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$1 Million in Matching State Funding to add programming, modernize space and help address nursing shortage

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. (March 23, 2021) – Pace University is poised to transform Lienhard Hall, home to its College of Health Professions on the Pleasantville campus, into a modernized Healthcare Hub with the help of $1 million in state funding.

With these critical funds, Pace will add important programming for students preparing for careers in the region’s burgeoning healthcare and biotechnology sector while adding to, and modernizing, existing lab, classroom and simulation space -- all with the goal of meeting the ever-changing technology demands in the healthcare sector and preparing much needed nurses in New York State.

The grant, awarded as part of the New York State’s Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program (HECap), is intended to increase preparation, laboratories and facilities in health sciences throughout the state.

"The new Healthcare Hub on our Pleasantville campus will enable Pace University to continue our proud tradition of educating nurses and other health professionals in such high demand in our region," said Pace President Marvin Krislov. "I congratulate Pace's College of Health Professions on its successful application for a HECap grant. I thank all our partners in the New York S​tate government for this crucial funding, and I'm excited for our future CHP students, who will benefit from the state-of-the-art labs and learning spaces in the new Healthcare Hub."

The goal is to help address a growing shortage of qualified nurses throughout the region, state, and country that was highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is expected to grow as demand only increases in the field. Additionally, it’s estimated that as many as 75,000 qualified students were turned away from undergraduate and graduate programs in the U.S. in 2018 because of insufficient space, clinical sites, and faculty, according to an American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s report.

“We are profoundly grateful to have the opportunity to expand our state of the art Center for Excellence in Healthcare Simulation to accommodate more students to address the growing shortage of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing faculty,” said Dr. Harriet R. Feldman, dean and professor at the College of Health Professions and the Lienhard School of Nursing at Pace University. “The new Healthcare Hub will also provide educational space for active learning, vital to what today’s students need in nursing and allied health professions.”

Lienhard Hall is the heart of the College of Health Professions; it was constructed in 1968 and is home to CHP’s simulation labs, practical exam rooms, lecture hall and faculty and administrative offices. The new Healthcare Hub will allow Pace to expand capacity to educate greater numbers of pre-licensure and advanced practice nurses, as well as future faculty and nursing leaders. The Hub will also allow CHP to develop additional simulation space with high fidelity equipment, telehealth simulation capability, and advanced information technology that will support and enhance the student learning experience.

For nursing student Brandon Joachim, the new Healthcare Hub will be a great asset and learning space for students at Pace.

“I've learned and grown from the number of hands-on experiences Pace has offered from so early in the curriculum,” said Joachim, a senior. “I believe the addition of the new Healthcare Hub will be a tremendous and safe place to encourage, facilitate and foster our growth. I’m truly excited to see it elevate the Pace experience and the Nursing program to the next level.”

The state grant to Pace is part of $57.2 million provided to 35 colleges and universities across New York State. All recipients must invest $3 for every $1 the state provides.

“These state investments in higher ed capital projects are smart growth job creating engines that will benefit our communities for years to come,” said Sen. Pete Harckham.

About Pace University

Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique program that combines rigorous academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides. From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, Pace has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines: arts, sciences, business, health care, technology, law, education, and more. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country. Pace has a signature, newly renovated campus in New York City, located in the heart of vibrant Lower Manhattan, next to Wall Street and City Hall, and two campuses in Westchester County, New York: a 200-acre picturesque Pleasantville Campus and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains. Follow us on Twitter or on the Pace News website.

About the College of Health Professions

Established in 2010, the College of Health Professions at Pace University offers a broad range of programs at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels. It is the College’s goal to create innovative and complex programs that reflect the changing landscape of the health care system. These programs are designed to prepare graduates for impactful careers in health care practice, health-related research, or as educators, and equip graduates to work in health policy and global health fields. Students in clinical programs receive hands-on training in the College’s interprofessional Center for Excellence in Healthcare Simulation and have the opportunity to apply their developing skills in real-world settings at many of the regions' leading clinical facilities. The College is currently comprised of several growing and important areas of study, which include Nursing, Physician Assistant, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Nutrition and Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, and Health Science. Our vision is to be recognized for our innovative leadership in education, practice, scholarship, and service to improve health and the health professions. Our mission is to educate and challenge diverse students for the health professions to be leaders, innovators and lifelong learners who will positively impact local, national, and global health. For more information, please visit the College of Health Professions website and the Lienhard School of Nursing website.

New York has one of the largest international populations in the country and Pace University, home to 1,259 international students representing 100 countries, offers its students various programs to help them transition linguistically, academically, socially, and culturally to American university life.

One of the University’s newest programs, the Pace Global Pathways Program started in the summer of 2012 with six students and has grown to 175 students in fall 2013, combining academic coursework with advanced English language training to help international students integrate smoothly and successfully into an undergraduate or graduate program.

Dyson Biochemistry major and Italian transplant Michael Zini ’17 was one of the first set of students to benefit from the bridge program and matriculate in 2012.

“It was very helpful. It helps you transition between international high school to American college,” he adds, “Everyone was always very helpful and available for any concerns or questions. Thanks to Global Pathways, I know basic and fundamental things that are not taught in college.”

Zini was so successful in the program that he’s also a top candidate for a future Global Pathways peer mentoring program, where he would pass his knowledge on to other international students.

Currently, Zini is giving back to fellow international students and helping the University, working as a student assistant in the international admissions office, where he responds to queries from international students on the application process.

“I’ve been through the same process, so I can help them out,” he says. “I have interviews with Italian students and I get to explain to them in my native language.”

Zini isn’t just knowledgeable about Pace and its pride points, but believes in them, selecting the University for its academics and location.

“Pace statistics speak for themselves. Regarding economic or business majors, Pace University is just the top of the class. This is one of the reasons I chose Pace,” he says. “Secondly, I have always been in love with NYC...the calm chaos, the tranquility of its parks, all those cool little streets with small but delicious burger bars, the quiet cafes, all the different styles mixed together...You definitely never get bored in this city.”

Zini’s taking full advantage of his American experience, exploring beyond the bright lights of New York City to the Northern Lights during a trip he took to Alaska, where booked a flight and explored the state…al fresco.

“I always wanted to go to Alaska and I figured if I don’t do it now, I might not get the chance again,” he says. “I got to visit the Arctic Circle signs, I saw bears, and the coolest thing I did was see the Aurora Borealis [the Northern Lights].”

Zini hopes to continue exploring the United States and, ultimately, make a permanent home here.

“America is where I think I belong,” he says. “I would like to become a citizen, start a family, and become a real American. Of course, I would love my parents to come over and transfer here once I am settled down. They have always encouraged my dreams and my passions so it would be the least I can do to pay them back somehow, starting from being a good student and a good person."

"Pace kind of found me, in a way," says political science and women’s and gender studies double major Marianelli "Nelli" Agbulos ’17, who discovered Pace at the last minute while applying to colleges. Now the anti-trafficking activist and social media savvy student is combining all her passions to make the world a better place, one connection at a time.

Agbulos remembers the defining moment that inspired her to take on politics at Pace before she even arrived on campus. "I almost applied as an art major, but then I changed my mind because I had this encounter with a homeless man, which kind of changed my perspective on everything," she says. "Back home in Vancouver, I was thinking more about the system and how the government helps the homeless people. I had this epiphany and then I changed my application and I rewrote my application essay."

Since then, her political focus has shifted toward ending human trafficking, with a strong emphasis on using social media and people power in the non-profit sector to make it happen. She currently blogs for The Anti-Trafficking Independence Project, which she co-founded with accounting student Eli Alexander to document their journey of creating an anti-trafficking non-profit organization. On campus, the Pforzheimer Honors College student has been involved in organizations like Generation Citizen at Pace as outreach director, The Honors Herald as editor-in-chief, and more, including the Pace NYC Model United Nations Team.

Recently, Agbulos had a chance to participate in what she calls "a pinch me moment" by representing Oxfam International at the 2014 National Model United Nations Conference in New York City, where she won an Outstanding Position Paper Award. As a career goal, Agbulos hopes to one day work for the UN in some capacity and says her experience at the conference affirmed her desire to pursue the non-profit sector.

"Being in the place where future policy is made and having global leaders come together and discuss the world’s state; being with other students who are just as passionate about these issues we’ve been talking about for the whole conference, besides being eye-opening, was also a wake-me-up moment," she says. "It was a reminder that that’s how changing the world really starts—getting people together."

And getting people together is what Agbulos is all about. She’s been using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram avidly since their creation to share stories and narratives that unite people from all over. She even helps bridge the gap between companies and their clients by managing social media accounts for Smitten Creative Services, a PR/media company she co-founded with fellow Pace student Bianca Marie Carpio to assist organizations with everything from event planning to press release writing. "I just like seeing people connected, seeing stories come to life, and having people realize that, yeah, you may not know that person in-person, but online, you can still make that connection," says Agbulos.

While she may be entering a busy junior year, Agbulos looks forward to a new role she’s taken on as a journalism fellow for the Shine Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting survivors of domestic violence, poverty, and human trafficking achieve self-sufficiency through integrative action against abuse. She’s also looking forward to participating in the BA/MPA dual degree program that will allow her to graduate in 2017 with an MPA concentrated in the non-profit sector, and praises the Pace Community for inspiring and encouraging her along the way.

"I remember reading about students like Jacqueline Kelleher and Damon and Jo, and meeting them in-person and talking to them in-person. It was like a superstar moment. I call them my Pace celebrities."

Pace student De’Ja Cox ’17 is all about making the most of a situation. “I was at Pace’s Career Services Center within the first month because I really wanted to take full advantage of the college experience. I always felt that I had to build my life, and the only way to do that was to put myself out there, starting with the resources at Pace,” she said; since that day, she’s kept a 3.5 GPA while pursuing a double major in language, culture, and world trade and French, with a minor in political science. And if you expected that to be only the beginning of what Cox has done at Pace since she arrived, you’re right.

Cox also serves as the president of Be The Change, and holds the position of Board member of Pace University’s Women’s Empowerment Network (WEN), as well as serving as a WEN mentor. She is also the secretary of Pace’s Black Student Union in NYC, is one of six Pace students publishing an alternative student newspaper dedicated to innovation, contextual reflection, authenticity, and creativity called The Underground, and—on top of all of that—works part-time in the Office of International Programs and Services as a student assistant, and has applied to be an Orientation Leader. But she’s been especially excited about the ongoing city-wide collaborations that the Black Student Union is negotiating.

“So far, we’ve built great connections with Brooklyn College and their poetry team which has really grown into a mutually supportive and rewarding relationship,” she said, with an eye to the future. She hopes that the Black Student Union will be able to create similar relationships with other New York City colleges and universities.

But even with her great ambitions, Pace has helped Cox realize what her limits are, and to take care of herself first. “I’m a very ambitious person, but I want to be everywhere—and I’m realizing you can’t be everywhere and eat, and get the proper amount of sleep, so, you have to do what you need to keep yourself balanced.” She’s taken advantage of the Counseling Center’s stress management workshops and it’s been a great help to her as she continues to involve herself at Pace.

Cox has been greatly rewarded for her efforts; she was sponsored by current senior Diana Mendez ’15 and by Sue Maxam, EdD, the current assistant vice president of undergraduate education, to represent Pace University at the International Young Leaders Assembly hosted at the United Nations, as well as the Global Peace Foundation’s Conference for American Renewal in Arlington, Virginia, this year. Visiting the UN for the conference was one of her favorite moments brought about through connections with Pace.

“It was a great experience just being there, dressing up, and meeting some of the panelists and hearing what they had to say about being a young leader and about what it means to be an active global citizen,” she says.

Cox has some sage advice for incoming students or ones who haven’t been involved on campus before: Look inward before you look outward towards what you want to do. “Try to analyze yourself, and really, thoroughly define for yourself your core values. You can go from there and get involved—talk to a favorite professor, or a staff member in one of your departments to see what opportunities are available to you. Or do research—conduct informational interviews with executives in fields you’re interested in. We’re in New York, so take advantage of it, and get yourself out there as soon as possible, because there’s a lot of competition.”

As for her own future, Cox currently interns for best-selling author Carole Hyatt, an executive career development expert who founded MISSION: Getting To Next, an organization that runs quarterly workshops for military women transitioning to a civilian career. Cox hopes to get a summer internship with Viacom, BET, or the World Trade Center; she is also considering applying for a Fulbright—or graduate school at Columbia. But she has her priorities in check. “I’m still learning that it’s ok to take a breath sometimes. But I think my chances for making it through this semester on top and alive are high!”

Matthew Champagne ’17 isn’t your run of the mill college student. In addition to excelling in the classroom, the history and theater directing double major and classics minor is heavily involved in a growing non-profit organization called Eagle Project, whose mission is to draw upon the performing arts to explore and better understand the American identity through our Native American heritage.

Champagne was able to connect with Eagle Project and Ryan Pierce, Eagle Project’s founder, during his freshman year through a recommendation from PPA professor, alumna, and mentor Ashley Marinaccio. From there, Champagne’s involvement really took off.

“I started doing various little projects—redesigning their website, and I initially took over all the social media in order to broaden the fanbase,” says Champagne. “Based on the work that I was doing, Ryan was like ‘do more,’ and was gracious enough to give me the title of associate artistic director.”

Now entering its fourth year, Eagle Project has put on three full-scale theater productions, including 2015’s Trail of Tears, a play by Thomas Soto that tells the devastating story of the Native American Removal Act and its unconscionable effects. Given that one of Eagle Project’s primary goals is to raise awareness and pay homage to the culture, customs, and history of North America’s indigenous tribes, Champagne is aiming to extend the influence of Eagle Project by establishing an educational branch.

“Ideally Eagle Project would be working with various institutions—museums, high schools, universities—where we’d be presenting on certain historical events that involve Native American culture and bringing in elements of performing arts,” says Champagne. “Eagle Project is something I would love to make my career out of.”

Among the long-term goals Champagne has on the horizon for Eagle Project include establishing a full post-colonial anthology of Native American plays, as well as a language center, where both novices and scholars alike would be able to immerse themselves in the hundreds of Native American languages our continent once held—nearly all of which have rapidly decreased in usage and/or are on the verge of extinction.

Through these efforts and the continuing production of plays, Champagne envisions Eagle Project developing into a major cultural institution for years to come. “We want to tell the history of America through literature and plays Eagle Project has produced,” says Champagne. “Most [Native American] culture, laws, dates thousands of years before Columbus. We still barely mention Native American history in schools.”

As for the progress both Champagne and Eagle Project have made thus far, he strongly credits the faculty and environment he’s been a part of at Pace, who helped him acquire necessary skills as well as think critically in real-world settings.

“[The Performing Arts Department] is absolutely incredible. It’s why I came to Pace,” says Champagne. “[I’ve learned] how to look at the world and critically think about it as opposed to accepting the way the world is now. We are so ingrained, we blindly accept. That’s what Pace has taught me. How to question, to think rationally, and listen to people and what they need as opposed to thinking [about] what I need.”

Swimming, soccer, diving, and horseback riding. Carolyn Phillips ’17 has tried them all in pursuit of becoming an Olympic athlete, a dream of hers since childhood. Unfortunately, Phillips admits that those talents never quite took off; so instead, she found an alternative way to get into the Games: her career.

An active member of the Pace Community, Phillips keeps her schedule packed as a volunteer, blogger, and a leader in the Pforzheimer Honors College, where she has served as president of the Honors Council, editor-in-chief of its award-winning newsletter, a peer leader, and a student aide, just to name a few—all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA in political science with a triple minor in history, management, and nonprofit studies. While most students might stop to take a breath after all of that on a day-to-day basis, Phillips continues on to a place where she’s able to combine all of her skills, interests, and passions for a cause she believes in.

Since spring 2015, Phillips has worked at Special Olympics New York, the largest chapter of Special Olympics in North America and the sixth largest in the world. As a development and special projects intern, she helps grow partnerships and support for the chapter’s events and initiatives, and meets inspirational athletes along the way. Thanks to a supervisor there, Phillips had the opportunity this summer to volunteer at the Special Olympics World Games, hosted in the same Los Angeles arena as two other Olympic Games in the past.

Expected to be the largest humanitarian and sports event of 2015, the World Games brought Phillips together with more than 500,000 spectators, athletes, coaches, and volunteers from nearly 170 countries—including First Lady Michelle Obama; Olympians Michael Phelps, Michelle Kwan, Nadia Comăneci, and Greg Louganis; and restauranteur and inspirational speaker Tim Harris for the Opening Ceremony and Flame of Hope cauldron-lighting.

Not surprisingly, Phillips says the Opening Ceremony was one of the most moving experiences of her time there. “It’s kind of perfect that the flame is called the ‘Flame of Hope,’ because everything about Special Olympics is hope-based,” she says. “The fact that the Flame of Hope went into the same place where the 1984 and 1932 Olympics were held, and they lit the same cauldron and had the same torch means that the Special Olympics, the Olympics, and the Paralympics all require the same amount of ability.”

Volunteering as a Fan Zone attendant, Phillips’ responsibilities during the Games included checking in athletes, coaches, and spectator groups, and distributing Special Olympics pins to guests, which is a unique tradition at all Olympic Games. “People bring pins from their home countries or their state and then they trade them at the Games,” she explains.

Stocked with Special Olympics pins from her supervisor in New York, Phillips set out to meet and trade with athletes and fans alike. One of her favorite pins she collected is from the 1996 Athens Olympics, which she received from an Olympic historian who’s been to 15 Games. “I actually went to the 1996 Athens Games; I was one-year-old. My parents remember it and they also have pins from 1996, so that was cool,” she says.

In addition to making meaningful connections with people from across the globe, Phillips had the chance to cheer on familiar faces that she’d seen train and compete in the months leading up to the Games. Her experience came full circle in the Team USA stands as she rooted for Special Olympics New York athletes with strangers who shared her pride and support.

“Volunteering at the Special Olympics World Games changed my life,” she says, “by showing me how big the world really is, how much more I want to do and see, how much I love helping and interacting with people, and how inspiring the human spirit can be.”

Though the Special Olympics World Games have concluded, Phillips’ work and motivation are hardly winding down. She’s already attended and assisted at Special Olympics New York Fall State Games and other regional games through her internship; she has been recognized by the Pace Community as a leader in public service with a Jefferson Award Bronze Medal; and has even met and interviewed Olympic diver Greg Louganis for her blog “The Olympics of Blogs.”

But of all the gold medal experiences Phillips has had since the start of her internship, there’s one more that’s still on the horizon: Rio 2016. With tickets to seven events already, and—you guessed it—a volunteering position secured, Phillips will attend her first Olympic Games since 1996. “I am ready to see what I have dreamed about for so long.”

While most undergraduates come to Pace to jumpstart their careers, Brianna Gentilella ’17, studying for her BFA in Acting, has been a working actor and singer since childhood, boasting a wide range of stage, TV, and film roles. You might have already heard her voice over the past decade; since age nine, Brianna has been the singing and speaking voice of Molly on Nickelodeon’s Bubble Guppies—an animated children’s series featuring the adventures of a group of preschool merpeople in the underwater city of Bubbletucky. “It’s some of my favorite voice work to date,” says Gentilella. For the series’ birthday telephone line, she recited over a thousand children’s names, wishing them happy birthday. “It was a four-and-a-half-hour recording session,” she says, “but it was fun.”

Speaking with her, it’s not hard to see why she would be perfect for roles in children’s series: she has a bright, expressive, bubbly voice that kids would love. It has won her voice work in commercials as the Charmin bear, as well as a spot on the original cast of the Broadway production of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. At the same time, sounding young can sometimes be an obstacle for an actor—and that’s one of the ways that her time at Pace has helped her develop. “My teachers have been great in helping me transition between my young voice and my adult voice as I move into more mature work,” she explains, crediting mentors such as PPA professors Lester Shane and Grant Kretchik, among others.

Why did she decide to enroll at Pace? Fellow students might be able to relate: part of it was due to her mother’s encouragement. “She convinced me that education is really important,” Gentilella explains. “So I definitely wanted an education along with pursuing my acting career, and Pace allows for me to have both in my life.”

That doesn’t mean it’s always easy for her. Taking 17 to 18 credits per semester, she admits that Pace keeps her very busy, and sometimes a recording session forces her to miss class. Still, she doesn’t mind the hustle. “I love to stay busy and active,” she says. “I’ve learned a lot—like relaxation techniques for nerves, different acting techniques, and better understanding my body. It’s made me much more confident in my own work. It totally pays off in the end.”

She continues to do all kinds of work while earning her degree, including roles in Pace productions such as the recent Runaways at the Schaeberle Theater. “It was great,” she says. “I got to work with a lot of musical theater majors, and they were fun. I love meeting new people, whether they’re MFA, BA, musical theater, dance, all of that.” Recently she even sang the National Anthem at a Knicks game. She recalls practicing in the dressing room, in the car on the way to the stadium, and into a live mic while the players were warming up on the court. “It’s a difficult three-octave song, and I’d never done anything like it before. But it was really fun. Everyone was really encouraging, and it was thrilling. I’d love to do it again.”

What does the future hold for Gentilella? After graduation, she plans to continue to pursue her acting career. “Film, TV, stage—all that jazz,” she says. “Hopefully, I’ll be shooting on a TV show or getting back to Broadway.” For now, however, she sees herself being cast in more Pace productions and refining her abilities as an actor. “My teachers are challenging me to find my own voice. There’s a growing maturity that you experience in college, and Pace is a great place for young actors to explore, mature, and experiment.”

From leading the Student Government Association as executive president to completing a rigorous management program at Harvard Business School, Marc Rinosa ’17 lives by the mission Pace University prides itself on—Opportunitas.

Pace has taught me that Opportunitas—opportunity for all—means to never discount yourself,” Rinosa says. “Know that you are worth it and you can really achieve anything you set your mind to. It doesn’t matter where you are from or who you are—what matters is what you bring to the table and believing in what you've brought.”

When the business economics major arrived on the bustling New York City Campus in 2013, he said he was immediately drawn to the contagious energy of students exploring their passions—in Rinosa’s case, his commitment to landing a career in management consulting.

After doing research on how he could best prepare himself for achieving his dream job, Rinosa realized many management consulting companies did not recruit at Pace, but rather at Ivy League and other prestigious universities.

“At the time, I was hurt and I couldn't believe it, but I thought instead of complaining about it, I'm going to do something about it,” he says. “I want to not only be one of the first undergraduates to work at a consulting firm from Pace, but I also want to bring students with me and increase the reputation of recruits not necessarily coming from Ivy League or so called ‘elite’ schools.”

He took it upon himself to start on the path toward consulting by getting involved on campus and being directly responsible for representing student interests and solving campus issues. He joined the NYC Campus Student Government Association (SGA) during his sophomore year, quickly climbing the ranks from an adviser on the Budget Allocations Committee (BAC), to the student body president of the Dyson College of the Arts and Sciences, to his current position of executive president of SGA.

As executive president, he sits on several larger University committees with faculty and members of the Board of Trustees including the New York City Cabinet that discusses the state of the NYC Campus; the Presidential Search Committee that is searching for the next University president, and the New York City Master Plan Committee overseeing the future of on-campus improvements.

In addition to student government, Rinosa is active in the LGBTQA and Social Justice Center and Career Services, trying to establish recruitment channels for underrepresented minorities and groups on campus.

“I've had the great privilege of being one of the first students to attend many diversity conferences in places like Chicago and New York,” Rinosa says. “They connect you with recruiters that are specifically looking for a way to cast a net on a diverse pool of applicants. My goal is to increase visibility and accessibility to help as many students as possible achieve their dreams just as I have.”

At his internship at NERA Economic Consulting over the summer, Rinosa says he was surrounded by students who attended universities such as Yale, Swarthmore, and Barnard, and he was just as successful as they were.

“I realized at NERA that it doesn’t really matter what school you went to—what matters is how motivated you are,” he says. “I'm challenging that convention that you have to come from a conventional background—that you have to be a certain race, gender, or sexual orientation. I'm trying to redefine that you don't have to be from a cookie-cutter background, because an organization performs better when its members are diverse.”

Rinosa credits a large part of his self-confidence to his participation in the Summer Venture in Management Program that he attended at Harvard Business School. In what he calls a “life-changing” experience, he worked on 14 case discussions and learned from a professor who taught LL Cool J and Channing Tatum, and personally knows Beyoncé. He says one of the biggest highlights of his experience was when another professor surprised the class with an executive from Nickelodeon—the subject of one cases he had read the night before.

“No one raises their hand at Harvard Business School—they cold call you in class,” Rinosa says. “I was extremely anxious the night before and nervous during the first class, but by the end of the week I was eager to participate and continue the conversation. It was a crash course on confidence and taught me that my opinion mattered most when I actually believed it myself.”

While maintaining his recruitment strategies and extracurricular activities, Rinosa says he is applying to and interviewing with consulting firms located across the country, from his hometown of Houston, Texas, to San Francisco, and other destinations in between.

While maintaining his recruitment strategies and extracurricular activities, Rinosa says he is interviewing with consulting firms located across the country from his hometown of Houston, Texas and beyond, and he has already received his first offer.

“My objective is to leave Pace knowing that I have accomplished everything I’ve wanted to, closed all the loops with people I’ve met, and left a legacy with students in the same vision of Opportunitas and this year’s Convocation theme of Get Grit—that you have to stay persistent and determined to get through any obstacle to achieve your goals and dreams.”