From Classroom to Career: Pace Grad Mike Derasmo Leverages AI for Business Success

It’s officially the future, you guys. The year is, in fact, and AI tools are everywhere you look, changing how industries get things done—from writing the perfect breakup text to, well, writing articles like this one. (Don’t worry, this one’s all human, baby!)

One Pace University grad, Mike Derasmo (BBA Global Marketing Management, Class of ‘), wasn’t about to get left in the dust of the AI revolution. He saw the potential of these tools early on and made them a core part of his coursework, even building his own custom chatbots. Talk about a rockstar move.

ChatGPT: Not Your Average Chat Room

We all know ChatGPT—it’s kinda hard to miss. OpenAI’s platform blew up faster than a Taylor Swift concert ticket sale, hitting a million users crazy fast. Like, faster than any online platform ever.

Mike saw this hype for what it was: a sign that ChatGPT was about to change the game. He realized the platform’s power to not just solve problems, but to give anyone a serious leg up in the job market.

“Once ChatGPT came out, and I saw how people were using it, I realized this was something that can solve anything, if you set it up correctly,” Mike says. “I immediately saw the opportunities for businesses. I knew that it could help me start my own business and set me apart from others in the job market if I got an early advantage.”

Dude gets it.

AI in Action: From Saving Animals to Selling Board Games

Okay, so Mike saw the potential of AI. But how did he actually use it?

Pace’s Animal Advocacy Clinic

One of the coolest examples was in Pace’s Animal Advocacy Clinic. Mike developed a chatbot to help with research for the clinic’s lobbying work. This wasn’t just some random side project either—this bot was a lean, mean, information-retrieving machine. It acted like a rapid-response database, spitting out facts and figures faster than you can say “animal rights.”

For example, the chatbot was instrumental in supporting lobbying efforts for New York State Senate Bill S, which aimed to restrict the use of harmful pesticides. Yeah, Mike’s chatbot was out there saving animals’ lives. NBD.

Digital Marketing Class

Mike wasn’t done there. In his digital marketing class, his team consulted for Twenty Sided Store, a board game store and event space. (Because who doesn’t love board games, am I right?)

Always down to level up, Mike created “Twenty Sided Helper,” a custom chatbot designed to give the store’s marketing a serious boost. This thing had more tricks up its sleeve than a seasoned Dungeon Master:

• It analyzed customer engagement on social media, because knowing your audience is everything.
• It identified product trends based on sales data, because knowing what’s hot is how you keep the shelves stocked and the customers happy.
• It even researched what the competition was doing, because knowledge is power, people!