Career Advisors

Carol Sharick leads the SBS career team and oversees SBS career programming, advises SBS undergrads and graduate students in all SBS majors and departments, runs the SBS Shadows program, and much more.

Seniors and new grads can meet with Carol for advanced resume and cover letter review, interview prep, networking, and career planning and strategy.

Rebecca Bell is the Director of High Impact Program Initiatives in the Office of Career & Professional Development in SBS. She meets with undergraduate students in all SBS majors to help with career exploration and to help develop their plans for next steps in their college journey. Rebecca previously worked in the non-profit and international sectors, and has worked on projects in several different countries. She also directs the SBS in DC internship program and loves spending time in DC and exploring other places.

Odessa Burkett is the Associate Director of Career and Professional Development for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS). She focuses on general career advising, resume and cover letter writing, job and internship searching and interview preparation for all SBS Majors. Odessa is a graduate of UMass Amherst with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Economics and a Masters in Higher Education. After college, she worked in corporate human resources, did AmeriCorps, and took time to travel before working in higher education. Odessa worked with veteran students at the University of California, Santa Cruz and Becker College Admissions before returning to UMass in 2019. She is passionate about mindfulness, traveling to new places, hiking & nature, and experiencing live music.

Malika Amandi is an Assistant Director of Career & Professional Development in the School of Social & Behavioral Sciences at UMass. Drawing from her own work experiences in the entertainment industry and as a professional development facilitator for the military, Malika brings a unique perspective to Career Services that is both approachable and practical. She has led hundreds of coaching sessions and workshops for people across a spectrum of career stages and fields – from the entertainment industry, to Silicon Valley, the non-profit sector, and academia. Malika holds a BA from Stanford University in Drama and Urban Studies and an MFA in Acting from the University of Southern California. She is also the founder of the Center for Women’s Voice, a social enterprise that helps individuals communicate authentically and powerfully in every area of their lives.