Students, Faculty, and Alumni Represent Trinity at International Neuropsychology Meeting
The 54th Annual North American Meeting of INS, “Neuropsychology in the Age of Innovation,” was held February 4-7, 2026, in Philadelphia.
Members of Trinity College’s Class of 2020 are graduating in a time of uncertainty in the job market due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are not the first Bantams to complete their undergraduate education during a major economic downturn. The classes of 2008 and 2009, for example, graduated amidst the 2008 financial crisis and recession, when finding employment was a struggle for many.

Alexandra Klestadt Patack ’09 has been thinking a lot about the Class of 2020 and how similar the present time is to spring 2009, when she graduated from Trinity. “In fact, my mother, Trish Mairs Klestadt’80, P’09, ’11, graduated in 1980 under similar economic circumstances,” says Patack, who now works as a senior compliance associate at Gemini.com in New York City. “Both my mother and I were art history majors, and in empty job markets we both went to graduate school. I went to an art business program at Sotheby’s, which led me down a long and winding path to eventually becoming a lawyer, while she went directly to law school.”
While Patack says that graduate school may not be a feasible or attractive option to everyone right now, she believes there are some things that all new graduates can do to help them find their path. “My advice is to look for something to do that will not only fulfill you, but give you the skill set to get to work when the time comes,” she says. “Whether this is by taking an internship instead of a full-time job, learning how to code via an online course, taking the LSAT/GMAT/GRE, or publishing a piece of writing or research, it will be worth it in the long run. This is a time to keep working on your resumes, even if it’s from the couch.”

Andrew Maia ’08 recalls the challenges he and his classmates faced after graduating from Trinity in May 2008. “I was lucky to have a job during that very scary time, but I recognize that a lot of 2020 seniors may not be in the same position,” he says. After majoring in public policy and law at Trinity, Maia spent six years in brand strategy consulting, earned an MBA at Cornell in 2016, and joined Accenture as a business strategy consultant based in New York City.
“If you find yourself without a job or clear next steps, I think it’s critical to consider how you can make every day valuable, beyond applying for jobs,” Maia says. Today, Maia has some tips and advice for graduates in the Class of 2020:
Joe Catrino, the director of career development in Trinity’s Center for Student Success and Career Development and special assistant to the vice president for innovation, says that Trinity alumni are consistently eager to share their advice and support with new graduates. “In these unprecedented times, it’s not surprising that the Trinity community—and especially our alumni—has stepped up for the class of 2020, and I know they will continue to do so.”
Catrino adds that one way for new graduates to connect with alumni is through the online Bantam Career Network, which currently includes about 2,000 alumni. “The Trinity network is strong and we encourage all students and alumni to leverage it,” Catrino says.
Click here for more resources from Trinity’s Center for Student Success and Career Development.