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

Sophomores – Apply for the Aon Career Discovery Program Today!

Are you interested in an actuarial career path?  Do you want to learn what a consulting actuarial career path might look like?  If you answered YES, check out this program run by Aon.  The program is run as a mentorship. Each student will be paired one on one with a local colleague, likely someone still sitting for exams themselves! In addition to being paired with a mentor, they will also have the opportunity to participate in group calls and work …

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

What is a Property and Casualty Actuary?

Actuaries earning credentials from Casualty Actuarial Society work primarily in the property and casualty insurance industry, in areas such as personal lines insurance, commercial lines insurance, and reinsurance. Property and Casualty actuaries can work a variety of jobs, including enterprise risk management, ratemaking, predictive modeling, and more. Learn more and explore different career paths in this article from CAS.

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

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Becoming an Accountant

Not sure if accounting is the right career path for you? Interested in becoming an accountant but want to learn more about the career path? The Muse has a great Career Explainer article all about the field of accountancy. Learn about what accountants do, the different subsections of accounting, key hard and soft skills, salary expectations, typical working environment, and so much more. Access the article here.

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

Apply for the Norm Ziegler Trailblazer Collegiate Scholarship today!

Don’t miss this opportunity!

The NAIW Legacy Foundation is a 501(c)3 insurance trust dedicated to the development of educational programs for insurance professionals. The NAIW Legacy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the International Association of Insurance Professionals (IAIP).

The Norm Ziegler Trailblazer Scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate student members working towards a career in the insurance and risk management industry. Norm (Norbert) Ziegler was a mentor to many in the insurance industry and owner of Frontier Adjusters. …

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

CBIZ Campus Recruiting is hosting the 2024 Career Academy! 🎉

What is the CBIZ Career Academy: The Career Academy is a virtual developmental experience crafted for high-achieving college students. The program is designed to provide insights into the dynamic world of public accounting, helping to show students the many exciting career paths in public accounting, and why CBIZ is the right employer to help them achieve success!

Following this exclusive, invitation-only event, participants will have the opportunity to interview for an internship position at CBIZ.

🔵 How do I enlist in the Career …

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

Vault’s 2023 Best Data Analytics Internships

Every year, Vault surveys thousands of current and former interns to determine the best internship programs available. Vault’s Best Internships by Role reflect the programs rated highest by interns working in those specific roles and functions. View the top data analytics internship programs here. For each company ranked, you can see their score and access a complete company profile that includes a company and internship program overview, intern reviews, information about the recruitment process, benefits of the internship program, and …

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

The Accounting Firms that made Fortune’s Best Workplace List (2022)

Fortune’s 2022 Best Workplaces Lists included nine accounting firms in the large enterprise category and three accounting firms in the small/medium category. Learn more about these firms, and the methodology behind the list, here.

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

Looking for Practical Data Science Project Experience?

NSDC Data Science Project

This month, the National Student Data Corps (NSDC) has launched a new Data Science Project: Introduction to SQL Queries! This SQL project is designed for beginners who want to practice writing SQL queries using a real-world dataset. The main goal is to help students become familiar with SQL syntax and basic data analysis tasks. Learn more about other Data Science Projects on the NSDC website.

Grow your data science skill set with National Student Data Corps! 

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

Applications for the Actuary of Tomorrow – Stuart A. Robertson Scholarship are Open!

Scholarship Description: Stuart A. Robertson, FSA, MAAA (1918–2005) was a distinguished actuary who co-founded the actuarial and consulting firm Milliman & Robertson (now Milliman, Inc.). The Actuary of Tomorrow – Stuart A. Robertson Scholarship was established to honor his dedication to excellence and recognize his tremendously positive influence on the professional lives of many colleagues.


Scholarship Amount: $10,000


Application Deadline: June 1, 2024


Eligibility:

Be full-time students at a U.S. accredited educational institution
Be entering as a Sophomore, Junior or Senior

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

MassCPAs Scholarship Applications Open November 13!

Through the MassCPAs Educational Foundation, the Society granted 51 scholarships to students last year, totaling $175,000. Scholarship applications for the coming year open next week! Learn more and explore scholarship opportunities here.

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