Student

Diogo Ribeiro

School/Division	Division of Information Technology & Sciences
Class	2023
Pronouns	He/Him/His

Can you tell us a bit about your major?

What I really like about my program is interacting with different types of audiences. In Data Science, you need to explain your data to different types of people; some may know what you are talking about, and others might not. Therefore, acquiring presentation skills is something I really enjoy in order to present my data.

What's the best part of living on campus?

Having most of my friends living close to me. I really like that I can go get food at IDX whenever I feel like it as well.

What advice do you have for students thinking about coming to Champlain for college?

If you decide to come to Champlain and are not too certain about what you want to major in, come in with an open mind and just experience the classes that your advisor puts in your schedule. Your advisor is going to help you find out what major fits best depending on what you like.

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Logan Rice

Class	2018
Pronouns	He/Him/His
Home State	Connecticut

Favorite Class

Criminal Law

Post-Grad Job

Client Advisor at Stevens Ford Lincoln in Milford, CT

How did the Upside-Down Curriculum impact your education?

With the Upside-Down Curriculum, you’re jumping into your major-related classes right away. In my first year, I also went on a ride-along with a Vermont State Police officer. It was amazing to see another side of law enforcement—the human side you don’t often see through the media.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned about criminal justice is human interaction. You can read about being in a squad car and pulling people over, but it’s the area between the actual law and the connection to that person that matters. Champlain professors have real experience, and they can help you understand what being in that moment is like in a way a textbook can’t.

You were the President of the Student Government Association (SGA). How was that experience?

Becoming SGA President my junior year is a great point of pride for me. The work we did and the tasks we undertook were truly a passion of mine. For example, we executed a project—the Rainbow Crosswalk—where we painted the crosswalk on South Willard Street the colors of the rainbow in honor of our LGBTQA+ community. The work we do truly can make a difference on campus.

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Angela Richard

Class	2021
Home State	Connecticut

pronouns

She/Her/Hers

Internship

Student Communications Liaison, Office of the President at Champlain College (Burlington, VT); Intern at Kid Logic Learning (South Burlington, VT); Intern at Allen Brook School (Williston, VT)

How has the Upside-Down Curriculum enhanced your education?

The Upside-Down Curriculum has been extremely beneficial to my learning. I love hands-on experiences, and I started working in my field on day three of being at Champlain College. Not only were hands-on, major-specific experiences available to me as a first-year student, but they also encouraged and pushed for me and my peers to take advantage of and pursue. This attitude towards real-world experience has shifted my own perspective on what higher education specifically should look like, and I’m so grateful to Champlain for opening my eyes to this possibility.

In what ways do you think your internship experience will give you a competitive advantage when it comes to getting a job in your field after graduation?

My internship in the President’s Office [as Student Communications Liaison] is the first of Division of Information Technology & Sciences kind. I came to the administration with my idea, pitched it, researched it, and made sure it was actualized. Working with the administration in this way has given me an in-depth understanding of the complexities of working in higher education, a knowledge base I had not previously accessed. This experience will aid me in future advocacy and communications work, which I will employ everywhere I go.

How has your Champlain experience prepared you for your future career, both in and out of the classroom?

Champlain has made me a better person. Not just a learner or professional, but a person. The qualities I’ve developed inside and outside of the classroom while attending Champlain apply to all aspects of my life and have truly shaped my being. I feel ready to tackle new challenges and immerse myself even more in my field of education.

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Andrew Rimpici

School/Division	Division of Information Technology & Sciences
Programs	Game Programming Degree
Class	2020
Pronouns	He/Him/His
Home State	New Jersey
Study Abroad	Montreal, Canada

Internships

Mobile Developer Intern at Rad Magpie in Burlington, VT

What made you choose Champlain?

I was drawn to Champlain’s close-knit community and upbeat atmosphere. Even before enrolling, it was very apparent that every student matters and receives individualized attention. The small class sizes allow professors to get to know each and every student. It also provides professors with the opportunity to tailor their teaching style to the needs of each student.

What is the best part of the Game Programming major?

I really like the amount of intriguing programming courses Champlain College has to offer. Game programming courses are available in graphics, physics, artificial intelligence, animation, and more. In addition to the wide variety of classes offered, I admire how close everyone who takes them becomes. We’re all passionate about what we’re learning, and we’re willing to help each other reach our greatest potential.

Can you tell us about your internship?

Over the summer before my senior year, I worked as a Mobile Developer at Rad Magpie, a non-profit game studio in Burlington. I was responsible for transforming the designers’ ideas into reality in the form of a mobile app for an international client. Having a programming job on my resume gives me a competitive edge, as it shows future employers that I have experience working on real production projects.

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Miranda Rodriguez

School/Division	Division of Communication & Creative Media
Programs	Creative Media Degree
Class	2021
Pronouns	She/Her/Hers
Home State	New York

Specializations

Visual Art, Creative Writing, and Filmmaking

Favorite Class

Darkroom Photography, Women in Art and Cinematography

How has the Upside-Down Curriculum enhanced your education?

I’m really appreciative of the Upside-Down Curriculum because it got me right to work immediately. My first year, I was already in the darkroom, developing my own film and printing my own photos for class critique—I couldn’t have gotten that almost anywhere else. I got my hands dirty right away, and I think that’s only strengthened my practice.

How has your Champlain experience prepared you for your future career, both in and out of the classroom?

Champlain has helped me build my portfolio and a greater understanding of my brand as an artist and creator. Especially as you move further into the freelance market, building a brand is so important to your discoverability and what people reach out to you for. I think I’ve settled on something that’s not only true to me, but that is representative of the work I aim to focus on and calls out to the right people.

What advice do you have for students thinking about coming to Champlain for college?

To incoming students—I know change is scary, but I promise you that it’ll be okay. You’ll be nervous and make mistakes, maybe you’ll trip or say something wrong, but we’re all here to learn and grow and help each other do the same. Making mistakes is part of the gig. Don’t be afraid to take that leap, because even if something doesn’t work out, you’ll still learn about yourself and what makes you tick.

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Rebecca Rogers

Class	2020
Pronouns	She/Her/Hers
Home State	Connecticut
Study Abroad	New Zealand (fall semester), Amsterdam (spring semester), Jordan (faculty-led trip), Uganda (summer service trip)

Internship

Shanghai Summer Internship Program

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Nate Rogers

School/Division	Division of Communication & Creative Media
Programs	Interactive Narrative for Games & Digital Media Degree
Class	2026
Pronouns	He/They
Home State	Connecticut

How did you apply to Champlain?

Regular Decision

Why I Chose Champlain

I found my people here, and I felt like I belonged more than I did in high school.

Ideal Weekend in Burlington

Sitting in bed and cuddling my cat while I order local food.

Clubs & Student Involvement

Champlain Supernatural Investigators

Favorite Champlain Memory

Playing jackbox games as a dorm event and doing a rap battle and winning.

One piece of advice for students going through the college search process.

Believe in yourself, trust that you will make the right decision for yourself.

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Miller Roman

School/Division	Division of Information Technology & Sciences
Programs	Game Programming Degree
Class	2021
Pronouns	He/Him/His
Home State	Mexico

Internships

R&D Intern at Rad Magpie in Burlington, VT

What made you choose the Game Programming major?

I chose my major because I love taking an incredibly complicated subject and packing it into something everyone can interact with and get joy from. Whenever I create something, my goal is that my mom should be able to turn it on and understand how to operate it.

What is the best part about your program?

I love that Game Programming is a project-based major. One of my favorite series of classes is our Production track courses. These classes take groups of every game major and put us together to make games and share them with our friends, professors, and industry recruiters. We’re a close-knit community. Spending so much time in the labs makes you feel so comfortable and helps you make great friends with similar interests.

Can you tell us about your internship?

I worked on R&D projects with a team of interns at Rad Magpie. Our goal was to find possible long-term games and projects for the studio to continue developing. This pushed us into looking at virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. My Production classes made it easy to go from a classroom environment to working in a business where there were multiple projects going on. Having an internship gives you so many great opportunities to create new connections and network with people who you would have never had the chance to meet otherwise.

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Austin Roorda

School/Division	Robert P. Stiller School of Business
Programs	Game Production Management Degree
Class	2020
Pronouns	He/Him/His
Home State	Vermont
Study Abroad	Montreal, Canada

Internship

Behavior Interactive

What was it like to study abroad in Montreal?

Studying abroad in Montreal was fantastic. I would definitely say it’s probably the highlight of my time here at Champlain in many ways. I worked as a Project Manager Intern at Behavior Interactive on their mobile division. I worked on an unreleased game, which is currently still in development, called Game of Thrones Beyond The Wall. I worked on that as a Project Manager, tracking tasks, and being a facilitator of discussion and communication between the team. I was also just a person of contact and point of reference for pretty much any questions the team had. I’d get them to talk to who they needed to.

What is your favorite tool to get things done?

For getting things done as a Producer and Project Manager, you have a bunch of task tracking software and communication facilitators such as Matter Most or Discord. I’ve found food is extremely effective. Being able to sit people down at a work session and say, “Hey, I brought food. Please eat this food and then do those things that we said that we should probably do to make sure that we actually don’t crunch.” Super effective. Also, having a smile and a pleasant disposition is pretty good, too.

Are you scrum certified?

So I’m Scrum certified, which means that I’ve been certified as a Scrum master through Clint Keith and the Scrum Alliance. And that basically means that I can facilitate team progress and a team workflow by making it so we reevaluate and iterate whatever we’re making on a week-by-week basis or a case-by-case, sprint-by-sprint basis. That just allows us to be more efficient in what we’re making. And it’s a better way than just doing it the traditional old fashioned way from start to end.

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Thomas Rose

School/Division	Division of Communication & Creative Media
Class	2017
Home State	Massachusetts
Study Abroad	Lisbon, Portugal

Internship

Student Writer Intern at Champlain Marketing Department in Burlington, VT

Post-Grad Job

Deputy Editor in Chief at Salt & Wonder Magazine

What made you choose Professional Writing?

I originally came to Champlain as a Computer Science & Innovation major. I felt pretty confident that I wanted to do computer science, but after a year in the program I realized programming wasn’t for me. It wasn’t fulfilling any of the creative drive I had. With the guidance of my professors, I switched into Creative Media for a little bit. I realized I was looking for more structure, so I turned to the Professional Writing major.

How has Champlain prepared you for the publishing industry?

I was looking for a program that was along the lines of, “Enter this course, do these tasks and assignments, and you’ll come out with these learned skills.” I’ve been thrilled with my progress in the Professional Writing program. I’ve been able to secure two internships, showcase my work at multiple readings, and had pieces published online and in print.

How would you describe the professors at Champlain?

The professors here care immensely about their students. I’ve found numerous mentors and had the pleasure of having real discussions with faculty who treat their students not as pupils, but as people with valuable perspectives. In fact, almost everyone I’ve met through school is passionate, motivated, thoughtful, and openhearted. It’s an amazing community.

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Izzy Rowland

Programs	Game Programming Degree
Class	2026
Pronouns	She/Her/Hers

Why do you want to be a tutor?

I really enjoy helping other people learn math and understand new topics.

Advice to Champlain Student?

Working with friends in the room makes it much easier to stay motivated.

Fun Fact

I love playing volleyball!

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Elijah Rubin

School/Division	Robert P. Stiller School of Business
Class	2019
Pronouns	He/Him/His
Home State	New Hampshire
Study Abroad	Dublin, Ireland

Internship

Intern at Redstone Property Management in Burlington, VT

Post-Grad Job

Relationship Banker at Mascoma Bank in Burlington, VT

What made you decide to attend Champlain?

I applied Early Decision to Champlain. It’s actually the only school I applied to—I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t gotten in! It has a good business program, and I really liked the small classes sizes. The tight-knit community, the classes Champlain offers, and the Burlington area all make for an overall great college experience.

What do you like most about the Upside-Down Curriculum?

I think for anyone like me who wasn’t sure what they really wanted to do, the Upside-Down Curriculum really helps because you can try things out. Before I decided on Finance, I took a variety of accounting and finance classes because they’re so similar. If I wanted to switch into Accounting or any other business major, I would have been equipped to do so.

How can students get involved on campus?

When I was in high school, I didn’t do a lot of extracurricular activities, so when I got to college I knew I wanted to get involved. I’ve been in CHAMP (Champlain Has Activities and Motivational Programming) since my first week here, and I became an Orientation Leader my senior year. I’ve also been a Resident Assistant, and I play intramural basketball every Tuesday. What I tell every first year is to just do everything, get out there, and try new things. Your college experience is what you make of it, so make the most of it.

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Jan Ruiz

Class	2026
Pronouns	He/Him/His
Home State	Dallas, TX

What are you studying at Champlain?

I’m a Computer Science & Innovation major! 

How did the AHEAD program go for you in your first year?

“The AHEAD program went extremely well for me. I was able to explore not only Champlain, but Burlington too, and able to grasp the new environment I was being thrown into before school started.”

How has the AHEAD program supported your journey at Champlain?

“AHEAD has supported my journey at Champlain by giving me a sense of belonging. The program allowed me to meet other PoC, and create lifelong connections that I might have not made without AHEAD.”

What is the most rewarding part of the AHEAD program?

“The most rewarding part of AHEAD is being able to get comfortable in a new environment before anyone else. You get to do everything first, get into your room first, make friends first, and best of all, take your first step into another world.”

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Jan Ruiz

School/Division	Division of Information Technology & Sciences
Programs	Computer Science & Innovation Degree
Class	2026
Pronouns	He/Him/His
Home State	Texas

How did the AHEAD program go for you in your first year?

The AHEAD program went extremely well for me. I was able to explore not only Champlain, but Burlington too, and able to grasp the new environment I was being thrown into before school started.

How has the AHEAD program supported your journey at Champlain?

AHEAD has supported my journey at Champlain by giving me a sense of belonging. The program allowed me to meet other PoC, and create lifelong connections that I might have not without AHEAD.

What is the most rewarding part of the AHEAD program?

The most rewarding part of AHEAD is being able to get comfortable in a new environment before anyone else. You get to do everything first, get into your room first, make friends first, and best of all, take your first step into another world.

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Amalia Russell

School/Division	Division of Communication & Creative Media
Programs	Game Design Degree
Class	2025
Pronouns	She/Her/Hers

Piece of advice to students?

Don’t let stress over school get in the way of taking care of yourself. Take a break to stretch and rest your eyes when you need it.

What's your favorite book, movie or podcast?

The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente

Inspirational Quote?

“I have found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk, that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.” – Gandalf

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