Hawks HOP to New York City
Nearly 40 students had an opportunity to meet with Hartwick alumni from a variety of fields in late March during a two-day Hawk Career “HOP” trip to New York City. The Hartwick Career HOP connects current students with alumni in a real-world setting, providing opportunities to network, learn about career options, and experience life on the job.
On a Thursday afternoon, students, faculty, and staff bussed to Manhattan and spent the rest of the evening preparing for the next day’s events. The next morning, four teams fanned out to meet alumni hosts at several organizations across Manhattan.
The students spent the morning in good hands, with these prestigious alumni welcoming the current Hawks into their workplaces:
- Paul Danforth ’93 – President of Creative Artists Agency Sports (CAA)
- Trustee Mary Pat Lindsley ’86 – Regional Director of Sales at AbbVie
- Adam Mitchinson ’07 – Head of Talent Management for the National Basketball Association (NBA)
- Susan Warner ’84 – Global head of Talent and Community Engagement for Mastercard, founder of Girls 4Tech, and former Hartwick College trustee.
By late morning, the groups made their way back to the hotel for an afternoon roundtable session with even more alumni. Adam Abreu ’17; Thomas (TJ) Aroksaar ’22; John Doolittle ’80; Lawrence Greenman ’72; Elizabeth Grund ’91; Laureena Harris ’12; Amaranta Henriquez ’15; Thomas Holmgren ’13; Erica Lillo ’16; Meghan Luce ’14; Chase (Charles) O’Neill ’16; and Doug Stone ’83 took part. Nearly two hours of networking followed, and the level of engagement proved meaningful to the alumni; this was a unanimous sentiment offered during the post-session debriefing.
President Reisberg helped the afternoon transition into an early evening Regional Gathering, which melded dozens more alumni, family, and friends with the students for more networking. The venue, the Martinique Hotel ballroom, was filled with energy, powered by the President’s remarks. “This (HOP) experience exemplifies a fundamental element of FlightPath,” he said before providing updates on the current state of the College and his plans for the future.
As the coach headed back to campus on Saturday, the students had a chance to reflect on the whirlwind 48 hours that preceded. Made up mainly of sophomores, the group had various reasons for taking the trip.
Runyararo Chaora ’25, a mathematics and biochemistry major from Zimbabwe, attended “to get experience, hear about other people’s experiences, and to also make connections.”
Clearly, it worked.
“I think it was really great because it exceeded my expectations,” she said. “My eyes have been opened to different career options, and I’m excited.”
The alumni who helped deliver the experience will surely be glad to hear they made an impact.
