketing internship at Lasio Inc, an international line of Brazilian keratin hair care products. She is a full-time employee running the social media and PR material for Lasio.

Leccese plans to dance again, and hopes to be performing in the Hannah Kroner Showcase this May.

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Join the ‘Iona College-Department of Mass

Communication Alumni Group’

Alumna Returns to Inspiredecided I wanted to work in PR, not for a magazine like I had wanted for years.” Egan remembered.

Egan explained her numerous daily tasks, such as pitching media, researching, maintaining Facebook and Twitter accounts, compiling reports, and updating impression charts for major clients like Softlips®, Conair®, and ROHTO® Eye Drops.

“What better way than to bring in experienced professionals...to share

their experiences?”

The day following her visit, Egan received emails thanking her for attending the class and teaching the students more about PR.

Egan suggested students do as she currently is and take each day as it comes. As it did in her case, sometimes things just seem to fall into place.

Twin alumni, Janese Pfeiffer ‘02BA and Johanna Decal ‘02BA, graduated with their mass communication degrees with concentrations in advertising. Since graduation, they have pursued separate advanced degrees and become successful in their respective fields.

Both women worked at the New York Institute of Technology, where they were offered free tuition.

Janese obtained her master’s degree in elementary education. She earned her certification in early childhood education. In 2009, Janese received

her second certification in special education. She has enjoyed teaching early childhood education on the kindergarten and first-grade levels since 2007. In 2009, with the completion of her special education certificate, she also has been teaching special education in Queens.

While employed at NYIT, Johanna earned her master’s degree in marketing. Following completion of her marketing degree, Johanna found employment with Axis Promotions, where Iona College is one of her clients.

Successful Twin Alumni Share Career Progress

@ICMassComm

Spring 2011 Page 3

Iona public relations students Tiffany Sanchez, Josephine Silla, Sarah Ryck and Keyma Kitchens attended the latest Public Relations Society of America New York chapter Human Resource Roundtable on January 25 at New York University. The students met with some of the area’s top executives to find out what today’s human resources professionals want in job candidates.

“The event was a very rewarding experience. I learned about breaking into the public relations field thanks to all the professionals that came,” undergraduate PR major, Josephine Silla said.

Special guest Valerie Simon, Senior Vice President at BurrellesLuce and co-founder of HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out) spoke about building a personal network. Her challenge for the night: find one person at the event, and help them out. “Be the person you want to meet,” she recommended.

“I was inspired by Ms. Simon’s

of future PR professionals giving information on job opportunities and advice on breaking into the industry.

The HR Roundtable, presented by PRSA-NY New Professionals Committee and NYU’s PR League, welcomed participants to update social media, such as Twitter and Facebook throughout the event. Afterwards, attendees were able to reconnect by searching tweets with the hashtag #PRSANY.

challenge to change our focus from what others can do for us to what we can do for others,” Sarah Ryck said. “Simon and the other speakers are all great role models for students and young PR professionals like myself.”

Following Simon’s introduction, recruiters from Edelman, Ruder Finn, Inc., Makovsky + Company, Marina Maher Communications, Peppercom, Cantor Integrated Marketing Staffing, Inc., Quantum Management Services and Clarity Media spoke to small groups

Students’ Industry Questions Answered at PRSA Roundtable

Sean P. Fodera ‘88BA (at left) works at Macmillan as Associate Director of Contracts handling contract drafting, negotiating for the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, supervising staff and advising contract issues.

Fodera graduated from Iona with a degree in advertising in 1988. With advertising jobs in short supply, he turned to book publishing, an outgrowth of his collegiate writing and editing interests.

Fodera has worked for Penguin Group (USA) Inc., and Simon & Schuster, in addition to having run his own literary rights agency. In 1999, he was among the first publishing

professionals to run a full line of electronic books for a major publishing house, setting many standards that remained in place until recent changes in the electronic book market.

Fodera entered the world of academia, teaching courses on publishing law, copyright and publishing contracts at CUNY, The New School, and at other venues, such as the Illinois Bar Association and writers’ conferences. He hopes to teach courses on these subjects again.

Fodera is a published writer with professional short science fiction credits, and non-fiction on publishing topics. His two newest articles, “An Introduction to Your Book Publishing Contract” and “Reclaiming Your Rights,” will open the upcoming volume “The SFWA Handbook: The Business Side of Writing, by Writers, For Writers.” Foder lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife and two children.

In the Spotlight: Sean P. Fodera

From left: Tiffany Sanchez, Josephine Silla, Sarah Ryck and Keyma Kitchens

Thanks to her excellent networking skills, Samantha Tibbitts ‘10BA (pictured) turned a Your News Now Albany news reporting internship that she held prior to her senior year into a permanent position after graduation.

Journalism Grad Lands Job in TV Thanks to Networking

When Nick Barnett ’04BA was not satisfied with his advertising job, he plugged “jobs with travel” into a Google search and learned about the exciting careers in the U.S. Foreign Service.

Barnett worked as an account coordinator at Young and Rubicam for three years. In his fourth year with the company, he was promoted to account supervisor. Barnett enjoyed the creative aspect of advertising but wanted to spend his time doing something more meaningful.

The Foreign Service required Barnett to undergo a

written exam, a qualification evaluation panel, and an oral exam, all of which he passed on his first try. After training in Fall 2009, he began his first assignment in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

To Barnett, public diplomacy is like advertising America. It is responsible for promoting mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries, and American values and activities abroad. Barnett saw this as his opportunity to find purpose and serve his country.

Barnett’s day-to-day responsibilities involve educating people about America and our culture. He has given public speeches and held question-and-answer sessions about the environment, the United States and American life. He also participates in press outreach and review panels for exchange programs.

“It’s amazing how many misconceptions there are, so correcting them is a big job,” Barnett said. “I like to know that I’m making a difference and am helping to improve the U.S. image abroad one step at a time.”

Barnett suggested mass communication students think creatively when looking for career opportunities. “Mass communication has applications beyond the traditional areas we think of, like advertising, journalism and public relations,” Barnett said.

Google leads Alumnus to Foreign Diplomacy

She was considered for an interview by building a strong relationship and keeping in contact with the news director at YNN.

Tibbitts, who concentrated in journalism at Iona, is the associate producer at YNN responsible for researching and writing the stories and scripts anchors read on air. She is also familiar with working in the control room,

“My goal is to be a reporter and I am already taking the

steps I need to reach that goal.”

speaking to the anchors in studio or in the field as they read the stories.

Tibbitts often communicates with producers in Syracuse, the Hudson Valley and Binghamton, as anchors tape stories for different regions.

In late January she worked on the coverage of President Obama’s visit to the GE plant in Schenectady, NY. “It was amazing to see our coverage because we were really able to get him every stop of the way from when his plane landed at Albany International Airport to when it took off,” she said.

Tibbitts considers herself one of the lucky ones. “I honestly love what I do and I am so lucky that I was able to get a job just two months after graduation in my field,” she said.

Barnett in the diplomatic reception room at the State Department in Washington, DC