Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

W W W. P A C E . E D U / D Y S O N 9 The knowledge she gained in the course continues to assist Skopp- Cardillo in her current role at NBC Spo s as a coordinator in the scheduling depa ment, and her video editing classes with Professor Melanie La Rosa, MFA, helped familiarize her with the Avid Media Composer editing system that she also uses daily. Experiential learning in the form of internships also served to foreshadow her success. She first worked as a post-production intern at Creative Chaos, assisting producers and editors with their footage needs, and second, as an engagement intern at American Documentary, assisting in developing educational materials for teachers and students in grades 8–12 on the Season 32 documentaries airing on PBS for POV. She was recommended for the la er, in fact, by both Luskay and Pace University President Marvin Krislov. In addition to following in the footsteps of her Emmy Award–winning mother, Skopp-Cardillo also inherited the strength to overcome challenges and pursue her dreams. As someone living with a ention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and dysgraphia, a neurological disorder characterized by writing disabilities, Skopp-Cardillo sometimes finds it difficult to write things down and tell stories verbally. She instead feels she can shine more visually, which has been a contributing factor to her success. In fact, all aspects of production—pre-production, production, and post-production—always felt very natural to Skopp-Cardillo. She plans to continue to transform her conditions into strengths with the goal of working both the next Olympics and the Paralympics in Paris in 2024. Says her mother, "Rachel is a very visual person, which lends itself pe ectly to the medium. And she has the same energy and determination as her grandmother and I do." Her grandmother, Irene Maruzzella Cardillo '51, graduated from the then- known-as Our Lady of Good Counsel College in White Plains with a degree in chemistry, a rare accomplishment in the 1940s for a woman, and even moreso for a daughter of an Italian-immigrant family that did not suppo the idea of a woman going to a co-ed college. Before transferring to Good Counsel, her will for an education and defiance of the norms at that time would manifest in sneaking out of her home to go to class. Her discovery by her father, however, resulted in a compromise and pe ect twist of fate: Good Counsel was an all- women's college administered by nuns. And so the stage for intergenerational success was set. Decades later, on the Pleasantville campus, her daughter Lauren had been first introduced to the world of video by Professor Emeritus Robe Klaeger, MA, and became editor-in-chief of the then- campus newspaper, New Morning. The la er experience opened many doors and taught her about hard work and pulling all-nighters, which, in addition to her coursework, she describes as "fabulous training" for her Emmy-winning career. When it was time for her own daughter to select a college, Lauren Cardillo, who notably was also a commencement speaker at her own Pace graduation before continuing with graduate studies at Stanford University, had li le doubt that the matrilineal winds of continuing Oppo unitas—the Pace mission—would change. She recounts the moment she and Rachel visited the campus together for the first time: a cold and windy day, but her daughter was all smiles as soon as they exited the car. In Skopp-Cardillo's own words, "It felt like home." In her mom's, "Rachel absolutely got what she needed out of Pace, and I could not be happier." Irene Maruzzella Cardillo '51 at her graduation. Lauren Cardillo '80 speaking at commencement.

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