Melissa (Carolas) D’Angelo
Melissa (Carolas) D’Angelo ‘06, MBA ‘09
Major: Business (MBA)Performance Improvement Coordinator - Chevron
Melissa currently works for Chevron as Performance Improvement Coordinator and has worked during her entire early career in the energy industry. She will soon return to her position at the multi-national energy giant after a maternity leave to care for her five-month-old twin boys. Melissa is also the mother of a two-year-old son and wife to her husband, David ‘08.
Despite the busy nature of her life, Melissa accepted an invitation several years ago from the Geneva Business Department to come back to campus to speak to business students after she completed her MBA. She has a standing invitation when the department offers the Management Insights course, a one-credit class designed to give soon-to-be graduates a look at the new world of business they will be entering.
My Geneva education gave me transferable skills and helped me develop a problem-solving mentality and competence in building relationships."
“I come back to Geneva to talk to the students because it is important to pay forward in young students’ lives today,” Melissa explains of her decision to return up to twice a year to offer her time and insight. She adds, “We had the same opportunity available to us when I was an undergraduate, and I found it to be very beneficial to hear real-life stories of alumni and to see who they are now and how they play a role in the community.”
Regarding the quality of a Geneva education, Melissa comments, "The professors at Geneva hold you accountable. It matters to them if you show up for class and turn in assignments. They want to invest in you and help you to be the best that you can be, and they really care about you,” she says. "The faculty and staff do support the students and invest time into enriching students’ lives – that’s something Geneva can be really proud of.”
Students often ask about her undergraduate experience and how it prepared her for her career. Melissa comments that getting her start in the energy industry was not her initial plan but that her Geneva education prepared her well for the inevitable twists and turns of a career in business.