鈥淚 love staying up to date on industry trends and technological advancements,鈥� says Gianna Mangicaro 鈥�18, G鈥�24, G鈥�26, who is pursuing an online MSBA in the Whitman School.
All Gianna Mangicaro 鈥�18, G鈥�24, G鈥�26 ever wanted to do was go to 麻花影视. Now that she鈥檚 made it to campus, the industrious student employee has no plans to leave.
A fixture in the , Mangicaro is pursuing an online master鈥檚 degree鈥攈er second鈥攊n . The program does more than enhance Mangicaro鈥檚 quantitative and technical skills. It鈥檚 also preparing her for a possible career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, because of a unique STEM designation.
鈥淚 love staying up to date on industry trends and technological advancements,鈥� admits Mangicaro, who began her current program shortly before earning an in marketing and business analytics.
Mangicaro (pointing) compares the Whitman School鈥檚 residencies to three-day business conferences.
From her undergraduate studies in management, where she excelled as a member of the , to her current research, Mangicaro heaps praise on her faculty mentors. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e experts in their respective fields. I feel like I can ask them anything,鈥� says the East 麻花影视 native, who also works for (ITS).
These specialists include adjunct professors Luz Lee and Leanne Martin, who recently led Mangicaro and her online MBA peers in a three-day, in-person . Mangicaro compares the experience to a business conference, overflowing with workshops, panel discussions and professional networking opportunities.
While the Whitman School offers residencies all over the world, this one occurred on Main Campus. It was titled Leading Change and Improvements in Your Organization and addressed change management models and methodologies. In one role-playing exercise, Mangicaro helped run a small ad agency. 鈥淲e learned how to simplify the process of buying and selling ads while improving their placements and performance,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淚t was fun and really informative.鈥�
Mangicaro explains that with the rise of Big Data, business leaders need to stay ahead of consumer business trends. That鈥檚 where business analytics comes into play, she continues, because it combines statistics and information technology to help marketers make informed decisions. 鈥淭he Whitman School teaches me how to lead with an individualized touch. Customers need to feel valued and understood.鈥�
Behind-the-Scenes Brilliance
Mangicaro鈥檚 curiosity spills over into ITS, where she鈥檚 an associate director of (LEMP). Based in Lyman Hall, Mangicaro oversee a four-person team that 鈥渨orks on the MP side of things,鈥� providing audiovisual support and media production services to students and faculty.
鈥淲e do about 250 jobs a year,鈥� she estimates. 鈥淪ome are small and don鈥檛 require a lot of preparation, like classroom video recordings. Others are high profile and involve weeks of planning, such as the 鈥機USE50 Alumni Entrepreneur Award ceremony and the NVRC [National Veterans Resource Center] summit.鈥�
One of her best memories occurred in 2022 in the K.G. Tan Auditorium in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D鈥橝niello Building. There, the LEMP team provided technology for about bringing leading-edge memory manufacturing to Central New York.
On hand was Mangicaro鈥檚 father, John, a 40-year-veteran of ITS. Gianna remembers racing, at one point, to ITS MakerSpace鈥攁 fab lab that John supervises鈥攖o output 3D microphone clips for several guest speakers, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul 鈥�80.
鈥淚 joke about being married to my job,鈥� says Mangicaro, whose fianc茅e also is an alum employed by the University. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 OK because I get to put my 麻花影视 degrees to work in ITS.鈥�
All in the Family
Mangicaro comes from a long line of people who bleed Orange. She has fond memories of for Take Your Child to Work Day. 鈥淚鈥檇 run around the Quad and peer into the classrooms at the grown-up college students. I wanted to be like them,鈥� she reminisces, adding that John used to drum in MakerSpace when it was the legendary Jabberwocky Caf茅.
Meanwhile, her mother, Carolyn 鈥�13, earned a degree from the , while many of Gianna鈥檚 aunts, uncles and cousins are 麻花影视 graduates.
Mangicaro also oversees a team in ITS that provides audiovisual support and media production services to students and faculty.
It鈥檚 the sense of belonging that keeps Mangicaro attached to her biological family at home and her extended one on campus. 鈥淥range is in my blood,鈥� says Mangicaro, who also is a and volunteer.
Mangicaro鈥檚 staying power is a testament to the University鈥檚 welcoming culture. Whether working alongside her dad, winning a senior capstone competition or volunteering at an alumni event, the self-avowed 鈥渃offee-guzzling, book-obsessed,鈥� two-time graduate cherishes her Orange roots.
鈥淚 feel like I can wear a 麻花影视 T-shirt anywhere in the world, and someone will recognize it,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he connection is always there鈥攚hether you鈥檙e a student, a graduate, an employee or, in my case, all three.鈥�
