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For Jeshica Patel ’17, her desire to pursue a legal career began early and was eventually driven toward a passion for science and environmental policy.

“I knew I wanted to be a lawyer in middle school,” shared Jeshica. While she always had an interest in the law, it was during college that she discovered how her scientific interests could intersect with legal practice. After taking an environmental law class, she changed her major from biology to environmental science and policy in her final year of undergraduate study, with the goal of eventually pursuing environmental law as a career.

It was her passion for the environment that ultimately led Jeshica to ���ҹ����� Haub Law. In addition to knowing she wanted to practice in New York, she was drawn to the Law School’s nationally recognized environmental law program, its proximity to New York City, and its location near extended family in New Jersey.

Once she was at ���ҹ����� Haub Law, Jeshica immersed herself in the environmental law program and took advantage of the wide range of opportunities available to students. “I think my experience at the Law School was so great because I got out of it what I put in,” she said. During her first year, she formed lasting friendships with classmates, many of whom lived together in the law school residence halls, which helped create a strong sense of community.

I think my experience at the Law School was so great because I got out of it what I put in.

—Jeshica Patel '17

One course that left a lasting impression was Professor Coplan’s Environmental Skills class, where students assumed real-world roles to better understand how environmental laws are applied in practice. Throughout law school, Jeshica participated in nearly every environmental extracurricular opportunity available, exploring different aspects of the field to determine the best fit for her career. Her experiences included volunteering at the Land Use Law Center, participating in the DC Externship Program at EPA headquarters, interning at EPA Region 2, interning at Riverkeeper, and working at the ���ҹ����� Energy and Climate Center. She also participated in the Environmental Litigation Clinic, completed a judicial externship in an Integrated Domestic Violence court in New York City, and attended the IUCN World Conservation Congress in 2016. “All of those experiences helped me learn substantive issues, work on my networking skills, and think creatively about problem-solving,” Patel said.

Jeshica’s first role after graduation came through the Excelsior Service Fellowship Program, where she worked in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The position introduced her to the policymaking process while setting her up for the next stage of her career. “That placement set my career up for a trajectory I never could have envisioned for myself in the best way possible,” she said.

Today, Jeshica works as an associate at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, where her work combines legal research, policy analysis, and client advocacy. She notes that her daily work varies widely. “Every day is different,” she said. “Some days I’m deep in legal research and memo drafting, while other days I’m working with clients to advance their priorities with various government entities. I get to learn something new every day.”

The skills Jeshica developed at ���ҹ����� Haub Law continue to serve her well. She notes that a legal drafting course in particular proved valuable, as much of her work today involves drafting research memoranda and legal documents. Her internship and externship experiences also taught her how to listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions, and collaborate with diverse stakeholder groups.

One of the proudest moments of her career came when she was appointed Governor Hochul’s assistant counsel for environment, energy, and agriculture, a role that allowed her to contribute directly to shaping environmental and energy policy in New York State.

Jeshica remains connected to the Law School community and is actively involved with the ���ҹ����� Environmental Law Alumni Association, often gathering with fellow alumni in Albany and New York City. She also makes herself available to speak with students and recent graduates who are interested in pursuing careers in environmental or energy law. Her advice to current law students and recent graduates is simple: “Keep an open mind. You never know what will happen when you say yes to an opportunity you didn’t expect.”

Outside of work, Jeshica enjoys traveling, rediscovering the joy of reading for fun, and attempting to improve her skills as a gardener, though, she jokes, the results are still to be determined.

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Welcome to the College of Health Professions (CHP) A Healthcare Pathway Series, where we take a deep dive into the careers, experiences, and inspiring advice from ���ҹ����� College of Health Professions Advisory Board members and key figures in healthcare.

Meet . Recently retired after a 40+ year long career, Cathy has had a great impact on hundreds of nurses, both as the current chair of the ���ҹ����� College of Health Professions (CHP) Advisory Board and as the former chief nursing officer (CNO) for Northwell Health-Northern Westchester Hospital Center, and within numerous other roles.

I couldn't have imagined when I first decided on nursing as a profession, that it would offer so many different opportunities as it has.

Cathy had never planned on becoming a CNO, though her career goals were always focused on leadership. After receiving her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of New Rochelle, Cathy started her leadership journey by earning her Master of Science in Nursing from CHP’s Lienhard School of Nursing (LSN). Obtaining professional certifications as an Emergency Nurse, Flight Nurse, and Nursing Leader, were also important to advancing her professional development.

“A leadership position isn't necessarily for everyone, but if you do enjoy envisioning and improving the quality of care that can be delivered, creating new healthcare delivery models, collaborating with many different disciplines, and focusing on strategy and efficiency, then leadership just might be for you,” Cathy explained. Leadership can take form in many ways and result in many different career paths. Prior to becoming the CNO for Northern Westchester Hospital Center, Cathy held roles such as, chief operating officer at Westchester Medical Center, vice president of Patient Care Services and Nursing for NYU Langone, director of nursing for NYU's Emergency Department and Observation Service, and chief flight nurse for the regional STAT Flight program.

Cathy shared that there are many paths that a nurse can follow with their career. For those looking to be more hands-on with patients, there is the direct clinical care route; you can work in a hospital, outpatient setting, provide care through a Telehealth platform, and provide care for all ages across the healthcare spectrum.

Outside of direct clinical work, nurses can become educators, conduct research, and work within different operational roles in a variety of healthcare settings. Other pathways include becoming a transformational leader, serving as an elected official, or roles where you can influence healthcare policy, manage finances, and direct healthcare policy.

The direction Cathy took with her career led her down an administrative pathway. Typically, when moving from clinical into more admin-focused positions, direct patient care decreases, but the overall impact on patients remains. A CNO’s responsibilities include ensuring patient safety, monitoring resource procurements and allocations, and improving nursing policies by creating a healthy environment for nurses to work within.

Moving to the administrative side of healthcare gave Cathy a new understanding of the importance of engaging in policy discussions, especially those that directly impact patient care and nursing practice.

"I’m not sure that when I was involved in direct patient care, I was as informed as I should have been regarding healthcare policy,” explained Cathy. “When I transitioned into various administrative positions, having access to information and participating in discussions led me to think more critically about policy issues and develop a passion for advocacy.”

Mentorship was another resource for Cathy that positively impacted her career. Having access and creating relationships with multiple mentors created a collaborative space for sharing knowledge and perspectives.

I was fortunate enough to have many [mentors]. One in particular taught me a lot about hospital operations and finance outside of patient care services, which gave me a better understanding of how all the different departments and services in healthcare are intertwined.

Since her retirement, Cathy has continued to mentor nursing colleagues and students alike, inspired by those who helped her along her own path. She is the regional president of the New York Organization of Nursing Leaders, and through this role is able to share her experiences with established and emerging nursing leaders.

“One of the benefits of being an active member of the CHP advisory board is having access to students who are in need of a mentor as they begin their professional journey.” Additionally, she has continued to serve the public and the nursing profession by remaining active through different advocacy and participation efforts, like her work on political action committees, to ensure that nursing agendas get attention from elected officials.

Supporting nurses and those who provide direct patient care is one of the most rewarding opportunities I have had in my career.

Sara Falcone, PhD, assistant professor of computer science at ���ҹ�����’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, has been awarded a grant from the , one of the most competitive and respected research funding organizations in the world.

The award recognizes Falcone’s innovative work at the intersection of human-centered AI, robotics, and immersive technologies—fields that examine not just how systems function, but how people experience and interact with them. Her Sloan-funded project will focus on making hybrid and remote environments more accessible, collaborative, and human.

The goal is to support things like attention management, timing and turn-taking, navigation and awareness in physical spaces, and to smooth social coordination in busy hybrid settings.

Redefining Hybrid Participation

Drawing on her multidisciplinary background in computer science, robotics, and cognitive science with a focus on human–computer and human–robot interactions, Falcone is developing new ways for remote participants to engage more naturally in academic settings such as conferences, lab visits, and invited talks. At the core of the project is the idea of co-embodied hybrid attendance—a model where remote attendees and on-site hosts work together in real time, allowing the remote attendee to participate more naturally rather than merely observing through a screen.

“We’re building lightweight wearable haptic prototypes worn on the forearms and shoulders that deliver haptic cues as a low-disruption, private communication channel alongside audio/video,” Falcone said. “The goal is to support things like attention management, timing and turn-taking, navigation and awareness in physical spaces, and to smooth social coordination in busy hybrid settings.”

By integrating multisensory wearable technology with virtual and physical interaction, her research aims to close the gap between being there and truly participating, particularly for those unable to travel.

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Falcone is collaborating with leading researchers to advance the project. “This work is being carried out in collaboration with research partners at Cornell University and Cornell Tech, combining expertise in human-computer interaction, accessibility, and embodied telepresence,” she added. “Through iterative prototyping and user studies/pilot deployments, we’ll evaluate how these cues affect engagement, social presence and connection, workload, and overall quality of the hybrid experience, and we’ll translate the findings into practical design guidance for more inclusive hybrid participation.”

This is a massive achievement for any faculty member, and we are incredibly proud to have Professor Falcone in the department.

A Mark of Excellence

Miguel Mostero, PhD, professor of computer science and chair of the computer science department at Seidenberg, noted that the “Sloan Foundation is known for backing only the most high-impact, innovative researchers, and receiving this grant is a major stamp of approval on the caliber of Professor Falcone’s work.”

He emphasized that “this is a massive achievement for any faculty member, and we are incredibly proud to have Professor Falcone in the department. I look forward to seeing the project unfold!”

Through the continuation of her groundbreaking work, Falcone demonstrates ���ҹ�����’s commitment to advancing technology that centers human connection, accessibility, and real-world impact.