Nicholas Chiacchia ’24

My name is Nicholas Chiacchia and I graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2024 with a major in communications and a minor in writing. My most recent position was as a Project Coordinator for TransPerfect Legal at their office in Manhattan. 

Essentially, I would communicate and work with lawyers, paralegals, and other legal experts across the country to search through sets of eDocuments. This entailed using a program to apply search terms, as well as sort data by date ranges, file types, file size, and other parameters. When enough satisfactory data was located, we would securely hand it off to the client so they could present it to opposing counsel. 

I chose to go to Eastern because of its smaller population, which I felt gave students a stronger sense of community and among their peers and professors alike. I was also drawn to its strong English and writing departments. It felt like the college experience within small town America, rather similar to where I’d grown up in all my life. 

Dr. Rita Malenczyk and Dr. Terri Toles-Patkin stand out as mentors. I was twice a student Dr. Malenczyk and spent the better part of three years under her wing as a writing tutor in the Academic Success Center at Eastern. Dr. Patkin was a great professor and always encouraged both teamwork and creativity in her lectures and the collaborative exercises she would assign as classwork. I had a great experience in Dr. David Frye’s class as well; I loved every lecture in European History to 1500. He really made the past come alive!

My time at Eastern taught me many things, both academic and social. I’ve learned how to create a plan, coordinate resources and execute on a deadline, all while effectively communicating with colleagues, which has proved beneficial in positions I’ve held in the past. My writing skills are still strong, which apply to both communicating internally but externally as well in an organization. I also learned research and public speaking skills which still serve me well in every day life and in professional settings.