“Northeastern is going to prepare you to be the best you can be, and just by sheer numbers, somebody is going to be in a position where they’re going to be able to help you or you’re going to be able to help them,” says Dwayne Naitram, SSH’09.
To Naitram, born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts, there was one clear reason to choose Northeastern—the innovative and groundbreaking co-op program. “That was the separator between all of the schools that I was looking at,” he recalls. “The offerings they have with the co-op program are second to none. If I talk to nieces and nephews that are looking at schools, I recommend Northeastern because [the co-op] program opens up opportunities to do what you want to do.”
Naitram’s first co-op as an event planner at Northeastern’s Curry Student Center helped him develop and sharpen his skills in both service and event management. He built on this foundation during his second co-op at the Boston-based company Blinds to Go, where he deepened his expertise in customer relations through a sales role. These experiences have been instrumental to Naitram’s success in his current role in client operations at JP Morgan.
Beyond his work at JP Morgan, Naitram has started a venture that has the ability to change the identity of a country. He is the co-founder of Navèt 1804, a sugar cane-based distillery, which he owns and operates with three of his childhood best friends. “At 13, maybe 14 years old, we all made a pact that we’re going to do something together,” he says. “We’re all first generation Caribbean-American—my family from Barbados and theirs from Haiti—so we always wanted to do something that would uplift our people.”
As a result, Navèt 1804 was born. To fully embrace the roots and identities of the distillery, Naitram and his co-founders traveled to Haiti to learn about the Haitian agricultural process and the distilling process of clairin, a sugar cane-based rum. This traditional Haitian alcoholic beverage is a common local drink, Naitram says, and deeply rooted in Haitian culture. “Everything about this product is on purpose,” he says. “The word Navèt means crafted, and 1804 is the year that Haiti gained independence from France. Haiti’s farming practices are very organic, so there’s no additives or preservatives in it. It’s used for religious ceremonies, healing purposes, and was the liquid courage used in fighting for their freedom in 1804.”
After eight years of work, Navèt 1804 has officially launched and become available in grocery and liquor stores across the eastern seaboard. Naitram still credits his Northeastern experience for catalyzing and encouraging the development of the brand. “There’s just so much available at your fingertips,” he says. “You can go to Northeastern to build communities and maintain those relationships, because those relationships are going to help you with whatever you choose to do after graduating.”
Website
www.navet1804.com
Meet Frank Green, SSH’92! After spending time working for an Irish senator during his time at Northeastern, Frank had a takeaway that would impact the rest of his career—the world is a big place with many different perspectives. Learn about Frank’s Northeastern and co-op experiences, his interest in the recruiting process, and why he is excited about the global envoy program.
View the Transcript Here
Double Husky Ifteda Ahmed-Syed’s Northeastern journey helped her find her dream job as a software engineer at The Walt Disney Company.
By Brianna Mitchell
“I like to joke that I was raised by films…so it was a childhood dream to at least be adjacent to storytelling and entertainment,” says Ifteda Ahmed-Syed, Khoury’20, MS’23. The Double Husky is currently in her third year working as a software engineer for The Walt Disney Company, a reality that was once a dream.
It makes sense that Ahmed-Syed’s favorite Disney movie is “Tangled,” a story that centers around an optimistic and empathetic heroine pursuing her dreams—as is reflected in this alumna. However, achieving her coveted professional career at Disney was never linear and, at times, challenged by self-doubt.
“I have always, unapologetically, carried my identity with me wherever I go,” shares Ahmed-Syed. Being the eldest daughter of an immigrant household, she was influenced to double major in computer science and business, believing that this would best position her to get a practical career. In her second year at Northeastern, the Khoury College of Computer Sciences selected her to attend the Grace Hopper Conference, the world’s largest annual technology event designed for women and non-binary individuals to career-build by meeting with sponsors from leading companies, where she networked with Disney representatives for the first time. “It was my first real exposure to the function of technology within the company. But even then, I underestimated myself to an extent. [However], I think things worked out in a magical way,” recalls Ahmed-Syed.
In the meantime, Ahmed-Syed took full advantage of the opportunities and resources provided by Northeastern. She completed two formative software developer co-ops at Voya Financial. Being drawn to the company to explore “the confluence of tech and finance,” she notes that, “learning how to navigate uncharted territory, communicate effectively, and also absorb knowledge outside of a classroom setting” are among the most significant takeaways she had from her experiential learning experience and still try to apply to her career today.
Conversely, while she was on campus, the connections she formed with her peers were equally valuable. Specifically, a teaching assistant in a computer science fundamentals course introduced her to HackBeanpot, a nonprofit hackathon designed for young computer programmers in the Boston area. In her three-year involvement with the organization, Ahmed-Syed’s last year was the most impactful. In 2020, while most of the world was shutting down to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Ahmed-Syed was determined to find ways to serve her community. Instead of accepting the pretense that HackBeanpot may be any less well-attended than in previous years due to the pandemic, Ahmed-Syed and the outreach team worked tirelessly to successfully translate the event online and drew interest from participants outside of Massachusetts.
In a true full-circle moment, before her last fall semester in 2020, Ahmed-Syed was contacted by Disney recruiters, who had her information from the Grace Hopper Conference’s database, urging her to apply to The Walt Disney Company. That fall, soon after she submitted her application, she got the offer to move down to Orlando in June of 2021.
Ifteda gave a temporary goodbye to her close-knit family and left her New England roots for sunny Florida to start her first role with Disney Experiences as an associate software engineer. Some of her main responsibilities in her first role with the company included working with analysts to determine “what features would benefit schedulers and cast members in Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. Then our analysts turn those into user acceptance criteria and my job [was] to design and implement systems or features that satisfy those criteria.”
After three years and a promotion to software engineer II, she transferred to Disney Entertainment and ESPN Technology. This transition resulted in a move home to Connecticut, where her family and ESPN headquarters are located. Now, she works primarily on Hulu, and one of her team’s main projects is to improve systems that help consumers of the streaming platform use the search function and receive suggestions for media. Ifteda credits her decision to enroll in Northeastern’s online master’s of computer science program with giving her more confidence to navigate challenging assignments and the dreaded first step in the project as an engineer. “I was really looking to expand my repertoire but do it in a way that ensures that my understanding was concrete…so that when I reach for that tool in the future, I’m reaching for something solid that can get me through that first step.”
Today, one of the most meaningful parts of her job is how, despite the company’s size, there are opportunities to connect with others while celebrating collective interests and affiliations. Radiating joy, she explains, “It’s heartwarming to have a space where I can celebrate certain aspects of my identity.” This includes celebrating Ramadan with co-workers at Walt Disney World and meeting the writing partners behind Christina Lauren as part of the women’s book club within the company. Additionally, she gets to share the magic that she helps create with the people she loves the most by taking her family to Walt Disney World.
Learn more about Ifteda and her work below:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifteda/
Build For Black Lives Website: buildforblacklives.com
I knew that gaining a foundational understanding of a wide range topics would do a lot for my confidence as an engineer. So, I took my master’s as an opportunity to figure out what are the tangible applicable first steps for the variety of branches of tech that I am interested in.
Ifteda Ahmed-Syed Khoury’20, MS’23
Meet Amelia Brooks, DMSB’26! In celebration of the 115th anniversary of Northeastern’s innovative co-op program, we sat down with Amelia Brooks to learn more about the co-op from the perspective of an enrolled student. We discussed how Northeastern prepares students for their co-ops, what she learned in each of her co-op positions, and how she plans on celebrating the 115th anniversary.
Watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ5zYiD0LYc&t=9s
View the transcript here
“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
www.yogahub.life
“[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.”
