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Career Center, Santa Clara University

About

 

Your SCU Career Center Team

 

Dylan Houle

Executive Director - Career & Professional Development

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I'm excited to come to work each day to help deliver on the promise of higher education for all of our students: a good job, social capital, and economic mobility in pursuit of a more humane, just, and sustainable world. I'm honored to be your Executive Director and I look forward to all we will accomplish together.

Read the Monthly Director's Message:
2024: Mar | Feb | Jan
2023: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan
2022: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept

I am also the host of Career Services Leadership in Higher Education, the only podcast where we speak exclusively to senior leaders in the field of career services about their leadership philosophy, frameworks and methodologies. I invite you to listen!

 

Career Development Team

 

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Colleen Withers

Director - Career Development & Campus Integration

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Colleen Withers joins us from the Graduate Business Career Management team at Santa Clara University where she helped the team achieve a #1 ranking for Career in the Poets & Quants rankings for Online MBA Programs. Previously she worked as an Executive Recruiter at KPMG and Human Resources Director for software startups, nonprofits and solar companies. She received her Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame. She is passionate about teaching students career readiness skills and lifelong career self reliance. She looks forward to leveraging her background and network to expand career programming while deepening relationships and partnerships across Santa Clara University.

Noël Kreidler

Associate Director, Career Development & Campus Integration - Business & Entrepreneurship

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Noël Kreidler enjoys supporting students in discovering career paths where they can fully express their interests and talents in the workplace, and collaborating with campus partners to develop initiatives that connect students with their passion. Her background includes 25+ years of experience as a Human Resources professional in a variety of geographic and business environments, including tech, retail, non-profit and consulting as well as 8+ years of experience as a Career Services professional at Santa Clara University and The University of Arizona.  As a person with a physical disability, she is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and sits on the Board of Directors for two non-profits that champion inclusion for people with disabilities in the workplace and the housing community. She has a MEd with a Counseling and Human Relations emphasis from Northern Arizona University and a BA in Economics with a minor in Human Resources from The University of Arizona.  In her spare time, she enjoys swimming, art, reading, writing, interior design and spending time with family and friends.

Vania headshot

Vania Tong

Assistant Director, Career Development - STEM & Innovation

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我會說廣東話和普通話。/ 我会说广东话和普通话。

Vania joins the Career Center with over seven years of experience supporting folks in educational and career-oriented spaces. In her tenure as a non-profit professional, she has pivoted nimbly and effectively between being an empathetic direct service provider and creative, strategic program designer. Her personal experiences and interest in diverse communities have led her to roles supporting refugees & asylees, new immigrant youth, and first-gen students across Los Angeles, New York City, Peru, and most recently, San Francisco. Vania ultimately wants to see students flourish and hopes to support them by committing to holistic, equity-focused, strength-based, community-centered, and culturally-responsive approaches and design. In her role as Career Development Specialist (STEM + Innovation), she is most excited to partner with students in their professional development and pursuits, as well as contribute to a more robust and interconnected campus ecosystem that will ultimately support student success. Vania holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts, with a minor in Cognitive Science (Human Computer Interaction/User-Centered Design) from the University of California, San Diego, and a MS in Social Work, focusing on program design & evaluation and international social welfare from Columbia University.

Myriam Bartz, MBA

Assistant Director, Career Development - Graduate Students and Alumni

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Yo hablo español.

Myriam joins the Career Center with extensive career transition and coaching experience with the largest providers of Global Career Placement Solutions and the Technology Industry. She is passionate about inspiring students and alumni to realize their best selves by leveraging their strengths, unique value, and purpose so they can create internship and job search strategies to pursue meaningful work and meet the needs of the community and the industry.  Her background includes 15+ years of experience for a leading technology company in Customer Service, and the Executive Briefing Center as a Program Manager putting together technology briefing events with cross-functional teams for customers from Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Myriam holds a coaching certification from the International Coaching Federation with an emphasis in Positive Psychology and an MBA from Golden Gate University.

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Britannia Gillanders

Assistant Director, Career Development - Arts, Humanities & Public Sector 

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Britannia joins the career team with over 5 years of experience in the education sector. Most recently she is making the transition from academic advising and disability services, into career services. Her interest in integrating career and professional development into the educational curriculum is what brings her to this role. Britannia hopes to champion each student on their unique academic/career journey through connection and collaboration. She is looking forward to engaging with the Santa Clara community to best serve and support students. Britannia has earned an MA in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development with an emphasis in Higher Education from the University of Minnesota and a BA in Education from Lindenwood University. 

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Demetria Quijada

Graduate Intern, Career Development Coach

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Demetria is a Santa Clara University alum with her BA in Communication. She’s a second-year graduate student pursuing her degree in Applied Psychology, seeking opportunities to grow in the field of leadership, professional development, and team building. Demetria is a LEAD Scholars alum as she was both a first-generation college student and a transfer student. Having this background, she is passionate about collaborating with these populations of students. She deeply appreciates the power of community and wants to support students by encouraging them to explore the plethora of different communities and resources, on-campus or off-campus.

 

 

Employer Relations Team

 

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Melissa Thiriez

Director - Employer Relations & Partnerships

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Yo hablo español.

Melissa (she/her) aims to build meaningful connections between students and organizations, foster diverse talent pipelines, and create inclusive workplaces that drive both personal and organizational growth. Melissa joined SCU after working in nonprofits, K-12 education, and one tech startup. She graduated with a MA in Education from Claremont Graduate University and a BA in Psychology from Scripps College.

Amanuel Bizuneh

Assistant Director, Employer Relations - Arts, Humanities & Public Sector

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Born and raised in San Jose, CA, Amanuel is an alumni of Santa Clara University and is excited to join the Career Center. His background includes serving injured workers at a local Law Firm as well as facilitating 7th and 8th grade English courses. Amanuel is very excited to be connecting students with employers so that they can achieve their professional goals. He also enjoys leveraging knowledge of our student populations and relationships with faculty and staff to build relationships; thus, employers can maximize their resources when engaging with our campus ecosystem.

Andrew Gupton

Assistant Director, Employer Relations - STEM & Innovation

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Andrew comes to Santa Clara University with experience in corporate talent acquisition, EdTech, and traditional higher education. While the majority of his experience has been student facing, he is excited to leverage his 7 years of industry experience to work directly with the employer community and help facilitate connections between students and the working world. Originally from Denver, CO, Andrew's professional and personal experiences have taken him to New Jersey, San Diego, Vail, and finally the Bay Area. Andrew holds a B.A. in Film Studies and a certificate in Technology, Arts, and Media from the University of Colorado.

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Sunaina Gulati-Ruh

Assistant Director, Employer Relations - Business & Entrepreneurship

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Sunaina joins the Career Center from the Graduate Business Career Management team where she led a team of three to develop and scale a range of career services and initiatives to create purposeful connections between 700+ graduate MBA & MS students and employers. Students had opportunities to grow their network through industry panels, company information sessions and treks and networking events to support their goals for career pivots, advancement or entrepreneurship.  A fan of the power of networking as an accelerant to career success, her focus will be on connecting Bronco student talent with local, national and global employers through career fairs, coffee chats, and boutique recruiting opportunities.  Previously, she has held sales and marketing roles at Citibank, NY,  Intuit and as an Executive Coach at Lee Hecht Harrison. She holds a BA from Skidmore College, and a MA in Counseling Psychology, with an emphasis in career, from Santa Clara University.


 

Contact & Directions

To Contact the Career Center:

Phone: (408) 554-4421

Email: careercenter@scu.edu

 

Map

Map of SCU Campus.

The Career Center is in the west wing on the first floor of Benson Memorial Center.

Office Hours

Monday - Thursday
9am-5pm

Friday (Virtual)
9am-4:30pm

Need assistance outside of our office hours?  Utilize the variety of digital tools and resources available through Handshake and our website 24/7!

SCU Mask Guidelines 

It is highly recommended that all individuals wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth in public indoor spaces, including when visiting the Career Center.