Marist Unlocked: Turning College Experiences into Career-Ready Skills
Students partake in Marist Unlocked Event (from left to right): Dylan Moshovos '27, Garrett Zaremba '29, and Karina Borysiak '28. Photo by Alyssa Walrad/ Marist University.
September 22, 2026 — Some of the most important learning experiences happen outside of a traditional classroom assignment for students at Marist University.
An internship can build professionalism and communication skills. A semester abroad can strengthen adaptability and global awareness. Joining a student organization can provide leadership experience. And a research project, competition, or networking event can help students develop critical thinking and interpersonal skills they will eventually bring into the workplace.
Beginning this fall, the School of Management is giving students a new way to bring all of those experiences together.
Marist Unlocked is the University’s new experiential learning and student engagement platform powered by Suitable; it allows students to discover opportunities, track their involvement, earn digital badges, reflect on what they have learned, and build a record of their growth throughout their time at Marist.
The goal is simple: help students get more out of their college experience and make it easier for them to understand and communicate how those experiences are preparing them for their careers, launching into the workforce with a powerful portfolio that will distinguish them from other graduates.
Marist Unlocked is available to students across all schools this academic year, with the School of Management leading the way. Students from every school are welcome to engage in Marist Unlocked programming, with opportunities continuing to expand across the University.
“I am excited about Marist Unlocked because it allows me to showcase my achievements and pursue new opportunities all in one place,” said Economics major Matthew Remson ’27. “It is especially useful as I prepare to enter the job market because it helps highlight my experiences and accomplishments. Other students should get involved because it is a great resource to build throughout their college career, creating more opportunities to get involved on campus and stand out early on.”
Unlocking Career Readiness
Marist Unlocked App on the iPhone. Photo courtesy of Alyssa Walrad/ Marist University.
Marist Unlocked brings the many experiences available to School of Management students into one centralized platform including: internships, study abroad, research, mentorship, competitions, student organizations, leadership programs, networking events, professional development, and more.
As students participate, they can earn points and digital badges that recognize their involvement and achievements. Their personalized Scorecard tracks completed activities, points, badges, competencies developed, and overall progress throughout their time at Marist.
The platform also aligns experiences with NACE career readiness competencies, a nationally recognized framework that helps define the skills students need to successfully enter and navigate the workplace. This helps students make the connection between what they are doing at Marist and the skills they will eventually discuss with recruiters and employers.
“The vision for Marist Unlocked is to help make all experiential learning opportunities more visible to students so they can be more intentional about the opportunities they pursue and help them better understand what skills they are developing,” said Katie Giordano, Associate Dean for Operations for the School of Management. “Marist Unlocked will ultimately be a tool to help students be able to tell their story about who they are, what they have accomplished, and the skills they have developed throughout their time at Marist when they go on job and internship interviews.”
Students can take that record with them into the professional world. Marist Unlocked achievements can be shared with employers and added to LinkedIn, making it easier for students to showcase not only what they have done, but the career-ready skills they developed along the way.
Making Professional Development More Engaging
Marist Unlocked Leaderboard. Photo courtesy of Alyssa Walrad/ Marist University.
Marist Unlocked also adds an element of gamification to experiential learning.
Students can use the mobile-friendly platform to browse opportunities, check into some activities using QR codes, earn points, compete in challenges, and unlock badges as they progress.
Currently at the top of the Marist Unlocked leaderboard is Angelina Petruccelli '27, who is an accounting major working toward her master’s in professional accountancy in the Marist five-year program.
“What I love about Marist Unlocked is that it turns everything from career fairs to leadership involvement into progress you can actually see,” said Angelina. “You earn badges along the way that you can add to LinkedIn and show employers what you’ve been doing. My friends and I have even gotten a little competitive checking the leaderboard. I’d encourage underclassmen to get involved early because it’s an easy way to discover clubs, events, and opportunities.”
Current badge opportunities include internships, global experiences, mentorship, club involvement, competitions, research, the Marketing Intelligence Lab, and serving as a Marist Unlocked ambassador.
Some activities require only a QR code check-in, while others may involve submitting a form or brief reflection. Those reflections are designed to help students connect an experience to what they learned and practice explaining that growth in interviews, resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and graduate school applications.
Faculty will also play a role by introducing the platform in their classes, sharing opportunities, submitting experiential learning activities, and helping students recognize experiences that can count toward their growth.
“Marist is full of opportunities to get involved, but students don’t always know where to find them or recognize how much they’re learning from them,” said Michele Williams, Director of Student & Alumni Engagement for the School of Management. “Marist Unlocked makes those experiences easier to discover, encourages students to try something new, and helps them connect the dots between what they’re doing and the skills they’re building so they can articulate what they’ve learned along the way.”
A Record of Growth
By bringing students’ achievements into one place, Marist Unlocked creates a record that grows with them throughout their time at Marist. Together, those accomplishments offer a fuller picture of what a Marist education can include and how students are preparing for what comes next.
