Meet the Staff

Rose Coppola-Conroy | Director

800D SEO | 312-355-5174 | rcconroy@uic.edu

Rose’s LinkedIn

Pronouns: She/her

Rose started her UIC career in 2014 as an assistant director in the ECC and became the director in 2016. Prior to UIC, Rose was a career advisor and full-time faculty member teaching career management courses at another university. Rose is continually excited to help students launch meaningful careers, as well as help employers to connect with our talented engineering students. When she’s not working, Rose likes to hang out with family and friends, try new recipes and explore her neighborhood on her bike.

Jonna (Cottrell) McHugh | Associate Director

800F SEO | 312-413-3873 | jonnac@uic.edu

Jonna’s LinkedIn

Pronouns: She/her

Jonna advises students of all Engineering & CS majors who come to the ECC seeking tips on career-related topics. She also works with employers who actively recruit students at UIC and helps the ECC team plan events like career fairs, career skills workshops, and employer information sessions. She earned her M.Ed. in Urban Higher Education from the College of Education at UIC in December 2022. Jonna has obtained most of her jobs through networking and enjoys teaching students about this useful topic. Her experience prior to working with the ECC includes a career as a recruiter and as a paralegal in an immigration law firm. She loves riding her bike along Lake Michigan in the summer and baking or curling up with a good book in the winter.

Alejandra Salas | Career Advisor
Pronouns: She/her

800A SEO | 312-355-5142 | asalas9@uic.edu

Alejandra is a Mexican-American first generation student, who graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Latin American and Latino Studies. Some of her research interests are immigration, gender politics and identity in Latinx communities, women’s studies as well career development and advancement. She enjoys helping students navigate their academic and career paths while helping them become successful students. Alejandra is a former graduate student worker at the UIC Engineering Career Center with over two years of experience.  In her free time, she enjoys listening to podcasts, music and loves a good movie night!

Marytza Aranda | Career Advisor

800E SEO | 312-996-2238 | marand9@uic.edu

Pronouns: She/her

Marytza graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. Some of her interests include Higher Education and Social Media Marketing. During her undergraduate experience, Marytza worked on a project focused on identifying the resources and support systems Latinas were using to navigate their undergraduate education at UIC. As a result of her project, she established an Instagram page, @thelatinacollegejourney, to share resources Latinas are seeking to assist them throughout their college journey. She enjoys helping students navigate their career path, realize their true potential, and feel confident in their skills. Marytza enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending time with her family and friends. She also is a big Harry Potter and Marvel fan. Marytza strongly believes in connecting, learning, and growing.

Jesus Ramos Flores | ECC Peer Mentor
Pronouns: He/Him

Jesus is a senior Biomedical Engineering student. He is interested in pursuing a career in neural-prosthetics and hopes to work in a clinical/lab setting. Whenever Jesus is not busy with school work, you’ll find him playing drums, bass, listening to his metalcore playlist at full volume, playing with his dog, and being a huge Marvel nerd. He also enjoys reading sci-fi, thriller, horror, and mystery novels, and his stack of books can attest to how versatile his reading tastes are.

Ramon Zachary Noriega | ECC Peer Mentor
Pronouns: He/Him

Zach is a second year Computer Science + Design student. He is interested in pursuing a career in UI/UX design and hopes to work with well-known companies such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. During his free time, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family, working out at the gym, listening to music, being a hardcore NBA fan, and performing Webmaster tasks for the on campus organization, Filipinos In Alliance, which he is actively involved in. He also enjoys watching TV shows and anime such as Adventure Time, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Attack On Titan.