Meet the Staff

Alex Hochman
Senior Director
ahochman@usfca.edu

 

University of Michigan
BA Communication
John F. Kennedy University
MA Career Development

Favorite Places in the City: Roxie Food Center in the Mission Terrace neighborhood (best sandwich in town!), AT&T Park

Hobbies and Interests: Overly obsessive fan of University of Michigan football and basketball and the San Francisco Giants. Part-time restaurant critic. Traveling near and far with my wife and two daughters.

First internship/job: In high school, I worked at Lombardi’s Sports which was then on Clement Street. I sold sneakers and learned how to deal with a truly diverse group of customers. I once sold Robin Williams a pair of Nikes!

Best piece of career advice I received:  “Just because you’re good at doing something doesn’t mean that you like to do it.”

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Ellen Kelly Daley
Director of Career Success
kellye@usfca.edu

 

University of Missouri - Columbia 
BA in Business Administration
Major: Logistics / Minor: Marketing
San Francisco State University
M.S. Counseling, Emphasis in College and Career Counseling
Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University
M.A. Theological Studies, Concentration: Christian Spirituality

Favorite Places in the City: Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, Twin Peaks, Crissy Field, AT&T Park, anywhere I'm with friends

Hobbies and Interests: Baseball, Reading, Visiting the Sierras, KC BBQ, Family, Symphony, Living life by my motto: Carpe Diem

First internship/job: My first internship was at Deluxe Check Printers (yes people used to write a lot of checks!) as a logistics intern. I was offered a management trainee position and worked there for 3 years before deciding I didn't want to focus on shipping checks all over the country for my career.

Best piece of career advice I received: As cliche as it sounds, when I experienced my first career crossroads at 24, someone told me to read "What Color is Your Parachute." Not only did I read it, but I did every darn exercise in the book, conducted a plethora of informational interviews, and finally had the courage to quit my job, travel to Europe for 4+ months, and then apply for and go to the Peace Corps. That road less traveled has made all the difference. 

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Miriam Karpilow
Director of Employer Relations
mkarpilow@usfca.edu

 

University of Puget Sound 
BA in German Linguistics and Literature
Minor: Music

Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Fisher School of Business
MBA International Business, concentration Organizational Behavior and Leadership

Favorite Places in the City: Home, Duboce Park, Land's End, a farmers market, AT&T Park

Hobbies and Interests: Being an awesome mama to baby Max, wine, cooking, adventure!, travel, skiing, cycling, the Giants, gardening, urban hiking, reading, Battlestar Galactica, baking the best banana bread you've ever had

First internship/job: My first job was teaching yoga while I was in college. I didn't know how to find a "real" job after graduation (because I never visited the Career Services Center at my university) so I left the country and taught English in Spain for a few years, which was great but didn't afford me any sense of direction. I never had an internship, but I will do everything I can to make sure YOU do!

Best piece of career advice I received: I felt very intimidated in my first job out of business school, especially as an introvert surrounded by assertive extroverts. A women who I admired as leader, mentor, and a human pulled me aside one day and said, "always take a seat at the table, even if you have to squeeze in. And always find at least one thing to say in a meeting, even if it's just to verbally agree with someone else. Show your face and make your voice heard." TLDR: show up and say something so people know you're there.

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Deborah Kang
Career Counselor
deborah.kang@usfca.edu

 

Georgia State University
Bachelor of Science in Public Policy, Minor in Urban Education
University of Georgia
Master of Education in College Student Affairs Administration

Favorite Places in the City: I loved every dish at Kin Khao, and enjoyed celebrating mass at Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach when I visited

Hobbies and Interests: I love to dance! I also enjoy cardmaking, practicing yoga, watching reruns of the Office or planning picnics. I have a growing interest in ceramics and calligraphy, and pray that some day I will learn to cook.

First internship/job: My first job was in high school, working at a local bakery called Hansel and Gretel. While I loved packaging fresh bread and stocking the shelves everyday, my favorite task was making coffee! So much so that I was convinced I would travel the world, study all types of coffee flavors and become a barista. Romantic, right?

Best piece of career advice I received: When I was introduced to writing and critiquing resumes, I kept hearing the term "transferable skills." I had difficulty with this concept when I wrote my first resume because I had not reflected upon my experiences in a holistic way. What was I supposed to say about working at Best Buy, aside from "I sold TVs and stereo systems"? When I posed this question to my then Career Services Director and now mentor, she responded with, "Look at all you have done." It was then that I learned how powerful the act of reflecting can be for one's career development. At least it helped me see that I definitely learned more skills than just talking to customers about Smart TVs! Looking back at my experiences from time to time really builds my confidence for my current role, and keeps me excited about new opportunities I'll come across in the future.

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Julia Hing
Associate Director for Employer Relations
jahing@usfca.edu

 

University of Michigan
B.B.A. with an emphasis in Marketing 
University of San Francisco 
M.S. in Project Management

Favorite Places in the City: Walking through the Ferry Building, grabbing a lunch at one of the food stands, and sitting on a bench by the water.

Hobbies and Interests: I enjoy cooking and love to learn new, easy recipes and pairing appropriate wines. I got into tennis about 10 years ago and play actively on various tennis leagues.

First internship/job: My family owned a small business, a Chinese take-out, and I learned food preparation and customer service techniques there.

Best piece of career advice I received:  Early in my career, I was laid off from a company, and my manager suggested that I use the time to look into jobs I felt more suitable for. After a couple months, I got my first job in marketing/merchandising for an entertainment retailer. It definitely was a better fit.

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Juli-Anne Brockway
Career Counselor
jbrockway@usfca.edu

 

Borough of Manhattan Community College/CUNY
AA Liberal Arts
Baruch College/CUNY
BA Psychology
Teachers College, Columbia University
MA Higher & Postsecondary Education

Favorite Places in the City: Golden Gate Park

Hobbies and Interests: Hiking, amateur photography, road trips, visiting national parks

First internship/job: Working as a cashier at the Hampton Classic in the summer while in high school.

Best piece of career advice I received:  “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door."

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Kristen Dittus
Program Assistant
kmdittus@usfca.edu

 

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
BA in Political Science, Bachelor of Theatre Arts
MA in Higher Education, concentration in Student Access and Success

Favorite Places in the City:
Dolores Park, Lands End, the Mission

Hobbies and Interests:
Travelling, running, trying new restaurants, watching sports-especially Michigan Wolverines football

First internship/job: 
For my first job I worked at my local movie theater over the summer.  I didn't find the work enjoyable, and disliked how I always smelled like popcorn. I decided to take a class and get certified to lifeguard instead, which I loved. This was my first hands-on experience with learning how much education can truly change your job prospects!  

Best piece of career advice I received: 
Find the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, and what someone will pay you to do.  This is where you’ll find a fulfilling career.

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Career Planning Peers

Career Planning Peers are the student representatives of the Career Services Center. Our goal is to help students rest easy by providing concrete tools for the often complicated job and internship search. They are full-time undergraduate students trained by Career Services Center counselors to assist with career planning and preparation, and they are capable of answering any basic career counseling questions. Most importantly, they offer unique advice because as students themselves, they know exactly what you’re going through.

Erica Greene
Lexi Jang-Chin
Sarah Abughrib