Elizabeth and Patrick Rivelli, Sr.
Elizabeth Rivelli and her grandfather, Pat Sr., have always been close, sharing fishing expeditions, visits to SeaWorld, and many a homemade blueberry pancake breakfast. Now they’re both Northeastern alumni, united through a scholarship named in their honor.
In May 2016, the pair walked at Commencement in full regalia, hers black and his gold, beaming from shared memories of the evening before. At dinner, Elizabeth’s parents, Jennifer and Patrick, had presented Pat with a surprise: a framed announcement of the Patrick A. Rivelli Sr. and Elizabeth M. Rivelli Fund, at the College of Arts, Media and Design.
Elizabeth, who was in on her parents’ secret, explained that the scholarship will be awarded to an exceptional undergraduate. “Jen and I wanted to honor the achievements of Elizabeth and of my dad, who could not have afforded college without co-op,” says Patrick.
As undergraduates 57 years apart, Pat and Elizabeth each discovered their talent for leadership at Northeastern. For Elizabeth, AMD’16, who had never considered herself a leader, the revelation occurred while serving as the president of the Panhellenic Council, where she coordinated the philanthropic efforts of the university’s 10 sororities. It’s a skill she plans to apply to her work in public relations.
For Pat, E’59, who was the first in his family to go to college, the knowledge and confidence he gained at Northeastern led him to found National Microetics, a disc drive manufacturer. He also helped launch a string of successful startups in his role as a venture investor.
“We’re proud of them both,” Patrick declares, noting that Pat Sr. and his wife, Yvonne, funded a College of Engineering scholarship in 2014. “We’re truly a Northeastern family.”
SHARE YOUR STORY
WeEmpower@neu.edu
Behind every Northeastern graduate is a story of empowerment—often, a story about a formative personal or mentoring relationship. Please add your testimonial to the growing collection and share a favorite memory or anecdote about your empower source.
Jim and Amie Smith
Jim and Amie Smith share what he calls “our NU DNA.” Recently, they endowed a scholarship in journalism and made a gift to the Dean’s Innovation Fund at the library, where the couple first connected.
Bill Garvey
AS'80
Bill Garvey remembers the “wake up call” of those first-quarter Cs, and a courseload so heavy that he “fell behind, overwhelmed.” But through co-op, he laid the foundations of a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Joe Fleming and Chris Ford
Joe Fleming, PAH’70, MS’71, and Chris Ford, DMSB’73, are delivering a healthy dose of mentorship through the Health Sciences Entrepreneurs program in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences.
Gerard LoPorto
LA'73
“My first co-op advisor, Corinne Reppucci—she was Miss Cianci then—was instrumental in getting me a co-op I loved. That was the start of a wonderful career, one that gave me the ‘global mindset’ so essential for our students today.”
Nohemi Moctezuma
SSH'15
“I’m the first college graduate in my family, thanks to the Northeastern supporters who funded my Torch Scholarship.”
Carla Oblas
Faculty
For Carla Oblas, director of Northeastern’s Balfour Academy, helping young people in underserved schools has empowered students in their quest for a college education—and it has empowered her along the way.
Ron Caplan
DMSB'72
“I worked in Northeastern’s dining services as a part-time dishwasher and server, and was eventually invited to be a co-op assistant manager. It was the start of an incredible opportunity that far exceeded the typical college experience.”
Adam Kneeland
DMSB'02
“Northeastern has been a part of my life from the beginning. My father, William Kneeland Jr., DMSB’67, worked at the university for nearly 30 years, and to me, he is Northeastern.”
Mary Florentine
S'73, MA'75, PhD'78
“I owe my career satisfaction to co-op and my adviser, Professor Nancy Caruso. As a Northeastern professor, I have hired many wonderful co-op students in the course of almost 25 years.”
Greg Skloot
DMSB'12
“Growing up, I launched businesses from my parents’ basement. By the time I was a high school senior, I was running a thriving IT support company and building websites for dozens of customers.”
TATUM HARTWIG
AMD'16
“If you haven’t heard of The Husky Ambassadors, you have definitely seen us—the tour guides who strut through campus with prospective students, parents shuffling behind.”
Maureen Burke
N'76
“My degree provided a new level of professionalism, required for advancement in nursing. Northeastern’s innovative Nursing Interim Program influenced my work as a caregiver, manager, and risk taker—and throughout my career, I encouraged creative thinking and educational opportunities for my staff.”
Cory Bolotsky
DMSB'15
“Professor Adomdza has empowered me to take full advantage of global experiential learning and has helped shape me into the person I am today: a budding entrepreneur prepared through coursework, research, and co-op for whatever opportunities come my way.”
Dr. Andrew Schafer
LA'69
“When I arrived at Northeastern I had very vague ideas about what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to go into medicine but I had no idea where to go or who to go to about getting that kind of mentoring.”
Cheryl McCormick
CPS'09
“At age 37, I was a stay-at-home mother of three young children and in the midst of a divorce. I knew I needed an education or I wouldn’t be able to secure a job doing much of anything.”
Montrice Scott
DMSB'15
“Balancing work and school, and being on co-op, has taught me how to live life as an adult. Northeastern’s career-oriented atmosphere changed me. It’s made me more mature.”
Kenneth Solano
CSH'68
“My father-in-law said if I was ever going to marry his daughter, I’d better go to college. Things worked out! Because of the people I met at Northeastern, I had a great career, and I and my late wife, Nancy—also an alum—were married for 37 years.”
PAMELA WOODNICK
CPS'10
“I had been a senior vice president of human resources with a successful corporate career. The day my job was eliminated, in 2007, I looked at my husband and said, ‘I’m going to start my own business and go back to school!'”
BOB LENTZ
DMSB'73
“I can still picture her: a petite college grad, not much older than I was—my co-op advisor’s assistant. When I told her I wanted a co-op with a Big Eight accounting firm, she just laughed. ‘With your grades?'”
MONYRATH CHAN
S'12
“I was a Torch Scholar in this incredible program’s second year. My mentor at Northeastern—James Stellar, then dean of the former College of Arts and Sciences—introduced me to research and took me under his wing.”
KAREN PRITCHARD
DMSB'81
“As a junior at the business school, I managed to slip into an oversubscribed class on real estate finance taught by Steve Kursh. There weren’t enough chairs, so only the seniors were invited to enroll that semester. Somehow, I stayed.”
Terrell Hunt
DMSB'13
“It isn’t often that you encounter a manager who is both brilliant and extraordinarily caring, but that’s exactly what I got in Brenna McCarthy. I did a co-op at John Hancock Funds, where I assisted Brenna in marketing operations.”
Jim Ballway
PA'75
“I was discharged from the Army in ’73, when the economy was faltering badly. I had no career direction. Joe Golemme convinced me to enroll at the Graduate School of Professional Accounting, which he both founded and directed.”
Nicole Reppucci
E'17
“I have wanted to attend Northeastern ever since I watched my dad graduate in Matthews Arena, when I was ten. It was my dream to follow in his footsteps.”
Dennis Picard
LI'59, UC'62, H'89
“After I received my engineering degree, I went on to University College and took a course in business law with Professor Victor Cohen. He was one of the toughest professors I ever had, but I must tell you, he would really put the law into you.”
Iris Sherman
CPS'87, DMSB'12
“As a ‘double Husky,’ I’ve had some great teacher-mentors whose knowledge and solid advice have propelled my career successes. Professor James Ramos is one, though we’ve only ever met online.”