After earning her bachelor’s in computer science on May 13, Badalamente heads to Ann Arbor, Michigan, as one of six new hires in Domino’s technology development rotation program. She is the program’s first direct hire of a Quinnipiac graduate.

“I thought it was a long shot because it’s Domino’s and it’s in Michigan, but the one thing that encouraged me the most was a lot of the professors and staff having the confidence I didn’t necessarily have in myself. Their confidence throughout definitely helped encourage me to go forward with the interview process, accepting the job and helping me get ready for it,” said Badalamente.

Ahead of her interviews, Badalamente said she received support and encouragement from the School of Computing and Engineering faculty and staff including Jonathan Blake, director of software engineering and bachelor of arts in computer science; and John Bau, director of career development.

On March 6, she interviewed with a Domino’s senior vice president and senior technology officer, via video conference.

“On March 7, I got the email that the team was impressed with me, and wanted to give me the offer,” said Badalamente.

With 65% of its US sales made through digital channels, Domino’s is consistently among the nation’s top five companies in online transactions. At its corporate headquarters in Ann Arbor, nearly half the team members are focused on Information Technology (IT).

Domino’s highly selective, two-year technology development program provides six-month rotations in four different IT departments, with the goal of transforming top college graduates into its future IT leaders and technologists.

Badalamente feels Domino’s selected her for this exceptional opportunity because of the qualities Quinnipiac prepares in its students.

“Quinnipiac encourages students to be able to communicate and have public speaking skills. At the School of Computing and Engineering, there’s a course you take as a junior with John Bau that gives you resume and interview preparation skills, so it very narrowly tailors you and prepares you. The school shapes students into well-rounded developers, not just someone who can write code,” said Badalamente.

Entering Quinnipiac four years ago, Badalamente selected the computer science bachelor of arts program because she had multiple interests she wanted to explore. She has earned minors in psychology and media studies.

“I think that being in the BA, and being able to pursue those other interests, has made me a more well-rounded developer. Even though I did not have an internship, some courses the school offers use industry terms and mimic a workplace environment, so I was able to use that as my ‘professional experience’ when interviewing. I knew about things that some students at other universities wouldn’t know without having had a formal internship, like scrum cycles and DevOps.”

The school’s confidence-building opportunities began right from the start of her college career, she said.

“My freshman year, one of our computer science faculty encouraged me and three of my classmates to participate in the Hackathon coding event. My group actually won the Hackathon, against all the upperclassmen. That was a moment where I realized, ‘I can do this.”