“I still value everything that I learned at Northeastern,” says Nick Casbarro, BHS’14, while reminiscing about his time on the university’s Boston campus. “What I definitely pulled from Northeastern was a love for the sciences, and a professional network that I’ve used more than anything else in my entire life.”
Casbarro, a resident of South Florida by way of Rhode Island, is no stranger to balance. While at Northeastern, he exceled in his classes in Bouvé’s prestigious physical therapy program. To build on his academics, he found time to excel in his co-op positions at New England Baptist Hospital and Harvard Health services, all while as an accomplished pole vaulter on the track and field team.
“I learned a lot of [balancing] skills at Northeastern, and it’s probably the biggest thing I learned during my time there,” he says with a proud, yet modest inflection.
After graduation, Casbarro pursued his love of the sciences and helping others by entering the medical sales field. Today, he travels around the country selling medical-grade fish skin to hospitals to help burn victims regenerate their own skin. However, to complement his left-brained passions in the medical field, Casbarro tunes into his right brain to satisfy his creative passion: writing. After “thousands of hours” of preparation and execution, Casbarro is set to release his debut science fiction novel, “Vitalerium: Descent into the Void,” this October.
“I’ve been interested in science fiction ever since I was a kid,” Casbarro shares. “Just going back to some of the greats of the genre like Huxley, Orwell, and Asimov, there’s a lot of value to dystopian science fiction. It’s almost like it’s foreseeing humanity’s potential missteps or pitfalls as we’re approaching uncharted waters.”
Casbarro’s book rings true to his inspirations. Set in the year 2701, this 600-page sci-fi epic explores a society centered around the discovery of vitalerium, a gravity-bending blue crystal.
Casbarro recalls the process of developing the story, sharing tales of writing chapters on seemingly perpetual flights and jumping out of the shower to give life to a new character. However, one of the most important aspects that helped him cross the publishing finish line was his Northeastern network. Whether it be the professional connections he developed during his co-ops or his first-year roommate, he would “chat [with them] on the phone for hours to go back and forth on ideas.”
Casbarro’s self-guided equilibrium between his career in medical sales and moonlighting as an author perfectly encompasses what it means to be a Northeastern Husky. This is just the beginning for Casbarro, too. “Descent into the Void” is the first book of seven in the “Vitalerium” series. Already garnering critical acclaim from the science fiction community, Casbarro is on track to solidify his name among his contemporaries and create a legacy in the genre.
Order “Vitalerium: Descent into the Void” on Amazon
Amazon
Descent into the Void
What I definitely pulled from Northeastern was a love for the sciences, and a professional network that I’ve used more than anything else in my entire life.”
Nick Casbarro, BHS’14,
Meet Ashita Chauhan, CPS’19! While studying for her master’s in regulatory affairs, Ashita participated in a co-op that gave her the tools to succeed in her current role at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Learn about Ashita’s co-op experience, becoming a co-op mentor for undergraduate students, and introducing regulatory affairs to her home country.
Meet Brian Good, MBA’10! The co-founder and CEO of iBorrow, a Los Angeles-based commercial real estate lending provider, Brian began his career in law before pivoting towards entrepreneurship. Learn more about obtaining his MBA at Northeastern, building your own business, and how AI will impact the future of real estate.
View the transcript here
Website
https://iborrow.com/
Northeastern alumna Ali Singer ‘12 founded YogaHub, a yoga business designed to deliver the practice across multiple platforms and industries.
By Brianna Mitchell
Ali Singer, a 2012 graduate of the College of Arts, Media and Design, was a second-year student at Northeastern when her friend took her to a yoga class. Throughout that class, she felt the benefits of the practice—beyond just the physical ones. Specifically, Singer notes the positive impact it had on her mental state, citing a “greater sense of concentration.” It was that lingering effect that inspired her to continue the practice intermittently while at Northeastern. Little did she know then that she would later be founding YogaHub, a company aimed at making the sport more accessible and inclusive for interested initiates.
Gradually, Singer gained more clarity about what kind of career she would enjoy. “I’ve always been a proponent of experiential learning…and when I was accepted to Northeastern, I realized this is the absolute perfect fit for me.” With that in mind, Singer took full advantage of the university’s opportunities by completing three co-ops and a study abroad experience in Perugia, Italy. These experiences provided her with two epiphanies—she wanted to work for herself, and she loved to travel.
Those two truths informed her decisions as a post-graduate student. After juggling multiple side projects—including bartending and real estate—Singer took a chance to follow her true calling of seeking enlightenment through her yoga studies. In 2013, she completed her first yoga teacher certification course, and two years later, she became a full-time yoga teacher at various studios in the Boston area, including Coolidge Yoga and Equinox. In 2017, to deepen her understanding of the practice, Singer traveled to the birthplace of yoga, Rishikesh, India, which she credits with providing her with a global perspective that informs her delivery of an authentic yoga experience.
As she was falling more in love with teaching and guiding her students through their individualized yoga journeys, she responded to a tweet that, in retrospect, was a watershed moment. The tweet was from then-mayor Marty Walsh, announcing a new mixed-use space that would be opening in Boston. When Singer inquired whether they would offer yoga there, the mayor gave Singer the owner’s contact information, to which Singer sent her proposal for a yoga studio that was eventually approved. Singer reflects, “That’s when I started officially operating my business under YogaHub, [but] it was a totally different model than it is now.”
Today, Ali Singer’s YogaHub is a Boston-based platform that connects the corporate world with trained yoga teachers, streamlined by professional standards to ensure top quality. At first, Singer’s clients were hotels. “I started cold calling hotels because they had the physical space to host the classes,” she recalls. This strategy paid off, as the first hotel she connected with expressed interest in offering onsite yoga but was unsure of how to organize it, emphasizing the missing link in the yoga community that Singer was determined to build. This first business relationship organically designed the approach that now has become the cornerstone of the company’s success, enabling them to further develop partnerships with commercial properties and companies around the world. “It was a process of learning what that customer wanted and developing the service [based on] their needs,” explains Singer.
Yet, as Singer points out, YogaHub has gone through many iterations and required certain levels of trust to witness the now-prosperous business. Outside of her familial support, including her husband and entrepreneurial father, Singer praises The McCarthy(s) Venture Mentoring Network for connecting her with established alumni who serve as trusted advisors to Singer. She emphasizes that those relationships are invaluable, especially in career-altering moments like her transition to running YogaHub full-time when the COVID-19 pandemic eliminated her in-person studio classes. Equipped with a strong network, Singer started that new chapter by tapping into the demand for physical and mental wellness while social distancing.
Despite all the challenges thrown at the adaptive Singer, there have been incredible successes in YogaHub’s history that strongly indicate that her work is important and valued. She can recall her excitement when The Boston Globe covered YogaHub for the first time, and her delighted shock when she led a free outdoor yoga class of approximately 400 participants in Copley Square during the co-hosted International Day of Yoga with Yoga for Humanity. Touching on the latter experience, Singer remembers, “We were just hoping to just bring people together in celebration of the practice of yoga. It was nerve-wracking to lead the class, but it’s just yoga.”
As for what’s next? First, Singer is embracing a new role—becoming a mom! Singer is passing down her love of yoga to her daughter by leading a baby and caregiver yoga program through the Medford Public Library. While that is her most important priority, Singer has a vision for the future of YogaHub. “I want to build the yoga brand [by] creating a balance between honoring the traditions of the practice and making it relatable in modern life,” she explains. To achieve this, Singer is utilizing technology to facilitate corporate bookings, and, eventually, she hopes to create a digital platform to connect yogis worldwide. In the meantime, Singer approaches every day grounded by her signature “good vibes” mantra.
Learn more about Ali Singer and YogaHub below:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisingeryoga
www.instagram.com/alisingeryoga
Instagram
@yogahub.life
Website
thrivehub.pro
“[Northeastern’s Venture Mentoring Network] helped propel my business forward and helped me succeed as a solo entrepreneur, which can be a very, very lonely road.”
Ali Singer, AMD’12
Meet Christine Fitzpatrick, AMD’10! Beginning her career in the entertainment industry as a co-op for National Geographic, Christine recently had a “full-circle” moment by releasing her latest project, “Protecting Paradise: The Story of Niue”, through NatGeo. Tune in to learn more about Christine’s exciting Northeastern experience!
Stream Protecting Paradise: The Story of Niue on Hulu or Disney+
Link to Pristine Seas
Special thanks to Mike Barnaby ‘SSH 10 for his contributions to the “Protecting Paradise: The Story of Niue” project
View transcript here
“I wanted a computer science program that is very solid in its foundation, very well-reputed, and at the same time, provides an excellent opportunity for getting a job,” says Dipanjan Haldar, MS’19, breaking down the criteria he used to select a master’s program. “Northeastern computer science is a top-rated program here in the United States, as well as across the globe.”
After earning his undergraduate degree in India, Haldar enrolled in the Khoury College of Computer Science to pursue his goal of becoming a software engineer. While there, he was granted a research apprenticeship with professor emeritus Ken Baclawski that focused on machine learning algorithms. “That was a great experience for me,” Haldar says with a smile. “Actually, my entire tenure at Northeastern was nothing short of being exceptional, I would say.”
In addition to his impactful research apprenticeship at Northeastern, Haldar also participated in a co-op at Everbridge, a software company in Burlington, Massachusetts—a role he was able to transition into a full-time position. “The co-op program at Northeastern is one of the best in the United States,” says Haldar. “It was my first experience working with a U.S. firm…I was able to accomplish all the assigned tasks at my co-op given the kind of subjects I took in my previous semester. They were happy with my performance, and that’s why when I graduated, they offered me a full-time position.”
During his co-op and full-time roles at Everbrudge, Haldar built a strong foundation in advanced software engineering principles. From there, he trasnitioned into his current position as the principal engineer and senior manager at Fideslity Investments in New Hampshire. Today, Haldar is recognized as one of the top contributors to API development and software development. Additionally, he likes to give back to the software engineering community in greater Boston by mentoring future members of his industry at MIT’s Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program and Gordon Engeineering Institute program—as well as through judging hackathons like HackMIT and the FLL World Championship.
Haldar continues to credit Northeastern for being the catalyst that accelerated his successful career in software engineering. “Northeastern gave me insights into theoretical computer science and the intricacies of how we should develop the concept of being a computer scientist. [At Northeastern], the door is open to anyone for opportunities and research. Northeastern has helped me a lot to get into these positions.”
Meet Jared Molton, AMD’10! After beginning his career as a professional magician and managing America’s oldest magic shop, Jared transitioned into the tech sphere and is now the vice president of consumer for Udacity. Learn more about his career transition, his favorite and most impactful class at Northeastern, and his memoir of his path from magician to tech executive.
Purchase a copy of “For My Next Trick”Register for classes on Udacity
View the transcript here
“My decision to pursue my Master of Science in human resource counseling with Northeastern, was driven by my interest in pursuing career advancement opportunities. I was working in human resources and recruiting at the time, and wanted to expand my knowledge” says Cheryl Haynes, MS’94 with a smile while reminiscing about her Northeastern experience. “It was quite helpful in allowing me to do that after completing my master’s degree.”
Haynes has had a long and illustrious career working in human resources—for over two decades, she held leadership positions in the corporate HR sector of prominent companies like State Street Bank, CVS, MetLife, and Citizens Bank. Currently, she runs her own coaching and consulting practice, Achievementor LLC, that specializes in CEO peer advisory mentoring in addition to leadership development content design, facilitation, and coaching executives and small groups.
After Achievementor’s launch in 2019, Haynes has developed a track record and reputation for elevating the careers of high-level executives across companies of all sizes, both public and private, through utilizing strategies in mindful leadership, team dynamics, and group coaching. However, Haynes credits her Northeastern degree as the foundation for these strategies—all of which have compounded into a success story.
“When I was pursuing my degree, I had been introduced to the concept of emotional intelligence. It has become the foundation of my work as an executive coach. Following my graduation, a book on the subject was published by Daniel Goleman, launching his reputation as one of the founders of emotional intelligence,” she says, beaming. “Fast forward to [2023], I was engaged by a large health insurer client to facilitate an emotional intelligence workshop for their C-suite level team. This was a major investment in leadership development for them. It was important enough that they brought in a guest speaker, Daniel Goleman himself, to speak on the topic of emotional intelligence, via Zoom!” radiates Haynes. “I was a big fan his book, and then fast forward 30 years later, I was debriefing the concept with C-Suite leaders following his presentation on Zoom.”
With her full-circle Northeastern moment in conjunction with her natural talents for coaching and elevating one’s career path, Haynes offers advice to both enrolled Huskies and young working professionals. “When uncomfortable, you’re on to something,” says Haynes with conviction. “Always make sure that you engage to get the best possible answer and to be comfortable with discomfort—as you advance your career and get to the next level of leadership, there will be things you need to learn.” Keeping that in mind, Haynes and her wisdom is a catalyst in helping the next generation of Huskies prosper.
Learn more about Achievementor, LLC
Always make sure that you engage to get the best possible answer and to be comfortable with discomfort—as you advance your career and get to the next level of leadership, there will be things you need to learn.
Cheryl Haynes, MS’94
Meet Cynthia Orofo, BHS’19, Ph.D.’24! After starting Culture Care Collective while enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Northeastern, Cynthia has helped it grow to make an impact on surrounding communities in the Boston area—while garnering recognition as a Women Who Empower Innovator award winner and being named to the Boston Forbes 30 under 30 list. Learn about Culture Care Collective’s impact and why Cynthia’s nine year Northeastern experience!
Read more about Culture Care Collective:
View the transcript here
Meet Mari Andrade, E’96! Mari has mastered the art of storytelling—learn about how her experiences at General Motors and the Olympic and Paralympic Games have shaped her current career as a messaging and storytelling strategist. Plus, learn tips for self-compassion and how to craft a compelling narrative for yourself!
View the transcript here
