{"id":227702,"date":"2026-07-20T17:07:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T21:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=227702"},"modified":"2026-07-21T11:10:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T15:10:37","slug":"poole-pack-profiles-get-to-know-christina-deberardino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/20\/poole-pack-profiles-get-to-know-christina-deberardino\/","title":{"rendered":"Poole Pack Profiles: Get to Know Christina DeBerardino"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Christina DeBerardino<\/a> didn\u2019t know that a Poole College accepted-students\u2019-day event would lead her to a full-time position in the college\u2019s career services office. Nor did she know that she would be one of her own best examples for students in her M120 professional development and career planning course<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After DeBerardino\u2019s son Nick was accepted at Poole, she and her husband attended a talk by the then-career services director, who noted his plan for a career preparation class. Afterward, she introduced herself and discussed a similar adjunct course she taught at an area university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result? She got the director\u2019s business card and an invitation to send her resume. Now she is Poole\u2019s associate director of undergraduate career services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the stars aligned on that one for me,\u201d DeBerardino says. \u201cMy accepted-students\u2019-day experience is exactly how I start the M120 networking discussion. Networking pays off. People are very willing to listen to you and help.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Corporate HR to Poole Pack<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since 2019, DeBerardino\u2019s course and career coaching have led to stars aligning for many Poole graduates who find positions they want in their field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many alumni tell her, \u201c\u2018I didn\u2019t realize how valuable the course would be in my career,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cSome even help colleagues with professional development. They\u2019re teaching the skills to others, which I think is really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DeBerardino celebrates Poole students like Kelly Chiv at the college’s annual ELEVATE Mentorship Luncheon. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

DeBerardino worked in corporate human resources for about 15 years before she moved with her family from her native state of Michigan to Raleigh for a job for her husband, Dave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Raleigh area made a higher education career an appealing alternative. \u201cI took it as a sign because there are so many universities here. I saw the opportunity,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By pursuing that opportunity, DeBerardino has opened up diverse career options for her students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Evolution of M120<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The M120 course has evolved over the years to include, among other services, career and internship fairs, mock interviews, and class presentations by industry partners \u2014 with a waiting list of employers. \u201cIt\u2019s very important for students to hear industry representatives talk about the skills they need and learn the industry application of those skills,\u201d DeBerardino says. \u201cAnd employers love the engagement and getting in front of students.\u201d     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poole alumni engage with students, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

M120 students lead panel discussions in class with graduates in accounting, economics, supply chain, marketing and other business fields. \u201cThat peer-to-peer interaction is important. Students see that a graduate did it and feel that they can do it, too,\u201d DeBerardino says. <\/p>\n\n\n

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“Networking pays off. People are very willing to listen to you and help.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The M120 <\/strong>course is required for transfer students but an elective for others. How popular is it? One section of 19 students has grown to four sections, each with about 120 students.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The course, career coaching and other services for Poole\u2019s 3,800 undergraduates are coordinated by DeBerardino and two other staff members. \u201cThe amount of success and great outcomes we\u2019ve seen with students with such a small team is pretty amazing,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unwinding, Cooking and Traveling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even with great outcomes, all jobs can be challenging. DeBerardino often unwinds by returning to her Italian roots \u2014 in the kitchen. Cooking is a hobby inspired partly by her grandparents\u2019 Detroit restaurant.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m stressed out or looking for something to do in my spare time, I make hearty comfort food, ethnic meals,\u201d DeBerardino says. Italian, Greek, Polish. A family joke is that if she ran a restaurant, she\u2019d call it Christina\u2019s Cozy Caf\u00e9. \u201cI really enjoy keeping traditions alive through cooking,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Christina DeBerardino and her family at her son’s graduation from the United States Air Force Academy. (Left to right: Dave, Nicholas, Christina, Anthony, Joey and Alaina)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Her travels to Italy, where she has relatives, help her keep some traditions alive. She also has visited France, Switzerland, Hawaii and other states.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mother of four loves music, too: heavy metal, the 1980s rock she grew up with, country, rap, hip-hop. \u201cIf music wasn\u2019t part of life,\u201d she says, \u201cit would be very, very dull.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Success in Student Success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s nothing dull about DeBerardino\u2019s job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s motivated at Poole, and in her personal life, by helping people succeed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hear all the time from students that they\u2019ve achieved things they didn\u2019t think they could achieve. That\u2019s what\u2019s most rewarding for me at Poole,\u201d says DeBerardino, who received Poole\u2019s 2024 Student Success Award for staff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She initially wanted to be a teacher like her mother. With the M120 course, that goal is accomplished. \u201cThat\u2019s where I really get excited,\u201d she says, \u201cand where my main passion is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n