Amy Small Hill '99: Why I Give to Geneseo Every Year

Amy is a member of the College Green Club and has given to The Fund for Geneseo annually since graduation.

Educational Background: BS in Business Management (HR Concentration) Geneseo 1999. MBA (Marketing Concentration) SUNY IT Utica/Rome 2003.

Occupation: Manager of Customer Support at Revere Copper Products, Inc. in Rome, NY.

Job Responsibilities: Lead a team of Process Engineers, Production Control Specialists and Sales Representatives to provide world-class service to our customers; which include OEM's, Distributors and Service Centers that do business in the copper and brass industry. We operate using the lean philosophy in both the manufacturing and office processes.

My Interests: I reside in the town in which I grew up. I am married to Chris Hill, who is an elementary principal. We have two children - Tanner who is 3 1/2 and Timothy who will be 2 in October. I love to play golf and downhill ski.

Why I Give Back: I support Geneseo mostly because it just feels right to do so. It's like eating breakfast in the morning, brushing your teeth before going to bed, wearing a jacket when it's cold out - it's a natural response when I get the call every year to donate. I haven't always been able to give the amount I'd like to, but I always felt it was important to give something to a school that meant so much to me. I can only hope that my children will one day consider gaining an education through a school as wonderful as Geneseo.

Mark Fratto '99: Talking About Sports

Educational Background: BA in Communication with a concentration in Media Studies/Journalism.

Occupation: Associate Athletics Director for Communications for St. John's University

In this position, Mark acts as the senior communications manager and primary spokesperson for the St. John's Department of Athletics and its 17 varsity sports teams. Mark was recognized as one of the top young intercollegiate athletic communications professionals nationally as the inaugural recipient of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Rising Star Award in July 2006.

What are the challenges you have faced in your career?: The communications office is "the face" of our Athletics Department.  We deal with TV and radio announcers, facilitate all interviews, write and edit all content on the department's Web site, run live athletic events, publish yearbooks, magazines and media guides, and produce thousands of pages of copy per year. To satisfy our fans' desire for instantaneous information and meet tight deadlines with the media, we're always challenged to work at a breakneck pace, and there can be a very loud "thud" when a mistake is made since the information we generate is intended for external use (and as you might imagine, people in the NYC media market can be quick to criticize.)  But I think that is one of the great things about this line of work - you find out how good you are every day.

What is most rewarding in your career?: Some may think a public relations career involves only mass communication, but it's really more of a people business. I've always enjoyed the team atmosphere of sports, because the personal involvement and emotional investment makes it more than just "a job." In my role, I have to really get to know the student-athletes and coaches, and the reporters, to be able to get our teams' best stories out there. Oh, and getting to announce games at The Garden every once in a while is pretty awesome, too!

What is your most outstanding memory or influence from Geneseo?: I loved the family atmosphere at Geneseo, where I was fortunate to meet some of my best friends, with whom I am still in contact today. I really liked that Geneseo provided an amazing environment where you were able to succeed academically, and still have an absolutely great time when you put the books away. I have two younger brothers that went to different schools, but when they were there, I always encouraged them to try to "slow down time." Some say college is the best time of your life - and I don't really think that's necessarily true - but it's definitely four years of your life that are completely different from the rest, so you're cheating yourself if you don't enjoy them. I began my college career at Geneseo in 1996, and 13 years later, I'm still in college!

What is your advice to recent graduates?: This is probably better-suited for "soon-to-be graduates," but I'd say this - try to get as much work experience as possible in your desired field while you're still in school. When I was an undergrad studying communications, I was always told to try to land internships, and intern I did! I interned during the semesters (on campus, in the Sports Information Office!), and during summer and winter breaks, and all the experience I was afforded really paid off. Sometimes people that have been working in other fields for years and years ask me how to break into sports - and it's tougher for them in most cases than it would be for a recent college grad with two or three summers of experience working for the minor league baseball team in his or her hometown. If you're fortunate enough to be able to put in some volunteer hours while your family might still be supporting you while you're in school, do it. They say "it's tough out there," but it can be a little easier if you get some early experience on your resume.

Mark lives in Manhattan with his girlfriend, Paola, and their dog, Roxy.

Casey Klaus Malinoski '04: Legal Work in Arizona

Educational Background: BA in Sociology and minor in Criminal Justice; M.A. in Criminal Justice & Criminology, Arizona State University

Occupation: Faculty Associate/Internship Coordinator, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University in Glendale, AZ and program manager of the Arizona Arrestee Reporting Information Network (AARIN) project.

My fulltime job is as a program manager of the AARIN research project which is funded by Maricopa County. We interview inmates after their arrest at five intake facilities. More information on this project is available at this Web site.