Scotty Stories

Today we chat with Melissa Bruner, a CMU alum with a BS in Biological Sciences AND an MS in Healthcare Policy and Management! This is a MUST LISTEN for anyone who has ever second-guessed their job qualifications, worried it’s “too late” to pivot their career path, or questioned their capability to navigate CMU’s intense academic culture. Melissa’s unconventional and inspiring path is the perfect remedy for anyone in need of a career pick-me-up! Note: The audio is a little rocky in the beginning, but stick with it – Melissa’s advice is worth it!

In this episode of Scotty Stories, we talk to Arjun Ramachandran who received his BS in International Relations & Politics from CMU. As a former Tartan early in his career journey, Arjun has already made an impact in the world of international relations and development. Learn how his incredible involvement on campus at CMU positively influenced his future in politics and how he is already making the world a better place.

On this episode of Scotty Stories, we connect with former CMU student and athlete Kelly Cronin. We nerd out about structural engineering, dive into the architecture of our favorite cities and recount the close-knit CivE class culture here at CMU. Learn about her experience and views on the future of civil engineering. Note: She landed an internship after attending a career fair, kickstarting her own future!

In this episode of Scotty Stories, we talk to Lisa Masciantonio, Chief Workforce Officer at the ARM Institute (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing).

Lisa both worked and received her Master’s at CMU’s Software Engineering Institute. After working on some of the biggest projects at SEI, Isaca and the Department of Defense, Lisa is now at the ARM Institute where she drives the national strategy to prepare, empower and train U.S. manufacturing workers to work with robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). Learn how she navigates the new innovative field of AI/robotics within manufacturing. Her insight is invaluable and her take on the future of tech careers is something students need to hear!

Today we talk to CMU graduate and developer Abhi Jain. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon in 2010, he hopped straight into the workforce, moving across the country for his career and family. Overcoming his fear of the unknown has driven him to success and he stresses the importance of asking for help. Abhi values his personal work-life balance and gives us tips on how he manages all aspects of life. Abhi has especially relevant advice for international students looking to find careers in the U.S., so don’t miss out on this episode!

Learn how Sirine navigated as a student from CMU (Qatar campus!) into her current role in global business travel. Sirine talks about the importance of getting involved as much as possible on campus and in the community. She also discusses her healthy lifestyle and how it is of utmost importance in managing her work/life balance.

In today's special episode of Scotty Stories, we interview Andrea Francioni Rooney, the Director of Undergraduate Programs with the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University. EVERYONE can learn something from this episode! Listen to Andrea discuss her career path from a CMU student to staff member, providing us with INVALUABLE advice and insight as someone who has "been there, done that." Andrea gives us her tried-and-tested "recipe" for success as a CMU student. Download/bookmark this episode - it's a keeper and you'll want to come back to it!

In today’s Scotty Stories episode, we talk to Henry Attaway, a Director at Propeller who received his MA in Music from CMU.  Listen to Henry’s fascinating journey from euphonium musician to arts administration to management consulting! Learn how Henry secured opportunities outside of the traditional musician’s career path and absorb all the wonderful advice Henry gives us – especially the “commitment before know-how” explanation towards the end of the episode! 

Today's Scotty Stories episode features Lara Catledge Reedick, a Carnegie Mellon University alum with a BA in Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing. Lara has a super impressive career rising up the ranks in enterprise software development. LISTEN TO THIS INTERVIEW no matter what field you are in or pursuing! Lara gives us invaluable advice and life tips! Pay special attention to the 26:47 time stamp and REMEMBER THIS ADVICE as you embark on your own career journey!

In this interivew, we talk to Manny Vallarino, a 2020 Carnegie Mellon University graduate with an MS in Entertainment Industry Management. Manny wears SO many hats such as musician, comedian, businessman, writer, linguist, accountant, presenter.... and bike rider! His remarkable creativity, passion, and energy knows no bounds! Manny discusses his creative process; how health, positivity, and balance are of utmost importance; how he receives and embraces constructive feedback, etc. If you are interested in doing ANYTHING creative in your career, this is truly an interview you don't want to miss! #carnegiemellon #arts #business #creativeindustries 

Today we talk to Robert F. Byrne, a Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business alum with an MBA in Operations Research ('84) and an MS in Finance ('93). Robert has a remarkable career history that includes his role as the Founder/Former CEO of Terra Technology (now known as e2open), a company that created software systems to help organizations better manage their supply chain and inventory. In addition to recapping his career milestones, Robert talks about taking EIGHTEEN work trips to Europe in one year and how this led to his need for a better work/life balance!

On today's episode of Scotty Stories, we talk to Susan Klein, CMU alum (Major > Theater Directing) and now Executive Coach. Susan discusses why she went into theater, how important passion is when deciding your life path, and using your innate skills to propel your own career story!

On today's episode of Scotty Stories, we talk to CMU alum John DeRiggi. Listen AND watch him discuss his super successful career path in a competitive industry working for companies like Marvel, Legendary Pictures, Disney/Pixar, Schell Games, Oculus VR and much more! You can watch the full episode on YouTube too: https://youtu.be/NNNewPhStEM

On today's episode of Scotty Stories, we talk to Yen-Ming Chen, CMU alum and now a Senior Manager at Apple. Listen to him discuss his impressive career and how he spends his days securing enterprises and building better cloud services that ultimately make products more trustworthy for the customer!

On today's episode of Scotty Stories, we talk to Ronjan Sikdar about his career in the world of Data Analytics. As a former CMU student and current self-proclaimed stats nerd and video game aficionado, learn about Ronjan's impressive career journey and how he currently gets paid to do what he loves!

This podcast episode features Brian Belowich, the Facilities & Lab Engineer within the CEE department. Listen to Brian discuss his interesting path to career “fulfillment” through various titles like CMU swimmer/student, high school physics teacher, CMU faculty, and more! 

In this episode, we meet Sid Viswanathan, the Co-Founder and President of Truepill, and a Class of 2006 Mechanical Engineering graduate! We talk about finding what satisfies you within and beyond the requirements of your degree, discovering entrepreneurship, and how the strength of the Carnegie Mellon network can help you succeed. Sid offers a relatable voice to all STEM students at CMU (it turns out Thermodynamics classes have been and will be antagonizing young engineers forever). At the same time, Sid provides inspiration and insight to anyone who aspires to a role within the Bay Area startup ecosystem. You don’t want to miss this one!

This episode of Scotty Stories introduces us to Sandhya Pillalamarri, an HCI grad with experience in fields ranging from fin tech to healthcare. Sandhya shares her fascinating journey to Pittsburgh and CMU from Arizona, and how she followed her passion in HCI after finishing her education. Through her eyes, we view the authenticity of Pittsburgh, the camaraderie of CMU, and what HCI and user experience means. Sandhya advises us to completely live in the moment, even those moments spent in a Wean Hall classroom!

In this episode, we’re introduced to Christopher Peter Makris, AKA CPM. Graduating from CMU with a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics and a Master’s degree in Statistical Practice, this Dietrich alum shares his journey from overloading CMU student to Executive Director of the MSP Program, to his current role as Lead Data Scientist at Dataiku. Listen as CPM talks about dancing, drive, and how he takes steps to balance his very busy life.

In this episode, we meet Amy Quispe, digital services expert and SCS graduate! We learn about Amy’s ceaseless drive to make the world better as a computer scientist, starting at CMU. Whether by expanding the Pausch Bridge into Purnell, running for Undergraduate Senate, or creating CMU’s groundbreaking (and constantly evolving) Scotty Labs, Amy is all about people-focused engineering. Tune into this episode to follow Amy’s journey from Pittsburgh to Silicon Valley to New York (and, briefly, Buckingham Palace!)

In this episode, we meet Alex DiClaudio who, with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master of Arts Management, has served as a film, television and theater producer, the president and CEO of a tech start-up, and the former President of the Carnegie Mellon Alumni Association. This former President of Scotch’n’Soda Theatre also produces the popular web series Pittsburgh Dad. Listen as Alex talks about the importance of saying yes (without being afraid of the word “no”), being a geek with a sense of optimistic adventurism, and the classic CMU trope of being passionate about many things at once.

This episode features BXA graduate Joanna Lovering, an entrepreneur and the CEO of Copper + Rise. Joanna opens up about stumbling through that first job, and then creating a career from her passions that allows her to be in charge of herself, while uplifting other women in corporate America as an executive presence coach. Listeners will also relate to Joanna’s stories, whether about being a loud, confident Italian woman, Playfair at O-Week, or being deep within your feelings to the sound of John Mayer.

In this episode, we talk to  Leslie Robertson, Vice President of Software Development at Oracle.

Emily Kennedy is the President and founder of Marinus Analytics, a social impact company that uses artificial intelligence to fight human trafficking.

Jeremy Toeman is the Chief Product Officer in the Warner Media Innovation Lab. 

Sammie Walker Herrera is a Career Coach at the University of Florida.

Shauna Grovell is the founder of the Customer Experience Unleashed, a consulting firm focused on solving difficult business challenges and guiding clients towards creating a more inclusive and diverse environment.

Nate Durika is a longtime military intelligence officer with the US Navy.

Elyssa Maxx Goodman is a New York-based writer and photographer specializing in non-fiction writing and documentary photography.

Noelle Conover is the Executive Director and co-founder of Matt's Maker Space, a non-profit organization created to inspire a new generation of creative and experiential learners through STEAM-focused programming.