Dson Connected: Creating Structured Career Links Between Alums & Students
Rob Jakacki ’89, CEO and co–chief investment officer of Kudu (center top) speaks to students in Kudu's NYC offices. Photo by Joe O'Neill.
Connections between alumni and students span industries, interests and continents
by Tony Moore
When Dylan Posencheg '26 landed a position at London-based AlphaSights, he had more than his résumé working for him. He had Teddy Macfarlane '22.
"Within my first year after graduating, I felt a strong connection to Dickinson and wanted to help any students I could," Macfarlane says. "I remember being in their shoes, and I always appreciated any Dickinson alumni who were willing to take time out of their day to help me."
Posencheg (international business & management) had already completed a summer 2025 internship at the business research firm’s NYC office. That led to the full-time position beginning in New York a year later. And then Posencheg returned to campus to share his internship experience with current students at the info session—alongside Macfarlane.
The loop was complete.
Meaningful Career Opportunities
This is exactly the dynamic that Andrea Lazarus, director of employer relations at the Center for Career Development, is trying to expand—deliberately, at scale, across industries.
"It's about Dickinsonians helping other Dickinsonians find meaningful career opportunities," Lazarus says, noting that the center wants to make Dson Connected a part of every student's experience. “We love to see alumni supporting students with any strong career or internship openings.”
The mechanism is called Dson Connected. When an alumni or parent contact has an opening and is willing to serve as a resource, the Center for Career Development promotes the role via Handshake, Instagram, LinkedIn and the 8,100-member Dickinson Career Community group.
What makes Dson Connected more than a job board is the people behind it. In an era when AI is there to make applications look polished, Lazarus notes that employers are going well beyond the résumé.
"AI can make anyone look good on paper," she says, "so the human element is really important in helping applicants stand out and move through those initial stages in the hiring process."
A Dson Connected posting means a specific person at that employer has agreed to be a direct contact—a distinction that can be the difference between a résumé disappearing into an automated system and a real conversation happening.
Building Durable Pipelines
Max Rios ’21, a software developer with Google who has spent five years engaging with students through the Center for Career Development, knows what that gap looks like from both sides.
"It's impossible to humanize a résumé," Rios says. "On campus in September I was able to meet so many students in person and make those relationships more personal. And being willing to listen, engage and foster a professional relationship with students makes them more excited to continue speaking with alumni or other professionals."
These individual connections have grown into durable, institutional pipelines. Firms like AlphaSights, J.P. Morgan, Epic (founded by CEO Judith Faulkner '65), Google and London-based Saranac Partners regularly bring Dickinsonians into their ranks. At the financial powerhouse Lazard, Holcombe Green ’92, global head of private capital advisory, brought aboard Rachel O'Brien ’22, Zoe Kaminski '18 and Jianan Yang ’13, who later helped recruit Hana Vu ’25.
From left: Jianan Yang ’13, Holcombe Green ’92 and Rachel O’Brien ’22. Photo by Dan Loh.
At Kudu Investment Management, CEO Rob Jakacki '89 has developed a working relationship with the data analytics department, through which students work with Kudu's team to solve real-world challenges. "When I had the chance to help build those opportunities, I wanted to take it," he said of a project undertaken in early 2026. "If I can help create pathways that make the transition from college to career clearer for students today, that’s incredibly rewarding.”
To scale this momentum, Mike Capone '88 backed the Data Intelligence Initiative with a $1 million gift, expanding data-related internship grants, student-faculty research and hands-on project funding.
"We believe education changes lives and improves our world. We make this investment in Dickinson because the college offered so many opportunities to me, and we are eager to help it offer new opportunities to tomorrow's students."
Networks Everywhere
These structured relationships reach beyond data and finance. For instance, Vince Spinnato '97, founder and CEO of Turnkey Beauty, hired Julieta Bursztyn '25 after she reached out to learn about cosmetics chemistry. He has since brought Bursztyn to industry events, his manufacturing plant in Arizona and his Southern California lab—and brought aboard two more Dickinson interns for the summer.
"I've been telling all of my friends about the Dickinson network—there's such a close community, and everyone wants to give back," Bursztyn says. "Sometimes all it takes is an email to someone you've never talked to before."
And this spring, students traveled to Western New York to visit the technological wonder that is Corning Incorporated's headquarters. There, Chavaun Johnson ’03, who works on Corning’s supply chain systems & processes for the solar division, said Dickinson students possess "exactly what we look for in future recruits."
Students, staff and alumni at the Corning site visit.
The goal, Lazarus says, isn't just placements. It's the visible proof, for every student scrolling through Handshake, that there's a network out there pulling for them: "I hope that for our students and graduates, it’s motivating or inspiring to see that there is a strong and growing Dson Connected network of roles and alumni who are willing to give back."
Macfarlane says the instinct to pay it forward runs deeper than any single job posting.
"When I was on the men's lacrosse team, Coach Webster '88 did a fantastic job pairing every team member with an alumni mentor," he says. "Not only did I build a connection with each mentor, but I was also introduced to dozens of other Dickinson alums via my mentors. This helped me connect with folks I otherwise wouldn't have and also helped me build confidence when reaching out."
He was in their shoes once. Now he and a sea of other Dickinsonians are holding the door.
Alumni who want to share a role can learn about the various ways to do so here or email recruit@dickinson.edu.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published July 1, 2026