Sometimes we all need a lucky break. Just a tiny bit of serendipity. It can come from almost anywhere, or anyone (like an elementary school art teacher). And when you get that break, as Amy Rasmussen '26 can attest, you've got to be ready to seize it.
It was January of 2026, and Rasmussen's internship search was a series of dead ends. She admits she was feeling frustrated and a little desperate. Her mom could sense it, and that's why she started helping with the search during lunch breaks at work.
"My mom is a third grade teacher. One day, her friend, the school's art teacher, asked her what she was doing."
Turns out, the teacher's sister works at Dell Technologies, and she's a big enough deal to get a resume noticed. Amy's mom, Linda, passed along Amy's resume to the art teacher, who shared it with her sister, who placed it in the right hands at Dell. The next thing Rasmussen knew? She had a summer internship lined up at Dell... at their national headquarters in Austin, Texas.
The Long Island native has never been abroad on her own, and while Texas isn't "abroad," it was far enough from home, with a culture different enough from New York, to almost feel international. Rasmussen was up for it.
"It's true. Everything really is bigger in Texas. Everything is just flat and huge. I went line dancing and ate BBQ. I even spent a day working on a ranch in all the wrong clothes."
The main focus, though, was on the internship. Rasmussen, who's earning degrees in both finance and marketing, is most interested in the finance industry. Her internship was technically in sales, but the company encourages interns to explore their passions. Rasmussen made a point to set up one-on-one meetings with employees on the finance side of the house. Her most important meeting was with a Siena graduate.
Mike Dunn '92 is the senior vice president of North America revenue operations. Rasmussen's manager, recognizing the Siena connection, put Rasmussen in touch with Dunn. They talked for an hour over lunch, and Rasmussen believes that helped secure her return offer. Right after Commencement, Rasmussen is heading back to Austin as a financial analyst in the company's Finance Development Program (FDP).
FDP is an accelerated full-time program for new graduate employees that consists of four different rotations over two years. Once Rasmussen finishes the program, she's guaranteed permanent placement within the company.
"Siena prepared me so well to take advantage of this opportunity. My marketing classes helped with the presentations I was responsible for each week during the internship. Working in The MacDonnell Career and Internship Center made a big difference for me as well. Plus, the Siena culture matches really well with Dell. A lot of the other interns were from big universities. The feeling at Dell is tight-knit. I was able to fit right in."
She's not sure if she'll live in Texas forever, but she can't wait to start her job and spend at least the next two years enjoying life "abroad."
