Dyson Employee to Give Daughter Diploma

Marie Kittelstad and Katherine Kittelstad

With Pace since 1999, Katherine Kittelstad is a Staff Assistant for Dyson’s Media and Communication Arts department on the Pleasantville campus. In a unique moment, Katherine will be handing her daughter, Marie, her diploma at the Westchester Commencement on Monday, May 22.

Says Katherine, “As parents, my husband and I are very proud to see Marie graduate. But it is an extra special honor to be presenting her with her diploma on this special day.”

An outstanding student with a 3.66 QPA, Marie has been awarded the Media and Communication Arts Award for excellence in the study of communications. Speaking of her time at Pace, Marie says, “I had two wonderful experiences that I will never forget. The first was my summer internship at MasterCard International. When that ended, I studied abroad in Ireland the following semester. When I returned to the US in January, MasterCard hired me part time while I finished college.”

A bright future.
Upon graduation, Marie will begin her new position with Weber Shandwick, the world’s largest public relations agency. She credits her internship experience at MasterCard for being hired at a higher-than-entry level position. “I was told that because of my two years experience at MasterCard, I will be starting not as an account coordinator, but as an assistant account executive,” she says. “I cannot wait to start my first day at Weber and accept all the challenges that this new journey brings.”

She credits her course work at Pace for preparing her well to embark upon a career in public relations. Marie says, “Communications teaches you writing skills, speaking skills, thinking skills, skills that foster creativity, and more.”

Marie says, “I owe a huge part of my future successes to Pace,” where she hopes to return to campus to help mentor undergraduates in the major.