Meet a Few CESS Alumni

Tom Payeur (G'12)

"Allowing students the opportunity to embrace change, become frustrated, and struggle to articulate what they are going through is an awe-inspiring experience." Find out how Vermont Teacher of the Year Tom Payeur is working to address educational inequities in his culturally diverse classroom in Winooski.

Shawna Wells ('04)

“UVM changed my trajectory as a person because I got the opportunity to work with a lot of people who really cared about humanity," says Shawna Wells ('04), who is passionate about her work to transform schools in underserved communities around the country. See how Shawna is working to build schools and opportunities.

Nydia Guity ('09)

“It’s rewarding to hear that I helped someone get back in touch with their own light to work towards their desired goal. I really believe in helping people to help themselves and take the lead in their life.” Find out how Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Nydia Guity is guiding the healing process in Atlanta, Georgia.

Celia Cuddy (G'98)

"I love that social work is explicit about our professional commitments to working for social justice. This shapes our practice at all levels as we seek to understand individual experience in the context of the political, social, and cultural landscape," says Celia Cuddy, recently honored with a special award as an outstanding teacher of Social Work at UVM. 

Camara Stokes Hudson

"Working as a policy researcher and advocate on child and family issues, it was incredibly useful to have a way of thinking about issues like juvenile justice and education from a complex, multi-systemic lens," says Human Development and Family Studies alumna Camara Stokes Hudson ('17), currently enrolled at the NYU School of Law.

Nick Walket ('10)

“I owe a lot to UVM. The encouragement and dedication from professors motivated me. When I graduated, the support and mentoring I received helped to provide me with the tools necessary to enter the teaching world confidently." Find out how Nick has been teaching abroad and exploring the world since graduating from UVM.

Tegan Garon ('16)

"Students now know that every day in my classroom will be different from the previous day, and I’ve loved using the element of surprise to engage them." Tegan has a passion for teaching "real math" to the students at his high school.

Where are they now?

CESS alumni are making a difference all around the world. Here are just a few of them:

• Gary Margolis (G'96, '01), President and CEO, Social Sentinal
• Maura Satti ('13), Social Worker, Yale New Haven Hospital, Connecticut
• Grace Colbert ('18), Elementary School Teacher, Teach for America, Boston, Massachusetts
• Patrick Long (G'19), Fulbright Scholar, South Korea
• Gina Abbiati ('16), Employment Consultant, Vermont Association of Business, Industry, and Rehabilitation (VABIR)
• Winny Looby (G'13, '17), Disability Studies Project Coordinator, Center on Disability and Community Inclusion, University of Vermont
• Leo Lambert (G'78), President Emeritus, Elon University, North Carolina
• Shannon Mandigo ('18), Head Toddler Teacher, Greater Burlington YMCA
• Luke Quinn ('08), Early Headstart Home Visitor, Children's Home Society of Washington (Seattle/Auburn)
• Austin Brown (G'16), Associate Director of Research and Programming, Center For Young Adult Addiction and Recovery at Kennesaw State University, Georgia
• Kathryn Haber ('09), Therapist, Summit Achievement Wilderness Program, Maine
• Dan French (G'14), Vermont Secretary of Education
• Marielena Szumowski ('10), Services Coordinator, Pathways Vermont
• Joseph Peters ('02), Counseling Services Leader, Cape Fear Hospice and Lifecare Center, Wilmington, North Carolina
• Erin O'Keefe ('13), Program Manager, Vermont Dept of Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs