2024-25 SCM Mentoring Program Pairs Record 32 Students with Industry Leaders

The School of Communication and Media kicked off its 2024-25 Mentoring Program on September 12 as Montclair State University SCM students learned best practices about building their resume, searching for a job and interviewing, and enhancing their social media presence.

Now it in its seventh year, the program has accelerated and enhanced the job search process for dozens of students, and better prepared them for the workforce through one-on-one meetings, mock interviews, networking advice, and resume and cover letter tips. This year’s program has paired a record 32 SCM majors with highly accomplished leaders in media, public relations, news, social media, marketing, production and creative roles across the country.

Many mentors and mentees met for the first time as part of a fun and energetic evening filled with serious advice and humorous anecdotes about career paths. “I was offered a job as a writer on a network sitcom called Homeboys in Outer Space, said Michael Price, a Montclair alumnus who joined the SCM Mentoring Program in its first year and is a longtime writer and executive producer for The Simpsons. “If you Google it, you’ll see it on the lists of ‘Worst Shows of All-Time,’ Price joked. “But it was fun and not a lot of people would’ve taken the job, they would have rather waited for Cheers or Seinfeld or something. I had a great time and met a lot of people who helped me get to where I am today. I always say, ‘Don’t turn your nose up at whatever your Homeboys in Outer Space is.'”

“Our Mentoring Program continues to be a huge success,” said Dr. Keith Strudler, Dean of the School of Communication and Media. “We are starting to see students who were in the program as mentees return to campus to mentor current students. We know we have a strong community of alumni and friends of our school who want to give back, so this program is a great way to give our top students every opportunity to succeed.”

This year’s mentee/mentor pairings are:

Dani Mazariegos with Al Prieto (ABC News, Montclair alumnus)

Emily McCormack with Kristen Bunk (Mick Management, Montclair alumna)

Will Robbins with Michael Price (The Simpsons, Montclair alumnus)

Nicole Passero with Omnika Thompson (NBCUniversal, friend of the program)

Lana Kalapodakis with Keith Cutler (KCMG Consulting, Montclair Professor)

Jordy Monegro-Ventura with Mike Banovic (Telemundo, Montclair alumnus)

Wyatt Lardieri with Bobby Melok (WWE, Montclair alumnus)

Jennifer Sanchez with Steven Vasquez (KXLY Broadcast Group, Montclair alumnus)

Luciana Martinez with Mike Claudio (Yahoo Finance, Montclair alumnus)

Isabella Alvarez with Chanila German (Walt Disney Company, Montclair alumna)

Joseph Cassio with Marquise Hansford (NBCU, Montclair alumnus)

Bryan Jaimes with Jason Olexa (Nickelodeon, friend of the program)

Jade Glassman with Sheyla Baez (MSNBC, Montclair alumna)

Abbie Griffin with Joe Gressis (Producer, Writer, Director; friend of the program)

Tim Gastal with Emma Kaptein (New York Giants, Montclair alumna)

Stephanie Twentyman with Rich Efrus (WHY Brands, Montclair alumnus)

Gillian Muldoon with Geoffrey Phelps (Coyne PR, Montclair alumnus)

Noah Pagella with Louis Biondolillo (NBC10 Philadelphia, Montclair alumnus)

Gina-Marie Zoccoli with Stevie Vallellanes (EmblemHealth, Montclair alumna)

Stephanie Pinos with Julia Higgins (Litzky PR, Montclair alumna)

Luke Ciriani with Lenny Santiago (FIFA, friend of the program)

Silvana Wilson with Giselle Huasipoma (Calvin Klein, Montclair alumna and Professor)

Demsi Ramirez with Alex Daus (NASCAR, Montclair alumnus)

Sal DiMaggio with Tim Scheld (Radio Executive, Montclair Professor)

Kaylee Seitz with Ciara Rolle-Harris (TikTok, Montclair alumnus)

Vincent Picone with Sean McChesney (SiriusXM, Montclair alumnus)

Victoria Smith with Gentrix Shanga (Video News Producer, Montclair alumna)

Sophia Lazaridis with Jasmine Amjad (NowThis, Montclair alumna)

Narendra Singh with Mike Mee (SpoonyVision Studios, Montclair alumnus)

Tiffany Sosa with Corey Annan (NJ.com, Montclair alumnus)

Ryan Tullio with Kris Chapman (Warner Bros. Discovery, Montclair alumna)

Paige Stewart with Stephanie Pitera (Business Insider, Montclair alumna)

The program was founded and is run by retired Montclair Professor Marc Rosenweig, with assistance from Professors Mark Effron and Keith Green.

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Students must apply to the prestigious program after receiving a nomination from a faculty or staff member during the spring semester, so if you are an underclassman, ask your professor about the program so they can keep you in mind for a possible nomination. For Montclair alumni or friends of the university who might be interested in participating in the program as a mentor, contact Professor Rosenweig for more info.

About the School of Communication and Media: The School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of more than 2,000. Offering degrees in film and television, social media and public relations, advertising, journalism and digital media, sports communication, communication and media studies, animation and visual effects, and an MA devoted to strategic communication, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. The School houses award-winning student programs that include WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper,  Hawk Communications Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, Hawk+ OTT streaming platform, and News Lab, as well as the Center for Cooperative Media, which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism. Student projects and programs have recently received national recognition from PRSSA’s Bateman Competition, an Edward R Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and a College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.