Meet The Team

Career Liaisons

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Career Center Full-Time Staff Org Chart
Zavi Gunn

Zavi Gunn

​Director

Zavi has 25 years of experience in teaching, developing innovative programs and career coaching/counseling. She is very passionate about educating, engaging, and empowering Queens College students toward career success and social mobility. Zavi enjoys going to museums and bowling with her two children.​​

Elizabeth O’Connell

Elizabeth O’Connell

Associate Director of Career Education

​Liz has over 25 years of experience in education, business, and human resources. She enjoys connecting with students and guiding them through their career education experience at Queens College. Seeing the success of her students and building valuable relationships with employers and alumni are also an important parts of her role. In her spare time, she enjoys running, boating, and traveling with her friends and family.

Concentrations
Aaron Copland School of Music, American Studies, Art, Classical, Middle Eastern, and Asian Languages and Culture, Comparative Literature, Drama, Theatre and Dance, English, European Languages and Literatures, Film Studies, FYC (First Year College), Hispanic Languages and Literatures, Journalism, Labor, Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, Media Studies, Pre-Law, Psychology*, QC in 4

Caterina (Cathy) Alessio

Eleanor Mavashev

Associate Director of Business Careers

​Eleanor has 20 years of experience in education, teaching, and business. She enjoys helping students succeed in the business field by connecting them with specific internships and recruiters. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her kids and traveling to other countries.

​Concentrations
Accounting and Information Systems, Business Administration (BBA), Business and Liberal Arts (BALA), Economics, Family, Nutrition, Exercise Sciences, and Risk Management (M.S.)

Karen Johnson

Karen Johnson

Career Educator and Specialist

​​Karen has over 10 years of experience in creating and facilitating leadership development and career engagement programs. She has a passion for working in an advising, counseling, and mentoring capacity with diverse populations. She lives a life of use to others. She is happy to bring to Queens College her significant understanding of the many facets of student development and its impact on student success.

Concentrations
Computer Science, Mathematics, Sophomore Initiative Programs

Karen Johnson

Paula Lee

Career Coach

Paula has over 30 years of experience in career development, education, leadership, and supporting individuals with disabilities.  She embraces engaging with students to maximize their potential, network, and explore limitless learning opportunities.  Paula is passionate about rescue dogs, team sports, and trying new baking recipes.
Karen Johnson

Priscilla Saldaña 

CUNY LEADs Specialist 

Priscilla has over eight years of experience working within higher education, with a strong focus on supporting and advocating for underserved students, specifically students with disabilities. She is experienced in the areas of academic advisement, career counseling, and disability advocacy. Priscilla is currently pursuing her master’s in clinical rehabilitation counseling. She is passionate about empowering students, acknowledging their narratives and providing an inclusive experience to all to enhance successful outcomes. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling to other countries and spending time with her dog.
Karen Johnson

Hetal Jani

Career Coach

HETAL JANI (she/her/hers) is a first generation South Asian American and New York City native, which has colored her experience as an educator and her interest in how culture, society, and interpersonal relationships affect people’s development. She has over 20 years of experience developing and delivering career readiness programs for diverse students. She holds a Bachelors in Behavioral Neuroscience from Lehigh University, a Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis from Queens College of New York, an MBA from IE University, and a Masters in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she received the distinguished Intellectual Contribution award. Her life’s work involves developing a person’s unique voice and empowering marginalized communities to achieve whole person success. 
Caterina (Cathy) Alessio

Caterina (Cathy) Alessio

Office Assistant & Customer Service Engagement

​​Cathy enjoys taking long walks and reading novels in her spare time. Cathy also speaks fluent Italian and lived in Italy for many years. She loves to try different cuisines from different cultures all over the world. Cathy’s favorite movie is My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

  • Email: caterina.alessio@qc.cuny.edu
Tithung (Dan) Ma

​Tit-hung (Dan) Ma

Administrative Coordinator for Technology and Customer Engagement

​​Dan is originally from Hong Kong, China. He enjoys visiting his family and friends back in China and having some good authentic Chinese cuisine. Dan’s favorite movie is Casablanca. His hobbies are listening to music, watching movies and reading literature.

  • Email: Tithung.ma@qc.cuny.edu
Maria

Anamika Bhuyan

Career Peer for Marketing & Communications

Anamika is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in history in education at Queens College. She is currently a resident assistant at the Summit apartment dorms for Queens College. In her free time, she loves to try different cuisines from different cultures and to help build a loving and welcoming community for her residents.

  • Email: Anamika.Bhuyan@qc.cuny.edu
Maria

Syed Naffi 

Career Peer for Administrative Support

Syed is a transfer student at Queens College and is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. He is an adaptable and creative student, having made multiple websites for classes, hackathons, and personal projects. In his free time, he loves reading about other countries, watching tv shows and k-dramas, and gaming.  
  • Email: syed.naffi@qc.cuny.edu
Maria

Shawn Rajkumar

Career Peer 

Shawn Rajkumar has over 5 years of business and consulting experience. He has consulted for many social media brand pages with networks exceeding 100K and has assisted clients in securing positions on State Assembly Ballots.
Shawn has completed an internship at Bloomberg in Financial Services and is set to intern at Wells Fargo in AWM during Summer 2025.
Formerly, he served on the board of the Student Government as the Career Development Chair, where he reviewed over 1,000 resumes and helped students secure internships and full-time roles at prestigious firms including the Big 4, Google, and Goldman Sachs.

Maria

Areeba Haseeb

Career Peer

Areeba is dedicated to supporting students at the Career Center, providing guidance and resources to help them navigate their career journeys. With a passion for empowering others, she is always ready to lend a helping hand.

Maria

Louis Cubero

Career Peer

Louis is building tools used by people across the United States, Canada, and India. He co-founded the 3rd largest hackathon community in the U.S. alongside seven other students. He has expertise in content creation, community growth, resume writing, and influencer marketing. His content for tech startups has garnered over 10 million views on Instagram. Currently, Louis is part of the CUNY Startup Accelerator, organizes NYC-wide events, and has been selected as a SWE Fellow at Capital One. He is majoring in Computer Science and Economics. In his spare time, he enjoys drawing anime, voice acting, and playing soulslike games.

Maria

Akira Summerville

Career Peer

Akira is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in biology at Queens College. In her free time, she loves to play tennis and to help volunteer for patients at Elmhurst Hospital.

VISION

To educate, engage, and empower students and alumni for career opportunities within a transforming local and global workforce.

MISSION

The Center for Career Engagement and Internships provides career education to students by offering coaching, internships, jobs, and professional connections for success in a transforming global workforce. Our team is comprised of educators, connectors, and collaborators.  We implement quality and innovative services through the engagement of students, alumni, faculty, staff, employers, and the community.  

Start Your Career Journey

FOCUS 2 is a self-guided career, major, and education planning system designed to guide you through the steps of the career planning process. You can use FOCUS 2 at any stage of your education and career planning according to your personal needs. Start with any feature, repeat a feature if desired and use the system as an ongoing resource. All your results are saved and accessible in your FOCUS 2 Portfolio.

Take the Focus 2 Career Assessment