Career and Internship Center
gray sweater
The sweater that brought together Santos and RenderTribe

Simon Santos '23 tried pulling the thread, but that only made the situation worse. He could tell the dangling string was integral to the integrity of the sweater and if he kept pulling, it was bound to unravel. It may not have been a true emergency, but Simon wasn't taking any chances. He stepped out of his business class and went roaming Siena Hall in search of a pair of scissors. By fate, he wandered into the office of Alicia Pepe, assistant vice president for experiential learning and career development.

Pepe provided the scissors, but while she had Simon's attention, she asked him about internships. Simon didn't have one, but he had been looking. They arranged a future meeting so Simon could get back to class, and based on his interests, Pepe mentioned the possibility of RenderTribe. She even dropped the CEO's name, a Siena alumnus named Peter Dean. 

Two days later, Simon was at an event for the Stack Center and he was introduced to someone, Peter Dean. Simon followed that thread all the way to an internship this semester at RenderTribe as a member of their sales team. 

"I don't think it was lucky, just serendipitous. I had to follow up with Alicia. I had to go to the entrepreneurship dinner. I had to show up."

 Simon's team researches companies that may be interested in partnering with RenderTribe. The team refers to themselves as the pirates. Why? The work isn't always easy, but they band together to get the job done, and in the process they're able to create riches for their partners. RenderTribe works one-on-one with companies to focus their digital marketing strategies and business solutions. Simon really enjoys his team, and his boss. In fact, he just spoke to the CEO recently.

Mr. Siena talent
Santos (right) with George Ghobriel '21.

"Peter and I talked this morning. He asked me all about Mr. Siena (right). It's that sort of personal connection, and the Siena connection, that I think is really important."

Simon's team leader, is also a Siena graduate, Regina Linder '22.

Simon was already seeking an internship before his sweater started to unravel, but his story illustrates the power of Siena's network. A chance meeting, leads to a chance encounter, which leads to a rewarding internship on a team of Saints (and pirates).

"I told Alicia I knew I wanted a sales job, and I wanted to work with a Siena entrepreneur. She explained everything about Career Saint. She scheduled our follow up meeting. She told me how to apply and get my resume certified. Then, when I just happened to be sitting next to Peter, I asked him if he had any internships available. That's how it happens." 

Simon Santos '24

"If I can get five minutes with a student to share information about our internship program and career services, it usually results in a student's formal visit to the Career and Internship Center. In this case, Simon wandered into my office for a pair of scissors to mend a fraying sweater, but what he left with was information. He took my advice to heart. He prepared, did his research and began applying. It resulted in an internship with one of our great employer partners!" 

Alicia Pepe, assistant vice president for experiential learning and career development