What Great Minds Can Do: Christopher Mazzacane
Christopher Mazzacane
Diplomacy and International Relations major; Spanish minor
West Haven, Connecticut
"The University was so helpful in getting me my internship, and one of the things that made it great was that the staffer I worked with in the senator's office was a Seton Hall graduate. I did research and polling for the senator, spoke with constituents and saw the inner working of politics."
When Christopher Mazzacane began his studies at Seton Hall, he never dreamed he would graduate as a Fulbright scholar. "I owe this achievement to the amazing opportunities and support I've been given at Seton Hall," he says. "I had advantages I wouldn't have had at a larger school."
Christopher got very involved at Seton Hall: studying abroad in Argentina for a semester, attending Amnesty International conferences, spending a summer in Italy as a teaching assistant, providing community service in El Salvador and interning for a U.S. senator from New York.
"The University was so helpful in getting me my internship, and one of the things that made it great was that the staffer I worked with in the senator's office was a Seton Hall graduate. I did research and polling for the senator, spoke with constituents and saw the inner working of politics."
Christopher's Seton Hall connection in the senator's office also told him about a very selective opportunity to attend the Democratic Hope Convention, and he was one of the few undergraduates chosen to attend. "It was amazing to have an opportunity, with all expenses paid, to learn more about our democratic process and network with amazing people. I even got to hear First Lady Michelle Obama speak."
As a member of Seton Hall's chapter of Amnesty International, Christopher not only committed himself to human rights and social justice on campus but he also joined the organization's national headquarters in New York City as a student coordinator, helping run high school chapters across New York and New Jersey. As a result, he also attended Amnesty International conferences in Boston and New York.
Christopher's commitment to doing good and helping society did not stop there. As an active member of Seton Hall's Division of Volunteer Efforts, he performed community service in local soup kitchens and homeless shelters. He also traveled to El Salvador for a community service project during his freshman year.
"I love the Seton Hall mission of servant leadership. I love that this community is caring and compassionate and that it instills in students the desire to help others."
Seton Hall Career Highlights
- Internship with U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
- Worked for Amnesty International as a student coordinator in its New York City headquarters
- Semester Abroad in Argentina
- Fulbright recipient
- Attended Amnesty International conferences in Boston and New York City
- Volunteer community service trip to El Salvador
- Member of Seton Hall's Amnesty International Chapter
- Peer adviser
- Spent a summer in Italy as a teaching assistant
- Attended Democratic Hope Convention