Business major Cameron Famiglietti was so impressed by the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute during her college tour of UMass Lowell that she wrote her application essay about the campus-wide entrepreneurship program.
鈥淚 toured a lot of other colleges, and no one else had a program like DifferenceMaker,鈥� the Billerica, Massachusetts, native says. 鈥淚 thought it was the coolest program. They care about their students enough to literally award them money to start their own businesses.鈥�
Famiglietti wasn鈥檛 interested in fielding a team and pitching an idea to DifferenceMaker judges, however. She was more interested in developing her marketing skills by working for the program.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a perfect fit,鈥� says Famiglietti, who has served as DifferenceMaker鈥檚 social media co-op since the start of her junior year. 鈥淚'm so happy because I have learned so much and I've met so many new people.鈥�
Besides promoting events on Instagram, LinkedIn and other channels, Famiglietti helps run the program鈥檚 Summer Boot Camp and orientation sessions for incoming first-year students. She also represented the program at the Deshpande Symposium in Scottsdale, Arizona 鈥� an experience that she says shifted her mindset heading into her senior year.聽
鈥淚 felt like a professional and less like a student,鈥� says Famiglietti, who had never traveled out west before. 鈥淚 dressed like a businessperson and learned how to talk to businesspeople attending the conference. It was an experience that you can't really get from sitting in the classroom.鈥�
A commuter student, Famiglietti enjoys taking fitness classes at the Campus Recreation Center with friends.
鈥淪tarting college during COVID wasn鈥檛 ideal, but I鈥檓 trying to put myself out there a little bit more,鈥� she says.
Famiglietti chose to major in business after participating in in high school.
鈥淚 like to think I鈥檓 pretty creative, and numbers weren鈥檛 really for me, so I chose to concentrate in marketing,鈥� says Famiglietti, who has enjoyed courses with adjunct faculty member Kevin Willett and visiting lecturer Bill Yelle.
After continuing for her MBA through the Bachelor鈥檚-to-Master鈥檚 Program, Famiglietti hopes to land a social media marketing position in another state, preferably Florida.
鈥淚've always wanted to move far away and experience living in another state,鈥� she says. 鈥淚'll probably end up moving back to Massachusetts at some point, but I want to explore a little bit.鈥�