Spotlights

These are the career stories of diverse individuals working in a variety of careers. Watch or read about what inspired them to pursue their career, what they were like growing up, what they love most about their career and more!

Paul Tanpitukpongse is an engineer-turned-patent attorney currently working with Meunier, Carlin & Curfman LLC, a legal firm located in Atlanta, GA. A self-described ‘tinkerer’, Paul participated in the automotive club, science fairs and engineering competitions in high school. These extra-curricular endeavors coupled with strong STEM skills led to his first career as an engineer. As an advocate for continual learning and following one’s passions, Paul decided to then  pursue a career in the legal field.. He has found success as a practicing patent attorney for five years… Read More
Roshan Yoganathan went from playing with homemade volcanoes and other science experiments to helping develop medical devices the size of a grain of rice.  A passion for science and healthcare led Roshan to a career as a biomedical scientist. Working on the cutting edge of technology means a scientist has to be on the move. Roshan’s career has taken him around the globe; starting out in his hometown of Toronto, Roshan relocated to the Australian shore, then Los Angeles, and recently to his current home in San Francisco. As he works on developing devices designed to help people… Read More
Robert Sheldon is currently a Concert Band Editor for Alfred Publishing Co., Inc, a music publishing company based in California. Throughout this career, Mr. Sheldon has also attained great success as a composer, and is even recognized as one of the most performed composers of wind band music today. He has been asked to guest-conduct performances of his own compositions on the world’s most prestigious platforms, such as New York’s Carnegie Hall.  Nevertheless, Mr. Sheldon claims his ‘first love’ in terms of his professional life, has always been to teach! He has enjoyed an… Read More
“If where you’re going in your career tends to scare you a little bit, chances are you’re going in the right direction.” Jennifer Fiorenza is the Vice President for the Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle Division at Beautiful Planning Marketing & PR, a firm which is currently one of the top PR companies for both national and international coverage. Growing up, Jennifer was a social butterfly and soon found a passion for fashion. Being the first of her family to attend higher education, Fiorenza continues to prove her success with an extensive background and understanding of… Read More
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Neil Thompson has worn many different hats. In the past he’s worked as a research associate at a start-up company and as a product development engineer. Now Thompson works as a patent agent and writer, helping those with innovative ideas bring their ideas to fruition while regularly posting on his website neilthompsonspeaks.com. With his experience at start-up companies and as a product development engineer, Thompson also occasionally contributes to business journals like the San Diego Business Journal (SDBJ) on the topic of start-up companies. As a student, Thompson excelled in the… Read More
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“Every roadblock is a chance to learn, and I’m constantly learning.” Brendan Reville has had a productive 20 years. From ideating and working on the X-Box live feed at Microsoft, to being a vital team developer at Code.org, the world's leading computer science education site, Reville has made wide-reaching impacts on the world through his work as a software engineer. Before starting his professional career Reville earned his degree in computer science at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Later relocating to Seattle, WA to work at Microsoft, Reville is still based out of… Read More