“Just watch me,” is a rallying cry for Theresa Navarra ’12 magna cum laude who successfully landed her first post-graduation position as an SEO (search engine optimization) content writer, despite knowing nothing about SEO! 

Her excellent writing skills - honed in Bryant’s communication classes and as an ACE and Writing Center consultant – and Bryant’s dual curriculum impressed that first employer. Today, she remotely manages a four-person team as Senior Manager, Marketing Campaigns & Content, Global Campaign Marketing for UiPath. Leading the “automation first” era, UiPath champions a robot for every person and enables robots to learn new skills. 

After Navarra accompanied friends on their recruiting visit to Bryant, she abandoned her intention to attend college in her home state of New York. 

“I was smitten after I toured the Unistructure and television studio and met Communication Lecturers Susan Baran and Thomas Zammarelli,” recalls Navarra. “I applied early admission to Bryant.” 

“If I can help even one student… it’s worth it to me.”

Once immersed in on-campus activities, including as president of the Bryant Communication Society and a Bryant news broadcast reporter, Navarra envisioned a broadcasting career. A disastrous TV internship led Navarra to pivot toward a writing-centric career.   

“Bryant teaches you technical skills such as coding and building computer programs that most writers don’t have. After hiring me, UiPath realized that I could do so much more than write,” says Navarra, who met her husband, Gregory Porcaro ‘12, on campus. 

“I learned how to code a [software] robot to transcribe notes and put them in a spreadsheet. I’m thinking now about what tedious tasks I could eliminate for my employees.” 

Taking on new assignments challenges Navarra, who creates PowerPoint slides - another Bryant-acquired skill – and edits them into videos and builds website dashboards, leads global seminars and manages international events. 

When a younger employee, then working with Navarra at a startup, expressed admiration for her competence, Navarra said, “We do our best job and go from there; we’re marketers, not surgeons… no one is going to die.” 

Navarra frequently speaks with students – in classrooms, on Young Alumni panels and the IDEA Weekend. “If I can help even one student… it’s worth it to me.”