Laura Guarraci

"I used to help with recruiting at different jobs, so I would look at résumés. I feel for people who had one idea about what things would be when they entered college, and then, when they left, found that it was totally different.” 

While working in corporate accounting at Viacom Media Networks, Laura pursued her master's degree at The New School part-time to expand into strategy. The Media Management program's focus on recognizing trends rather than studying past case studies attracted her, as did the diverse community. Her connections with New School and Parsons students inspired her to start her own independent financial consultancy. "My passion as an accountant is supporting people's ideas. Creative people always tell me they need accountants. It's pretty powerful when people can make educated decisions about business and personal finances." Today Laura works at Bleecker & Jones, a finance and accounting consultancy for early-stage start-ups, and continues sharing her expertise by mentoring students and offering free webinars for new small business owners in the New School community.

To fellow alumni interested in mentoring, Guarraci offers encouragement: "You know a lot more than you realize. Even now, every time I mentor, I’m nervous that I won’t be helpful, but students aren’t necessarily asking for knowledge about their field. It's more about the experience of looking for jobs, or starting a business, or just existing in the city—that alone is such a huge start. When you're different from them and they have a certain framework and you have a different background, what seems obvious to you is new to them.”

Through her continued connection to the New School community, Laura Guarraci embodies the university's commitment to applying expertise to bring about practical, positive change—helping transform creative visions into viable ventures, one mentee at a time.