Lunch and Learn with Sarah Murdock '23, Melanie Valentin '24, and Luca Cassidy '25

Join Harpur Edge and Sociology alum to lunch, and learn about the versatility of a sociology degree from Binghamton University! Sarah Murdock, Melanie Valentin, and Luca Cassidy will join us on November 7th from 2-3 PM in the Harpur Edge office (LN 1105) to talk about their undergraduate and post-grad trajectories. Below you will find a brief introduction of who these wonderful alumni are and what they are currently doing!:

Sarah Murdock is the Executive Assistant to the Dean of Student Services at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine, where she supports both student services and admissions by coordinating events, interviews, and student engagement initiatives. As a recent Binghamton University alum, Sarah majored in Sociology and served as a Peer Counselor at Harper Edge, where she developed a strong interest in student development and community building. Through her experiences working and being involved at Binghamton, Sarah discovered her passion for higher education and enjoys using that background to support and connect with students in her current role.

Melanie Valentin is a paralegal case handler within the Emergency Response Team at the Legal Aid Society. She assists clients in post judgement and post eviction cases. She has transitioned into this role after serving as a housing paralegal for the Hudson Valley Justice Center. Melanie graduated from Binghamton University in 2024 with a BA in Sociology and History and a minor in LACAS. During her time there, she was a peer counseling intern at Harpur Edge and also served as policy coordinator at VPSS. She has found her passion for public interest through her education at Binghamton and plans to use the legal pipeline to continue helping local communities.

Luca Cassidy is an AmeriCorps member for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Rat Reduction Unit. There, he supports outreach efforts to better inform New Yorkers on how to prevent rat infestations. Additionally, he works part time for Grow America (formerly NDC), a community development financial institution, where he assists the portfolio management and lending department to connect low income borrowers to affordable loans. Luca graduated from Binghamton in May 2025, as a Financial Economics and Sociology double major and secured a minor in Urban Planning as well. At Binghamton, Luca served in SA and initiated projects like the Plan B Vending Machine, Multicultural Voting Fair, and Binghamton Rate my Housing. At Binghamton, Luca discovered his passion to serve and continues to use that passion to guide him.

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Dayana Mazariego

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