Alumni Spotlight

Corinna was the first McNulty Program alumna to earn her Ph.D.  She did so in Food Science at Cornell University, studying the links between taste perceptions and human health.  She completed her postdoctoral research in epidemiology at the Center of Primary Care and Prevention, affiliated with the Brown University School of Public Health, and worked as an epidemiologist in Cayuga County, NY during the pandemic. She has now Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.

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After graduating SJU with degrees in physics and theology, Lisa Mariani Lallo '14, PhD, earned her doctorate in mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania in 2019.  She began working at Exponent, an engineering and scientific consulting firm in Philadelphia.  She is now a managing engineer.  She also serves on the inaugural McNulty Program Advisory Council, a group of current and former McNulty Scholars, faculty, alumnae, university administrators and industry representatives who provide ideas and guidance about program's direction and scope of work. 

Upon leaving SJU, Lianette completed a year of service coordinating an after-school program for the immigrant community in El Paso on the Texas-Mexico border. She earned her Masters of Public Health at the School of Public Health and Social Justice at Saint Louis University in 2018.  She then returned to Philadelphia to as the Community Programs Manager at the same organization--Esperanza Health Center--where she completed a capstone project during her senior year at SJU.

While at SJU, Isabella was a Fellow in the McNulty Scholars Program. Upon graduating with a B.S. in Physical and Analytical Chemistry, she pursued her Ph.D. at Temple University, where she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Eric Bourget, Professor of Chemistry, heading up a team of scientists who studied ways of capturing and degrading chemical warfare agents. She is now a Materials and Process Engineer at Boeing Research & Technology.

McNulty Scholar Karen Medina came to Saint Joe's from El Salvador, and graduated with a degree in Environmental Science.  Since then, she has pursued a career in after-school education, first at After School All-Stars. In Philadelphia and Camden, NJ, she served as the Director of the Watershed Education Program while also serving as a Senior Fellow in the Environmental Leadership Program. She now lives in Dallas, TX, working for Jubilee Park & Community Center as the Director of Out of School Time Programs. 

McNulty Scholar Shelley Donaldson graduated with a B.S. in mathematics, and returned to her hometown of Silver Spring, MD to work at Redjack, a cyber security platform. Shelley had completed an internship at the company while still in school, so when she started out as a Junior Software Developer, she was already familiar with the organization.  She quick rose through the ranks. During the pandemic, she took some time away to pursue consulting work, but has returned and now works as a CX Engineer. 

While at Saint Joseph's University, McNulty Scholar Kaleigh Williams Tomasson always knew she wanted to work with animals.  For her faculty-directed summer research experience, she worked in the biodiversity lab with Dr. Scott McRobert. When she wasn't conducting her experiments, she was caring for the animals who live there. Once she graduated with a degree in Biology, she attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, and earned her VMD in 2022.  She now works as a veterinarian at Radnor Animal Hospital in Wayne, PA.

McNulty Fellow Corinne Merlino was a part of the McNulty community for two years. Once she earned her B.S. in Biology, she worked at the Palliative and Advanced Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania as a Clinical Research Coordinator. She returned to school in 2023 to earn her masters degree in genetic counseling at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.  She remains involved with the McNulty Program, working with current students to strategize ways to connect alumnae with current students. 

While in the McNulty Program, Scholar Gianna Penezic earned a B.S. in Biology. Upon graduation, she decided to go to law school, and attended the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University, focusing on intellectual property law. She graduated cum laude, and is now an Associate Attorney at Young Conaway Startgatt & Taylor LLP in Wilimington, DE. 

Amanda Lucas joined the McNulty Program as a Fellow during her senior year, as she completed her degree in chemistry.  After graduation she went onto pursue her Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Cornell University.  She has since earned her Master's Degree, and is now working on completing her doctorate.

McNulty Scholar Lillie Bennett pursued a double major in Computer Science and Art History while at SJU and helped the university's new Frances M. Maguire Art Museum digitize their collection.  Upon graduation, she returned to her hometown of New York City, and is now working as a Client Support Specialist at Yext, the leading digital presence platform for multi-location brands.