My Life, Accomplishments & Goals @ Stonehill College: Part 3: Another Chapter of my Adventurous life: Spring 2013

Externship NYC 2013

LinkedIn by Kat

The Externship program is one of the most underrated programs at Stonehill. As a rising junior, I've taken advantage of every opportunity Stonehill has to offer; aside from a HOPE trip. The Externship program is in my top two best experiences at Stonehill by far. What’s the first? I can’t decide between New Orleans freshman year Spring Break and my experiences as a Peer Mentor. Anyway, what exactly is the Externship program?

My resume and LinkedIn page says it’s a program where students are; “Selected through a competitive interview process to participate in a career development program and represent Stonehill College to alumni working at large companies in New York City.”

“Researched company information and practiced professional presentation and networking skills through company visits and social events with alumni.”

These quotes pretty much sum up the full experience, but that’s no fun. It sounds too professional. If I’m going to categorize it as one of my top two best experiences then I owe you a more exciting explanation than that. You know…the dirty details. What really went down in NYC! This is my blog not a professional networking page, I get to express myself however I want. Besides, this is technically my journal, just less depressing and more entertaining.

Like my resume said, students are selected through a competitive interview process. Intense would actually be the more appropriate word to describe the interview process. Three rounds! Well I wouldn't exactly consider the first part an interview. I imagine they made a yes or no pile and from that list came a phone interview.

The next step after the phone interview was an in-person interview with all three associates from Career Services; Christina Burney, Andrew Leahy and Amy Brunswick. Fortunately, I was comfortable with everyone I was interviewed by, especially Christina Burney (Mom in NYC). I had worked with Andrew in the past, but Amy Brunswick I wasn't familiar with at that time. It was one of those meetings where I was confident because everyone knew my character well enough to believe my answers were going to be sincere. During the interview I started to think; what the hell did I get myself into? It was a bigger commitment than I expected. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect in the first place. Believe me, I attempted to do my research but the website didn't give many details. Why do they leave you guessing? Well, in my opinion, I predict they do so because they want quality students. Students who are there for the right reasons, take full advantage of the opportunity and represent the Stonehill community well. All makes sense. Besides, they know people will “fake it to [they] make it”, a farmhouse quote I learned while in New York.

We were split up into two groups because they couldn't get all ten of us on the same schedule. For a month we meet once a week for some professional prep. The rules and guidelines were laid out and we were each assigned a company or two based on career interest and major. New York City doesn't have much outside of Marketing, Advertisement, Fashion and Business. I was automatically down for the count with my Healthcare major and Studio Arts Minor. They struggled to find me a good match but in the end I was assigned to Hill Holiday, currently known as Erwin Penland (EP). In other words, there is no longer a Hill Holiday NYC office. EP was recently bought by Hill Holiday. I was told to be aware of mixing them up because they are sensitive about being called Hill Holiday. In honor of one of my favorite quotes “Why so serious”; Why so sensitive? It’s not the end of the world.

Anyway, my job was to thoroughly research the company inside and out and present my research to the group. Along with the presentation, we had to make a handout for everyone else to use as a guide once we were in NYC at that particular company’s presentation. Along with the research and presentation, each person was responsible for emailing the contact (Stonehill Alumni) to inform them about timing of the visit, number of guests and any concerns about security. Once we were in NYC, each individual was responsible for directions to their specific site and the rest of the group’s commute. I did say it was a lot more intense than expected didn't I? But in terms of commuting, I owe it all to HopStop. If you aren't familiar with the App HopStop then hop on that ASAP. It will become your best friend I promise.

Companies Visited & Activities:

Monday: Thomson Reuters (Extern Host: Nancy Cerqueira)

About Nancy: Nancy is that person in a group/program you see and say to yourself, she seems cool; I want to get to know her, but all throughout the program (however long) you never get the chance to have a full conversation until the last minute. I finally got to chat with her and realized we had very similar struggles and success stories. You just never know what someone's life is like, which is why it’s important to avoid prejudgments when you first meet people. Now Nancy, who I've been friends with since the program, is my workout partner for the summer. Always networking! Talking about networking, Thomson Reuters was one of my favorite visits. Not for any specific reasons but because everything about it was great, especially the view of the New Years ball.

The Ball

Team Building Event (Extern Hosted: Herby Saintil)

About Herby: Herby is someone who also became one of my good friends after the program. Great personality, dedicated, driven and humble man. Anyone surprised why I connected with Herby so well? We are very much the same people with similar background. Him along with Johnny Joseph (Soon to be a dentist) are the only two rising Afro-American seniors at Stonehill who have inspired me to be different. Different as in make my own path like the advice Randy Jose (2012 Alum) gave me a few years ago.

Herby in the middle

As for the event itself, we meet with some alumni at one of the fanciest bowling alleys I've ever been to (Bowlmor Leans). It was definitely a great time getting to chat with the Alums, getting all the dirty details about Stonehill back in the days. Me and one particular Alum chatted for quite a while not realizing we had one major thing in common; her roommate! It turned out her current roommate is also a former Ron Burton Training Village Alum, Max Leonard. Max was a camper during my first few years at camp. I've been associated with the camp for ten years but I had not seen this man in six to seven years. Now here I was, chatting with his roommate. Small world ain't it? She went back home and I guess mentioned something about meeting an Extern. She may have only given my name because I mentioned nothing about RBTV during our conversation. Max put the clues together and made the connection that I was also an RBTV Alum. The following day I received this message:

“Hey buddy! Not sure how well you remember me, but I had spent a bunch of years at RBTV. My roommate Heather just came back from a Stonehill event in NYC and I think you may have actually met. It sounds like you are doing really well. I'm not sure what you have lined up, but if you have any free time while you are in the city, let me know. I'd love to bring you out for a bite and catch up” -Max

How awesome is that? I met with Max on our last night in New York. We went out to eat, talked a whole lot about our experiences at camp and at Stonehill and ended up at the closing reception which I will talk about later. This whole week I swear was an adventure. Even going to meet Max was an adventure because my phone – my only source of awareness – died seconds before stepping on the subway. Long story short, thank God my iPhone battery life is terrible, otherwise I wouldn't have had my charger on me.

Tuesday: New Wave Entertainment (Extern Host: Kathryn Waterman)

About Kat: Kat is a boss! Great photographer! Did I also mention she is one of the bros? My first impression of Kat was during her presentation about New Wave Entertainment. She said the word “shit” as in these guys are the “shit” and kept throwing it around. I was dying of laughter inside. My second thinking went something like, “there are adults in the room woman!” When I think of Kat’s personality I think of the quote from the scene in Titanic when Jack & Rose first met on the deck; “Spit like a man”. It doesn't get any real than Kat! By the way check out Kat’s website when you get a chance. She is an amazing photographer:
http://katwaterman.com/

New Wave Entertainment NYC was once P3 Entertainment. P3 Entertainment was a production company started by two Stonehill alums, Todd Pellegrino (’93) and Peter Lannuccilla also from the class of ’93. These two guys are experts at what they do. They were nice enough to give us insider information (video) about their newest reality show coming up in the fall on the history channel. I can’t say anymore about it for obvious reasons but if you are a fan of shows like Duck Dynasty, you will love this new show. Look out for it in October and let me know what you think. These guys are hilarious!

Kat on the right

Bloomingdales (Extern Host: Alex Fenner)

About Alex: Alex was one of the girls I didn't know before the trip and unfortunately did not have enough time to connect with her as I did with Kat and Nancy. One thing that surprised me though, her age. I did not expect her to be a senior but she is definitely one of those people who will age well.

Though it’s been months, I’m really not sure how I feel about Bloomingdales. Maybe because it's a fashion company and I'm not a fan. I mean, don't get me wrong, I can swag it out, but fashion is not on my top interest list of interest. Mary Hearst (‘05) was a great host though. She was nice enough to ask her brother who is an employee at Bloomberg to give us a tour. The Bloomberg building has to be one of the prettiest sites in NYC. Every time I share my experience with others, I describe Bloomberg as being in a space ship. Have I been in a space ship before? I wish! Have you? Most likely not. But I can imagine that’s what a space ship looks like. More companies now are drafting towards transparency; Bloomberg took the definition of transparency to another level. There are no walls and everything is made of see through glass. If you worked there you would feel as if someone was always watching. There is absolutely no room for slack. My favorite site was this holographic table they had. I can't really describe well enough but if you've seen the Iron Man movies, you can imagine what I'm talking about. Just very futuristic. Fun fact: If you've ever watched Bloomberg news, there is not a person behind those cameras. Everything is operated in a control room by computers. Did I mention futuristic? I wish I could have taken pictures. Security was extremely tight though. We couldn't even take pictures of the building from outside. I guess they did not want any evidence? Even the name tag was fancy. I wish I kept it but they wouldn't let us. Of course I went to the bathroom and snapped a picture for myself. I needed a memory of it some how.

My Coming to America Picture

Externship Team Building Event
For the second event after dinner at Augu's cafe was going to Phantom of the Opera! Just to give you a quick background story of me and plays; I was never a theater kind of guy in high school. I also did not have much respect for it, until I came to college and started talking to this girl who starred in her first play at Stonehill. The play itself was extremely boring but being with her opened my eyes to the theater world. So much time goes into it that people aren't aware of. Point is, I now have much more respect for theater and the people who commit their time to it. Going back to Phantom of the Opera; I did not watch the movie but gosh was that a great production! Hands down one of the most amazing pieces of entertainment I've seen in my life. Not my usual entertainment but I have a huge appreciation for the amount of work I imagine went into it. How else can I describe it? I can't! It's one of those memories you had to be there to believe. The transitions were nothing like I have ever seen. One major scene threw me off though; the hanging scene. If you're a consistent reader of my blogs, you know about my experiences with suicide almost two years ago. It really messed me up mentally for the rest of the night. I wish I was warned. I would have obviously seen the show anyways, but I would have been better prepared. I'm a strong believer of God and I think he was trying to warn me. How so? Because for about ten minutes straight I was thinking consistently about the incident. It felt like that period each month when all I can do is think back to that day, the incident and continue to ask myself profound questions.

Wednesday: Jacobi Medical Center (Extern Host: Jason Watts)

About Jason: Jason Watts is one of the hardest working men I know. I consider him the silent assassin. Everyone underestimated him as a football player and I’m sure judged him for that too. I mean, there is really no other way to get around that. If you associate with a certain group of people that don’t have the best reputation, you will most likely be judged by that. What I didn't know about Jason before the Externship program, which I’m sure many more people still don’t know is that Jason is a great leader. He ran the MOSAIC (Men of color club on campus) smoother then anyone else could have. His resume is off the chart, and I would have never known. This is why he is the silent assassin. To prove my point Jason is currently working at The Fresh Air Fund where he has interned since high school. Keep doing your thing Jason, people will always talk.

As for the Jacobi meeting, it was lead by the CFO Kathy Garramore (‘74). We didn't actually go to the Medical Center. The meeting was held at James Cincotta’s (’84) house, where another major event was held. There is more to come about this man James Cincotta, one of the most entertaining men I know.

Jason in the middle

Thursday: Entrepreneurship and Small Business (Extern Host: Trent Fontanella)

About Trent: Trent was another Extern I didn't know before this trip. When I finally got to know Trent, I realized how funny of a person he is. His housing host was Entrepreneur James Cincotta (’84). My favorite quality about James is his ability to smack any young adult in the face. I call it getting the James Cincotta. And now you are like, “say what?” Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Well not exactly because this man has no aggressive bone in his body. My guess is he has no kids, and so he treats everyone as if they were his own. The moment you say or do something silly, you are getting the James Cincotta. Ask Trent and Herby who he hosted for the week. I’m pretty confident they left New York with James Cincotta’s hand printed on their face. One of the major lessons I learned from James aside from starting my own business was about writing. Editing and reediting at least three times, being professional in your writing including texts and on social media. In other words, using proper grammar. As annoying as it is at times, I believe it has made me a better writer.

Swiss Re (Extern Host: Silvana Vivas)

About Silvana: How can anyone have negative thoughts about Silvana? She is one of the nicest human beings on the face of the planet. She is always cool, calm and collected. Never seems to lose her cool and never has something negative to say about someone. I want to be like Silvana when I grow up.

For those of you who aren’t too familiar with Swiss Re, they are the largest institutional investors in the country. According to the host Chuck Conors, VP & Client Manager (’91), “Swiss Re is the inception of insurance companies”. To help you get a better understanding of what they do, Swiss Re is insurance for insurance companies. Sounds complicated right? That’s because it is. They have a graduate program recent college grads can apply for. They pretty much pay you to learn more about the reinsurance business, the company, and interpersonal and leadership skills while traveling across the world. That sounds like a solid learning experience to me! This is why I am keeping it as an option. I’m not sure if I want to intern with them but my plan is to stack up my resume with real world experiences with insurance companies much like Blue Cross and hope that will increase my chances of getting accepted into their grad program if I decide to go down that route.

With Silvana

Externship Team Building Event

My second favorite event of the week was dinner with Kevin Blanco (’95). Kevin is one of the realest Alums we met that week; Max being the other. I loved talking to these two guys because they shared their true experiences, professionally and socially. Well, Stonehill experiences at least. Nothing annoys me more than adults who try to sugarcoat their past experiences; not even because it is personal matters. For Christ’s sake I am an adult, don’t try to sugarcoat things so you may seem professional. I asked about your past experiences because I want to hear an honest, down to earth answer. We are humans, we all had our days and that’s the reality of it. That’s why I always have a high respect for those who are willing to share their full experiences with me, it makes life more exciting. Anyway, back to Kevin. Our dinner with Kevin was a dining experience of a life time at Churrascaria Plataforma (Brazilian restaurant). On each seat were double-sided chips; green means GO and obviously red means STOP! Long story short, it was the most meat I've had in one sitting. When I’m getting paid big bucks some day, Churrascaria Plataforma is on my list of top experiences I have to return to.

Thursday: Legg Mason (Extern Host: Briana Burke)

About Briana Burke: What can I say about Briana aside from her crazy personality? I've known of her from Peer Mentor (Leadership program at Stonehill) but not personally. That entire week allowed me to get to know and understand Briana’s personality. My favorite memory of Briana is her slow dance with Dan Cormier. As much as I want to post the video, I’m not sure they would appreciate it.

And that's Briana in the back

Legg Mason was hosted by Stonehill Alum Kerry Ryan (‘91) Vice President of Marketing. As a Global Marketing company, Legg Mason is the 15^th largest money manager in the world. I couldn't really relate much to them but I learned a lot about the tools and strategies to starting a successful business. Fun fact: They are located on the 27^th floor of the New York Times building! That’s the highest I've ever been in a building. Another exciting and fun fact: The river that is shown in this picture is the river the plane landed on a few months back! How historic!

The legendary River

Goldman Sachs (Extern Host: Herby Saintil)

Goldman Sachs was hosted by Mike DesMarais (’88) & Jon Hughes (‘07). All week the staff crew stressed the intense environment of Goldman Sachs. According to them, all we've learned the entire week came down to that moment. But guess what? We rocked it! As a team we did a great job being engaged, but on an individual level I could not keep my eyes open. I’m sure the information wasn't boring; it just went completely over my head and it made it tougher to stay awake. In order to stay awake I reached out to what I know best: art. I started drawing the speakers as they came. I looked over and Kat was doing the same thing! I guess it’s an artist thing.

Externship Closing Reception

My favorite event of the week was the closing reception; a more formal way of saying we had a party. The night was one of my favorite memories as a student at Stonehill. We had the privilege to wine and dine with Alums, while socializing with them on a personal level. The reception was held at James Cincotta’s house. Remember James Cincotta the silly young men slapper? Even I got a friendly smack in the face that night. I guess that’s just his way of showing his love for us. We all knew he had the best intentions. Besides, it was hilarious because none of us ever saw it coming.

Friday: Sony Music Entertainment (Extern Host: Daniel Cormier)

About Dan: I swear I have too many embarrassing memories of Dan, and evidence too! From the little girl standing inches from his private areas, doing her makeup and snapping pictures of herself on the Subway to the slow dance with Briana. I have it all Dan, I have it all! Videos and pictures! He is quite the entertainer. My favorite memories of Dan are in between our 40-minute commutes into the city with Jason. We definitely bonded during those late 12-1:00am arrivals at home and those 7:00am commutes back into the city. We most definitely got the least sleep out of anyone that week. Did I mention we were in suits all week? Yeah, imagine the wake up time. The worst of it all was the last day, walking about a mile to the subway because between the three of us we had too many things to carry to take a bus or a taxi. Did I also mention it was the slushiest day in the Bronx? That is one major part of the NYC experience I do not miss.

Dan on the left

Have you ever heard of Sony music? If you answered no then it’s time to crawl out your cave. Sony Music Entertainment was hosted by Carine Coppola (’88), SVO and Controller of Global Finance. What does that even mean? I have absolutely no clue but it sounds like an important job. I mean, the thought of being an associate of Sony Music is very exclusive. Not many people can casually say that. Some famous names have been signed by Sony; Kesha, Aerosmith, ACDC, Alicia Keys, Usher, and the most famous of all, Michael Jackson! What are the chances of being signed with Sony? Almost impossible. They have no more than 150 musicians signed. For a production company, that is as exclusive as it gets. One of my questions to the hosts was; “what advice would you give to someone who was pursuing music?” The answer; “don’t quit your daily job”. I couldn't agree more. That’s the escape route for everyone these days, the entertainment business.

Conclusion:

Does anyone see how this was the most adventurous week of my Stonehill career? Not too many people can say they had that experience because in the course of my four years at Stonehill, only 40 students will testify to having such an incredible experience. And even then the number is realistically 30 because some will return. I know I will. Blue Cross is one the best things that could have happened to me in terms of a professional career, but my options are still open. Talking about Blue Cross, stay tuned for my next blog. The adventure continues. The Road to BCBSMA! Coming to your nearest desktop, laptop, iPad, tablet or smartphone!