Some Advice from a CURCA
Alumnus
Devin Rigolino, recent graduate
from Siena, currently works as a Stewardship Coordinator at Saratoga P.L.A.N.
Devin is grateful for his experiences with undergraduate research because it
helped him develop valuable skills and connections which assisted him in his
search for a job after college. While at Siena, Devin was highly involved in
CURCA. Throughout his time at Siena, he participated in several different
research opportunities, worked with several faculty members, as well as
participated in several internships and independent study courses. Under the
Environmental Studies Department, he spent time working with Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) as part of an ongoing research project taking place
within the Kromma Kill Watershed, the very watershed that Siena College lies
in. He also conducted research under the Department of Chemistry doing analyses
where he tested soil samples for traces of heavy metal contaminants. During his
senior year at Siena he also spent time working as an intern for the New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation at the Wildlife Resource Center,
and co-authored an interpretive text for an international herpetology
conservation organization. He also worked on a GIS mapping project for a member
of the Biology faculty, which was of joint interest between two conservation
organizations, one of which is now his employer.
Devin
believes that engaging in research is “a great opportunity to begin the
transition from traditional classroom learning to working in a professional
setting at your first job. The skills that you take away really help prepare
you for life after college, and more often than not, during these research
opportunities and internships you will network and meet people who will be able
to help you achieve your goals”. Devin presented his GIS mapping results off
campus to representatives from Saratoga PLAN, the principle land trust serving
Saratoga County. Here was where he was able to begin making connections that
ultimately led him to joining PLAN full-time.
According to Devin, “Networking
and meeting people within your field of study cannot be emphasized enough”. The
contacts he made during his time with CURCA not only served as references
during his job hunt, but many of these contacts also helped bring job
opportunities to his attention. The faculty members that he had the opportunity
to work closely with at Siena have served as major assets in getting him to
where he is today. Strengthening relationships with these professors played an
important role in his undergraduate experience.
In his
current job, Devin says that his research helped him gain time management and
organizational skills. It has helped him prepare for his current role in his
company and believes undergraduate research will help prepare anyone as they
transition into their careers.
Devin’s advice to current students
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College can be very comfortable
if you allow it to be. It is very easy to just go to class, fill your CAPP
report and let your four years fly by. My advice to anyone looking to get
into graduate school or wanting to obtain a job within their field of study
would be to engage in as many opportunities as possible, and if none appear
to you, seek them out or create them.
There
are colleges and universities all over the county cranking out fresh batches
of graduates every year, and the only way to stand out from the crowd is to
make you as experienced as possible. Not every academic institution offers
research opportunities to its undergraduate students; Siena is special in
this sense, so take advantage of it!
Devin Rigolino ‘13
Stewardship
Coordinator
Saratoga
P.L.A.N.
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