“[Northeastern] gave us the perspective on why we do what we do,” says Jamie Riesenberg, S’22 as she sits next to her best friend, roommate, and fellow Husky Caroline Zagoren, S’22 in an apartment in Philadelphia and recalls her time at Northeastern. “It’s all worth it because now I’ll be able to do the one thing that I’ve always dreamed of doing.”
Riesenberg, from South Florida, and Zagoren, from the greater Boston area, are no strangers to each other—they have known each other since moving into neighboring dorm rooms in Stetson West during their first year at Northeastern. After spending their first year communicating with each other through knocks on the wall, Riesenberg and Zagoren formed an inseparable bond that would last throughout their undergraduate experience.
Graduating in 2022, they both went their separate ways to further their career aspirations—Zagoren moving to Philadelphia to attend the University of Pennsylvania’s acclaimed veterinarian school, and Riesenberg staying in Boston to work as a dental assistant at Boston Dental.
However, their paths soon crossed again in 2023, with Riesenberg’s acceptance into the University of Pennsylvania’s dental school. “It was never on my radar, and I never thought that I’d get in, but Penn is the only school that has a vet school and dental school on campus,” says Riesenberg. “We definitely didn’t anticipate being here together,” chimes Zagoren. “It was very unexpected, that’s for sure.”
Both Riesenberg and Zagoren credit their respective Northeastern experiences with being the catalyst for not only their aforementioned career aspirations, but for preparing them to take on the challenges of graduate schools. “The co-op program really helped prepare me. Being able to get experience in the real world definitely has its advantages,” says Zagoren as Riesenberg shakes her head in agreement. “The hands-on experience [that the co-op program provided] prepared me so much.”
It’s no secret that Riesenberg and Zagoren both cherished their Northeastern experiences—and they want to be sure that the current generation of Huskies is able to do the same. “Even if you know what you want to do, I think it’s important to experience both sides of the field that you’re interested in,” says Zagoren. “Northeastern does a really great job of providing those opportunities and helping us keep an open mind.”
The co-op program really helped prepare me. Being able to get experience in the real world definitely has its advantages,”
Caroline Zagoren, S’22