Alumni/ae

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Nathan Cho '24

Nathan Cho '24 is the product engineer at Phi Networks Group, on a mission to optimize and supercharge the venture ecosystem with technology.

Nathan spearheads internal data product development and empowers clients through strategic insights, including competitive research and partnership development.

Nathan’s journey into the world of technology and business began early; he started coding at the age of 13 and launched an app with over 300,000 users while still in middle school. Growing up in Korea, he consistently sought out opportunities to learn and build, working in startups since the age of 15 and attending Korea's top public high school for computer science. Fueled by a passion for entrepreneurship, Nathan moved to New York during college and pursued a degree in Computer Science at Bard College.

Ever since that first line of code, Nathan has been a passionate maker and aspiring entrepreneur. He thrives on the challenge of building innovative solutions and leveraging technology to create impactful change. Outside of work, you can find him on the desk perfecting regexes and pixels, and outdoors with his camera or soccer cleats.

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AnnAnn Puttithanasorn '23

AnnAnn Puttithanasorn '23 majored in classical music performance in flute at Bard. She freelances in both photo and film, mainly photographing portraits, but also does digital tech and assists on sets for commercial campaign shoots and films.


1) Tell us about your current role and what you enjoy about it.
I am a full-time freelance photographer. What I love most about photo and film is being able to be on set and constantly collaborate with other artists and creatives. I think photography has opened up doors into spaces I couldn't have imagined I would ever be in and it's been such a fulfilling experience.

2) What was your path like from Bard to becoming a photographer?
So I actually did not study photography in college as a major. I am self-taught and learned through a lot of trial and error and by just shooting whenever I could. I started doing photography seriously in 2021, and it became my avenue to pay my way through the rest of my undergrad. I realized about halfway through college that I wanted to pursue photography as a career so I started picking up more jobs, both on campus and in New York City, while still balancing a full load of courses and rehearsals for my major. I was shooting a lot of weddings and portrait sessions on the side during my junior and senior years of college. I graduated a semester early in December 2022 and moved to New York City full time at the beginning of 2023. During my last semester, I was freelancing for three different departments at Bard while commuting to New York City every weekend for weddings and other freelance work there. I got very lucky during that final semester–I landed a full-time position in October 2022, working remotely as a production and digital assets manager for a photo agency. I learned a lot about the business side of the industry this way, and it definitely made my transition to the city a bit more smooth, financially. To be honest, it was definitely tough trying to prepare for my final music recital while balancing my freelance work in the city and this new job. I learned a hard lesson about how much I could physically and mentally handle, but I'm glad I did it. I honestly wasn't expecting to go full time into freelancing so soon but after a couple months post graduation, I realized that I was actually making more from my personal work consistently than I was at my full-time position, and it was a lot trying to balance two ends of the spectrum where one job was so rigid in structure and time while the other demanded flexibility. I went full-time as a freelance photographer in mid-May of 2023.

3) How did your Bard experience help prepare you for your career?
I transferred to Bard after my first year at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College because I wanted a more well-rounded education, and that's exactly what I got. I believe the most valuable things I learned at Bard were in the courses and experiences outside of my major. Being able to be exposed to different perspectives and ideas that I wouldn't have gotten if all I did was study music courses really made the difference. Bard also gave me the opportunity to start and run a club, which was not something I had planned at all. I ran a photography club called the Bard Arts Network and the goal was to bring in lecturers and resources that were not already available at Bard. Through this, I was able to raise funds for guest lecturers to come to Bard to speak about photography and the industry, and doing this also taught me about how to produce events.  

4) What advice would you give to current students about “life after Bard”?
Be a sponge and listen more; you will learn way more in the "real world" than you do in school. My most rewarding lessons have been from listening to strangers and people who I was lucky enough to cross paths with. 

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Jillian Reed '21

Jillian is the co-founder of Thrift2Fight, a benefit corp that funds grassroots racial justice work, disability activism, and queer liberation through the sale of secondhand clothing.

Thrift2Fight has a storefront in Tivoli, NY, and continues to organize pop-up sales and events at Bard College and around the state. Jillian is also Associate Flutist with The Orchestra Now, and maintains a studio of vibrant and curious flute students.

In Spring 2021, Jillian graduated from Bard College and Conservatory with degrees in Flute Performance and Human Rights. While pursuing studies in these two fields, Jillian was able to explore the intersections of music and social justice, culminating in her thesis investigating issues of health and institutional ableism in the classical music world. This research led her to serve on the National Flute Association Performance Healthcare Committee and have a feature published in Flutist Quarterly.

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Acacia Nunes '18

Acacia Nunes '18, who majored in Written Arts, is an Editorial Producer for Diane Sawyer Reporting, a unit in the long-form division of ABC News. Her team produces specials that air on Good Morning America, 20/20, World News Tonight, Nightline, and Hulu. 

1) Tell us about your current role and what you enjoy about it.
As a producer for Diane my responsibilities vary each day – I feel so lucky to be in a position where I am always learning something new. I prepare Diane ahead of major interviews with research, which often involves booking and interviewing experts to supplement her interviews and prepare her with questions. I also handle logistics for each shoot: hiring camera crews, booking locations, and directing shoots. After an interview, I work closely with Diane and the editors to get the show together. Before our pieces air, my teammates and I also conceptualize, write, and produce marketing materials and social media campaigns.

2) What was your path like from Bard to your current occupation?
I graduated from Bard certain that I wanted to go into magazine writing. During my senior spring and the summer that followed, I applied to dozens of positions in various fields — primarily media, but also philanthropy and education. Despite having very little literacy in television news, I applied to ABC at the suggestion of a close family friend. I began my career at the company working the overnight shift on the news gathering desk: staying on top of breaking news and coordinating with day-of-air shows. My hours were midnight to 9am, but working at the center of the news division was enormously helpful in learning the foundations of ABC’s operations—and getting a sense of the heart of the place. About five months into my time on the desk I met Diane’s team and was ultimately brought on as her assistant. Over the last four years I’ve transitioned to a producing role.

3) How did your Bard experience help prepare you for your career?
Working for the Bard Free Press was one of the best parts of my time at Bard. My two best friends and I joined during our first year and after working our way through articles and stories (and partly as a result of staff shortages) we went on to run it; I was the News Editor. My time at the Free Press taught me about pitching stories and how to do good reporting with little guidance. I also feel very lucky to have gone to a school that prioritized inventive viewpoints, held me to distinct standards, and encouraged a kind of authenticity of self.

4) What advice would you give to current students about “life after Bard”?
On jobs:
Cast a wide net when applying to jobs! And be willing to work hard. You might not know much about a subject or a field, but if you make the effort to learn as you go, you could find an unimagined success. Diane has said that journalism is about joy and purpose —about curiosity intersecting with passion. Try to find the thing that sits at that intersection for you.
On life:
Try not to be too hard on yourself. Transitions are by nature, unsteady. But it won't feel so hard forever.
If you’re like me and your whole graduating class moves to New York City –  keep enjoying each other. It’s fun and helpful to have a familiar safety net. Making new friends is harder than it will have ever been without the help of schools and classmates — it’s ok if you don’t make them easily. But, of course, it’s cool to be the one who does.
 
5) What did you enjoy most about your years at Bard?
I’m fighting the inclination to say “the people I met, the friends I made” because it sounds so trite. So even though my friends from college are still my closest friends – even though they burst my heart and mind wide open in the four years we went to school together – I’ll say that I most enjoyed the uninterrupted time to learn and to work on writing, and the unhindered access to the professors who cared so much about us bettering ourselves through our writing and our work. I miss the space to be on that campus learning from those people –  professors, friends and classmates alike.

6) Is there anything else you would like to share about navigating the professional world post-Bard?
Adapting to a certain type of professional world took some getting used to. Don't hesitate to seek out people for guidance. Feel free to write to me! 

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Sage Warner '17

Sage Warner is the Director of Campaigns at the Center for American Progress, a leading policy think tank in Washington, D.C. Warner holds a B.A. in psychology from Bard College.

Through her senior project and her internship for congressional candidate Zephyr Teachout, Warner realized how limited policies were without federal systems and communal trust in government.

She moved to Washington, D.C., a week after graduating from Bard to work as an intern and then a campaign associate at Planned Parenthood Federation of America in the fight to protect the Affordable Care Act and the Trump Administration’s attempts to defund the organization. She then joined CAP to help launch its story bank of healthcare advocates. She soon recognized how trustworthy, relatable, and effective storytellers are in educating the public about policies and candidates and how their collective voices can build national progressive narratives.

Now Director, Warner leads a team of staffers and has expanded CAP’s program into a multi-policy storytelling program that trains people nationwide to tell their story across all mediums, and connects them with a growing network of entities to do so. It is now one of the leading sources of storytellers for the White House, Senate, and Congressional offices, national partners, and political entities like the DNC and electoral campaigns. They have filled national narrative gaps, starred in ads for official Presidential campaigns at the NFL opening weekend, appeared in press like The Daily, prime time news like CNN, and local media, testified before Congress, shared their story across social media platforms, persuaded undecided voters to support progressive candidates, and pushed progressive legislation into law.

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Rusty Drake '03

Rusty Drake '03 is the Co-founder of Willa’s Oat Milk and graduated from Bard with a B.A. in Asian Studies & History. Following graduation, Rusty moved to Los Angeles and began his career in photography and video production. 

By age 25, Rusty was managing and coordinating large production teams, building his leadership skills through his work on hundreds of A-list TV commercials, fashion photo shoots, and music videos.

Rusty relocated to New York City in 2012, where he was recruited by Dale Carnegie Training, the international leader in business education. After being certified as a Master Trainer in sales, leadership, and presentation skills, Rusty traveled the world as part of an elite 10-person team that trained the employees at Carnegie’s largest international accounts, Indeed and TikTok.

In 2018, Rusty co-founded Willa’s Oat Milk. Based in Brooklyn, Willa’s Oat Milk is the only oat milk to use the whole entire oat in an innovative, zero-waste approach that creates a creamier taste, maintains all of the oat’s protein and fiber, and doesn’t waste any of the oats’ raw material. By using the whole entire oat, no part of the oat is wasted, making the healthiest and most sustainable oat milk on the market.