Recognizing Rockefeller Student Program Assistant: Kelly Caputo ’19

Kelly Caputo ’19, a Sociology major, has made an impact at the Rockefeller Center through her work as a Student Program Assistant for the Management and Leadership Development Program (MLDP). Kelly began her involvement with MLDP when she participated in the program her sophomore winter. She then joined the student leadership team as a Program Assistant her sophomore spring and has continued working for the program ever since. 

During the beginning of her sophomore year, Kelly first heard about MLDP and thought of it as a good way to start becoming more involved with the Rockefeller Center. During her term as a participant, she had different conversations with Rockefeller staff about leadership and decided to start working with Rocky as a Student Program Assistant for the program that initially attracted her to the Center. 

“I wasn’t sure what to do for my off terms and for future internships and wanted to develop the skills to communicate in a professional environment. MLDP sounded like a good way to start with learning more about professional development and leadership,” remarks Kelly about why she was drawn to MLDP.

Kelly spent one term conducting a thorough analysis of the program and the leadership competencies that organizations look for in new hires. Kelly finds its satisfying to see the results of her research and suggestions put into place for MLDP. Now, she works to analyze student feedback and has come up with ways on improving the program. 

Robin Frye, Program Officer for MLDP, has been Kelly’s supervisor and mentor. 

“Robin is very dedicated to each of her assistants personally and has been very supportive of my ideas,” says Kelly.

In return, Robin comments that Kelly “has a passion for challenge and learning new things, she loves working, and she has a keen eye for systems improvement. I often find she goes above and beyond what is expected in the job. When she is tasked with something, she accepts with a can-do attitude, she does it thoroughly, and lets you know when it’s done. You never have to wonder where she’s at with something.”

Throughout her experience at Dartmouth, Kelly has found that being a leader within MLDP helped her to learn how to best communicate with people and to maximize her professional development skills. As a Learning Fellow for Sociology 1, she immediately noticed how MLDP impacted her role. She is able to facilitate discussions better and understand different learning styles because of her experience with MLDP and Rocky. Kelly is also an Undergraduate Advisor and involved with the House Community System at Dartmouth.

-Written by Bethany Malzman ’19, Student Program Assistant for Communications