Colin May ‘04 continues to look back on his Siena Experience as a driving force behind his success. Whether it was the friends he made, the professors who mentored him, or the internships he took part in, Colin says it shaped who he is.

Colin says Siena’s Franciscan values helped cement his faith, eventually leading to his confirmation in the Catholic Church, by taking the name of Bonaventure. “When I went to St. Mary of the Angels Chapel for the first time I felt home again. The joy and vibrancy of the friars, including Fr. Jim Sabak, O.F.M. and Fr. Bill Beaudin, O.F.M. made me appreciate my faith and deepened it.”

But one of the major factors that contributed to Colin’s success is Siena’s focus on internships and real world experience. It was through one of those opportunities where he had a life changing moment. “I was able to intern with the Export-Import Bank of the United States in Washington, D.C., thanks to an article that Associate Professor of Accounting Bob Carmody handed out—we were studying the Enron case as it was unfolding in the Wall Street Journal, and I had discovered this obscure government agency.” He adds, “they took us to a lecture that was especially dry—except that the topic was money laundering. It was at that moment that things really crystallized for me: I could have a career in law enforcement, fighting fraud, corruption, and the profit that arose from those crimes, precisely because I had a business degree and could understand the basic accounting, financial, and management components. From then on, that was my focus and I was finally able to succeed.”

After graduation, Colin spent time with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and then began his career as a special agent with the U.S. Department of Defense. Since then, his career has included positions across the federal government as an investigator and supervisor. "And it was all thanks to Siena," he says.

We thank Colin for his commitment to keeping the spirit of St. Francis alive as a Saint who doesn’t sit on the sidelines!