Melissa J. Sawyer

Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center

Melissa Sawyer is Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager and dedicated Career Coach for the Accountancy, Corporate Finance and Accounting (Accounting Focus), Data Analytics, Information Systems Audit and Control, Mathematics, and Actuarial Sciences majors for Undergraduate Career Development in the Pulsifer Career Development Center. Sawyer has more than 20 years of experience working in higher education in various functions encompassing career services, admission, financial aid, fellowship programs, and registrar’s office. She has developed strong relationships with staff and faculty throughout Bentley’s campus while collaborating on various programs for her majors. Sawyer has established solid partnerships with employers who actively recruit the students in her area of focus. Additionally, she oversees the relationship between the Pulsifer Career Center and Handshake and Big Interview. Sawyer looks forward to meeting with students to help them evaluate their interests regarding major and career path and in developing the skills necessary to acquire the positions they desire.

Prior to working at Bentley, Sawyer worked in career services with law students at Western New England School of Law and held various positions at Cornell University prior to and during graduate school. She has a Bachelor of Arts from John Carroll University and a MEd from Kent State University.

Dedicated Career Coach for the following majors:

  • Accountancy
  • Actuarial Sciences
  • Corporate Finance and Accounting (Accounting Focus)
  • Data Analytics
  • Information Systems Audit and Control
  • Information Technology in Accounting
  • Mathematics

Fun fact:  Melissa has traveled to 18 countries in the past 18 years (and more prior to that)!  Traveling with her husband and son is one of her passions and their most recent adventure was to go to the Galapagos Islands.  Melissa looks forward to many more stamps in her passport in the future!

Favorite part about the office: Working with the amazing students – Melissa truly enjoys watching them grow, develop and achieve their goals.  Seeing the smiles on students faces when they receive their internship/full time offer is the best!

Junior & Senior Appointments:

Please schedule an appointment via Handshake (Career Center > Appointments > Schedule a New Appointment > follow remaining prompts).

All Posts

OLA Scholarship for 2023-24 Academic Year!

OLA furthers its mission of increasing the number of Latine actuaries by awarding academic scholarships to Latines who will be attending a US college/university next school year. Applications will be evaluated on various criteria including, but not limited to, academic performance, commitment to pursuing the actuarial profession, exam progress, work experience, and leadership experience.

What type of scholarships are awarded?

Named Scholarships: Winners receive $5,000 and are guaranteed an actuarial internship for Summer 2024. Finalists for the named scholarship will …

By Melissa J. Sawyer
Melissa J. Sawyer Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center
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Career Paths in the Insurance Industry

Did you know there are a variety of career paths in the insurance industry? Gamma Iota Sigma, the insurance industry’s premier collegiate talent pipeline, compiled a series of insurance industry career paths. Each in-depth career guide includes a job overview, education/professional requirements, job outlook, and additional resources. Explore all their insurance career paths here.

By Melissa J. Sawyer
Melissa J. Sawyer Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center
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Accounting Resource Center for Students

Accounting.com’s student resource center offers a variety of information on the accounting profession. Resources cover everything from types of accounting degrees, accounting exams, licsensure and certification options, internship advice, popular websites for accounting students, and more. Check out the resource center here.

By Melissa J. Sawyer
Melissa J. Sawyer Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center
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Data Analytics Degree Requirements at Bentley University

Interested in learning more about the Data Analytics major at Bentley University? Data Analytics students are introduced to a combination of mathematics, statistics and computing courses, including intensive, hands-on work with R, Python and SQL, to improve their quantitative decision-making skills and ability to manipulate both structured and unstructured data. Read the Data Analytics degree overview and learn more about the required classes here.

By Melissa J. Sawyer
Melissa J. Sawyer Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center
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Summer Fellowship for Undergraduates

The Center for Innovative Design and Analysis (CIDA) is pleased to offer 2 10-week fellowships (May 30-August 4, 2023). Students will spend 4-weeks on campus working alongside collaborative biostatisticians within CIDA then participate in CoSIBS for the last 6-weeks. This fellowship is available for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds.  Learn if you meet the criteria.

The Colorado Summer Institute in Biostatistics (CoSIBS) is a 6-week program which exposes undergraduate and early-stage graduate students to diverse research in the medical and public …

By Melissa J. Sawyer
Melissa J. Sawyer Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center
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GHC 2023 Student Scholarship Applications Opened

GHC 2023 student scholarship opened. https://ghc.anitab.org/attend/scholarships/student/

Any women students who are pursuing a STEM related program at Bentley are eligible to apply for this scholarship. Since 2017, more than thirty Bentley women students from our GHC group have received this competitive scholarship and volunteer opportunities to attend this largest women technologist conference in the world, and more students have received Bentley internal funding to attend the conference.

The application package is not complicated but the reward of attending this conference …

By Melissa J. Sawyer
Melissa J. Sawyer Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center
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BerryDunn Wants you!

Check out a way to get to know BerryDunn through their Career Discovery Days.  Information included below.

Go HERE to apply by April 14, 2023!

By Melissa J. Sawyer
Melissa J. Sawyer Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center
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The State of the Accounting Profession in Recent Years

This article from The CPA Journal breaks down the results of the national 24th Annual NYSSCPA-Rosenberg Practice Management Survey. The Rosenberg Survey analyzes national trends that all CPAs in public practice need to be aware of, covering the areas of revenue growth, merger and acquisition activity, leverage (partner-to-staff ratios), and demographics.

By Melissa J. Sawyer
Melissa J. Sawyer Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center
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Check out Workforce Ready! Accounting Career Skills Symposium by MassCPAs

Join them on Friday, April 21, from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., at Convene in Downtown Boston for MassCPAs Workforce Ready! Accounting Career Skills Symposium!

You’ll learn about resume building and interviewing, effective communication, how to be your authentic self and so much more! You’ll also connect with firms and graduate school programs from across the state – and maybe even your future employer!

All attendees will earn an official MassCPAs Workforce Ready certificate. 

Click HERE to register.

Please note: This …

By Melissa J. Sawyer
Melissa J. Sawyer Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center
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Register for Emerging Health Actuarial Topic with The Cigna Group: Biosimilars

This in-person discussion will focus on the emergence of biosimilar drugs and their impact to the work health actuaries do at The Cigna Group! This session will be led by two Bentley alumni and current Actuarial Executive Development Program Associates, who will give an overview of The Cigna Group and the Actuarial Executive Development Program (AEDP). Pizza and snacks will be provided!

Details:

Tuesday March 28

2:00pm-3:20pm

Jennison 215

 

Register here.

By Melissa J. Sawyer
Melissa J. Sawyer Senior Associate Director/Operations Manager, Undergraduate Career Development, Pulsifer Career Development Center
Read more