As the old adage goes, there is no better teacher than experience. Some notable professors may be inclined to disagree with that maxim, but Henry Snyder ’17, a nursing major in the College of Health Professions, has cannily put himself in a position to get the best of both worlds.

“[Pace] has totally exceeded my expectations,” says Snyder. “I’ve been in four different clinical settings already in the last two years. I’ve done everything in those from providing care to patients who are older, patients with psychiatric disabilities, patients in burn units, trauma, ICU…”

Snyder, a resident of the Westchester Campus, has leveraged the skills he’s acquired in the classroom and clinical settings to land a part-time job at a nearby Doctors Express Urgent Care facility—where he’s been able to apply his skills to both practical and real situations that one can’t necessarily learn anywhere else. He notes that there have been some situations that he hadn’t previously foreseen, that, thanks to the position and practical experience, he is now much more equipped to handle.

Snyder has also witnessed some of the larger realities of American health care, and, like millions of professionals who work in the industry, has been put in a unique position to evaluate and affirm his own personal ideologies.

“It’s showed me the benefits of health care, and also the hardships of working with health care. Asking people for a visit out of pocket—I still have to be able to turn them away. That’s really difficult for me. I believe in health care for everybody, turning people away in that situation has shown me how far we have to go with health care.”

Out of the classroom, Snyder is certainly making the most of his time as a Setter. In addition to serving as a second-year resident assistant in Pleasantville’s Alumni Hall, Snyder is a member of Student Nurses at Pace (SNAP), has played an integral role in the continued successes of the Pace4Kids Dance Marathon, is the vice president of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, and works as the student coordinator of the tour guides at the Welcome Center.

As for the future? Although the Pace Community will deeply miss Snyder when he moves on to the next phase of his promising career, his experiences as a Setter have definitely helped him gain a greater understanding of what it takes to succeed in nursing—and have helped him figure out the particular path he would like to pursue after graduation.

“As of now, I’m looking into two different fields. Neo-natal—care of infants and premature babies—and I’m also looking into operating rooms specializing in pediatric patients.”

When asked how they would describe their Pace experience, nursing majors Katie and Kimberly Mitts ’17 had a few words come to mind when reflecting on four years of a rigorous and rewarding program combined with their academic and extracurricular accomplishments at Pace—amazing, challenging, worthwhile, and eye-opening.

The twins, who are passionate about helping others and learning as much as they can about nursing, stepped onto Pace’s Pleasantville Campus in 2012 eager to pursue the careers of which they had always dreamed.

“Pace is close to our home in Rockland County, New York, but far enough away that we could experience college life, and when we looked at various nursing programs, this was the only one that has clinicals starting during sophomore year,” Katie says.

Although the sisters knew they would be embarking on a challenging academic program, they wanted to get involved on the Pleasantville Campus and meet new people through extracurricular activities and organizations.

The sisters jumped into Greek life and joined sororities—Phi Sigma Sigma for Katie and Alpha Lambda Sigma for Kimberly—and they both were a part of Pace’s cheerleading team during their first and second years.

“Being a cheerleader was especially fun in college,” Kimberly says. “It challenges yourself in different ways from high school cheerleading, and it was a great way to get out, meet people, and set yourself on the right path.”

Their path to becoming nurses was something the pair set out upon at a young age. At 14, the Mitts sisters joined their local ambulance’s youth corps within the Nanuet Community Ambulance Corps, earning basic certifications, assisting EMTs and paramedics on emergency calls, and improving patient care skills. The two are still active in the corps and have served several positions over the years including Senior Corps members and Katie as the Lieutenant of Communications from May 2015 to May 2016.

“We joined our local ambulance core because we knew we wanted to do medicine,” Katie says. “I think that opened our eyes and showed us what the nurses actually do, and we enjoyed learning that and being able to work with them.”

Currently in their final semester of the nursing program, the duo says they are so grateful for the education they have received through lessons, clinicals, innovative learning experiences in the classroom, and much more.

“In the nursing program, it has been a great honor to make it as far as we have,” Kim says. “We have seen our class go from 150 students to 60 because it is so challenging.”

In the nursing program, Katie and Kimberly have access to cutting-edge technology in the Clinical Education Labs that allow students to partake in simulations, which expose them to a range of scenarios so they know exactly what to do when faced with these situations in real life. The labs enable students to practice skills on human patient simulators, familiarize themselves with electronic medical records, and prepare medications using computerized systems.

“The simulation equipment we use is the most amazing I have ever seen,” Kimberly says.

She says the nursing students listen to the patients’ lungs and differentiate the sounds they hear, they learn how to give injections, and they have to pass validations while talking to the patients, among many other experiences.

“It was a lot of fun, and the human patient simulators are great because they can adapt in any way,” Kimberly says. “I walk in one week and one is pregnant and you have to deal with that scenario. Just seeing those simulations gets you comfortable being in a hospital setting.”

The Mittses say one of their greatest takeaways over the past few years has been understanding and developing better time management skills, spending 12 hour days studying in the library, listening to previous lectures, reviewing hundreds of flashcards, and teaching themselves what they need to do to in order to become better nurses.

“Before, I would procrastinate, but this program and this University has taught me how to properly time manage and how to balance everything including your social life,” Katie says. “Being able to say that we made it through the nursing program, balanced everything, and were not so engrossed in our work that we didn’t lose out on life is a great accomplishment.”

Having each other to lean on was especially important for the sisters, as they relied on each other and pushed one another to work their hardest. They also credit their success to help from their professors, who were always willing to answer any questions, and support from their grandparents Shirley and Joe, their father Tim and mother Tammy, and their boyfriends Matt and Erich who kept the sisters going when it was the toughest.

Although Katie and Kimberly do not plan on working together after they graduate—Katie wants to work in the suburbs and Kimberly wants to get a taste of city life—the two know they always have a special bond and can rely on each other with any questions or concerns they encounter.

“I’m going to miss Pace—and it will be different once we graduate—but I feel comfortable saying that once I leave, I can say the University has done me well,” Katie says. “I am proud I can add to that number of graduates who are successful from Pace.”

“I noticed that at Pace University, I have been setting higher goals. When I graduate, I don’t want just a job, I want the best of the best.” Shahzaib Khan ’17 is a firm believer that good things come to those who work hard and push themselves. At Pace, the public accounting major has secured prestigious internships at AXA Advisors, Deutsche Bank, Deloitte, Nasdaq, and J.P. Morgan; gained leadership experience through Beta Alpha Psi; participated and placed in a variety of accounting-related competitions; and developed the skills needed to succeed in his industry.

“I wanted a program that helped with the fundamentals of accounting but at the same time offered you real work experience. [Pace] does that,” says Khan. “When I graduate, not only will I have the knowledge in accounting, but also the first-hand work experience that will make me stand out from other candidates.”

As a candidate in the Lubin School of Business’ five-year combined BBA/MBA in Public Accounting program, Khan says Pace is placing him a step ahead in reaching his goal of becoming a CEO of a major accounting firm in Dubai.

“The professors are really helpful both inside and outside the classroom,” Khan says. “They want you to succeed and shine, and they advise you about upcoming opportunities and help you become a stronger candidate for jobs.”

Since his freshman year, Khan tapped into several resources available at Pace including Career Services and academic business honor society Beta Alpha Psi, which provided him with unmatched networking opportunities, internships, and opportunities to build his resume.

In Beta Alpha Psi, Khan served on the committee of competitions and was a chair of alumni relations, participated in community service events, and presented at the Best Practice Regional Competition where he won third place after collectively allocating more than 400 hours to create a sense of community and exchange ideas to add value to the chapter.

Through Career Services, Khan secured his tax internship at Nasdaq and had the opportunity to work with and learn from executives and tax professionals in various departments.

“I learned that to be successful and to grow professionally, hard work and having a passion for your work are extremely important,” he says. “If you plan on doing something you love and you have a desire for it, you will accomplish more goals and be happy at the end of the day.”

Khan is passionate about being as well-rounded as possible, having participated in many competitions such as PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) xACT Case Competition, KPMG Gold Challenge Competition, EY Forensic Case Competition, and Beta Alphs Psi’s Good vs. Bad Business Ethics Competition.

This winter, he spent 10 days in Singapore and India as part of a travel finance course that focused on venture capital and private equity markets in South Asia, as well as financial innovation.

“We live in a time where you can have a 4.0 GPA with two degrees and still be jobless after college. Why? Because recruiters and firms want to see your resume and want you see what have you been up to and your experience,” says Khan. “They want a person who is well-rounded—someone who has been interning, has extracurricular activities, strong leadership skills, and is confident. This in fact is all possible for you because of Lubin, Career Services, and Beta Alpha Psi.”

Rachel Krawsek ’17, a recent digital cinema and filmmaking graduate, is well-versed in the world of television. During her time at Pace, she was a TV Land program and media planning intern for Viacom and also wrapped up an exciting internship at Al Roker Entertainment, which has produced digital programming for top cable networks including Food Network, Lifetime, Discovery Channel, and more. After graduation, she landed a job as a Production Assistant at Madison Square Garden Networks. Learn more about her biggest takeaways from her internship at Al Roker Entertainment and how it prepared her to conquer the production field.

Can you tell me about your internship at Al Roker Entertainment, what your role was, what your duties were, and the duration of time you interned for?
My internship at Al Roker was a great learning experience for me. I was a production intern who acted as a production assistant for local shoots by setting up equipment, operated several cameras for live broadcasts, organized footage to allow editors to find all necessary clips, transcribe and log footage for producers and editors in a word document, and researched products and companies. I was there from mid-September to mid-November.

How did you obtain this internship?
I obtained this internship through Pace’s internship and job database, Handshake. Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of my career counselor, Nicole Catalfamo.

What was one of the coolest or most memorable things you did at the internship?
One of the coolest and most memorable things I did at Roker Entertainment was when I got to be behind the camera for a live shoot. It was nerve-wracking but rewarding. I loved being able to apply what I learned in class in the real world.

What was the most valuable thing you learned from the internship?
The most valuable thing I learned from my internship was if you don’t succeed, try and try again. I was asked to run a lot of errands and many times I did not know where I was going. It was a learning experience trying to navigate Manhattan. Something as simple as being trusted to run errands led to being trusted for other opportunities.

How has this internship shaped you for the future?
This internship has shaped me for the future by preparing me for working in the production field. I got to see what it was like to build a project from the ground up—see it on paper and then come to life on screen. I also learned what it is like to work in a company with many different kinds of people. As a part of working with others, you have to learn that everyone else learns differently. The more flexible you can be, the better.

What is one piece of advice you would give to a student who aspires to complete an internship like yours?
Advice I would give to a student who wants to get the most out of their internship would be to ask a lot of questions. You never know who will need help and it looks very proactive on your part if you step in and try to help. Also, be mindful that you never know who you’re talking to. Treat everyone with the same great attitude.

Anything else you’d like to share?
Even if you don’t like a task your internship gives you, have a great attitude. These people are going to be giving you recommendations for your next job or internship and you want them to have nothing but nice things to say about you. Be positive, and be someone that people want to work with.

Originally from Stamford, Connecticut, Diego Caro ’17 found a perfect place at NBC Sports Group, where he’s gaining the hands-on experience needed for the field. President of Delta Kappa Epsilon and former President of the InterFraternity Council (IFC), Caro is also a member of the Order of Omega—Greek Leadership Honor Society, and on the Dean’s List.

Where are you currently interning?
Have you had any other internships previously? I am currently interning at NBC Sports Group in Stamford, CT as a Marketing Operations Intern. This is actually my second semester interning here. Prior to my senior year, I also interned with NBCUniversal as a broadcast operations intern with the Jerry Springer Show and Steve Wilkos Show.

What have you been working on at your internship?
I focus primarily on logging and reporting cue sheet information for all departmental promotions. This allows the company to compensate all the composers and publishers for the music we use as part of our promos. I also assist the marketing department with logistics by completing various tasks on a week-to-week basis. I’d say that the majority of the work I do is “behind the scenes work” for the promotions that air on NBC and NBCSN.

Do you believe your internship experience has helped to prepare you for your future?
Without a doubt, my internship experience has certainly prepared me for the future. It’s opened my eyes to an industry I knew very little about before. I’ve learned so much and have built great relationships with my co-workers. It’s taught me the importance of networking, and also how to properly conduct myself in a corporate setting. It’s also taught me how to better manage my time, meet deadlines, and just work hard overall. Whether it’s a big or small task I always push myself to produce the best quality of work because employers take note of that.

Any advice for other Lubin students looking for internships?
I can’t stress the importance of networking. I’m sure it’s a term highly overstated but it really is crucial in any field. Every job I’ve ever had has come from networking and just knowing someone already in the company. Another piece of advice is also to not feel discouraged when you don’t hear back from an employer or don’t get the job at first. Use every career fair, phone call, and interview as a learning experience…you really do learn something different each time. Coming from personal experience, you will feel so much more confident and relaxed after the sixth or seventh interview you’ve been to, as opposed to the first.

In a few sentences, describe the best thing about your internship.
The best thing about my internship is working for a network that has such a huge influence in the sports industry. I’ve always loved to play and watch sports so being able to work for a company that brings the thrill of sports to millions of people across the country is truly amazing. Being in an environment where one day you’re working on Sunday Night Football content, and the next day on the Olympics, is actually a dream come true.

Amber Borrero ’17, a recent communications graduate on the Pleasantville Campus, was a creative student and mentor during her time at Pace, finding ways to help students get involved on campus through organizations such as the AALANA program, Orientation Leaders, and Student Government Association. Borrero applied those skills as an intern for the creatives team at TMPG, an independent marketing company in White Plains, NY, that bridges the worlds of radio, promotions, digital, and new media through innovative programs. TMPG’s clients include Burger King, Coppertone, Dell, Lifetime, Kraft, and more.

In this Q&A with Borrero, get an inside look at what it’s like to intern at an award-winning marketing company, find out how she landed the internship, and learn her advice for students interested in interning.

Internship: Creatives team intern for TMPG in White Plains
How was the internship obtained? Through Career Services
Most valuable takeaway: “I never realized what the steps were behind promoting a product.”
Biggest piece of advice to aspiring interns: “You never know until you try. I am a communications major and never thought that I would be working as a marketing intern.”

How was your overall experience interning for TMPG?
I loved working at TMPG last semester! The people were friendly, and the environment in the office definitely had personality. I worked as an intern for college credit as part of their creatives team. I was in charge of researching data for their social media sites and editing the PowerPoints they have done for their promotions plan. I also pitched ideas they could use to promote products with their clients.

How did Career Services help you land this internship?
I spoke to Nicole Catalfamo, assistant director of Dyson programs and services in Career Services on the Pleasantville Campus, about looking for an internship. She said I would be perfect for this job, so I e-mailed TMPG my resume, got called for an interview, and was hired on the spot.

What was one of the most memorable moments at your internship?
One of the most memorable moments at my internship was when I provided creative ideas toward one of their projects that I was passionate about. One of TMPG's clients, the Trevor Project, needed help promoting a product. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people ages 13–24. I had a lot of fun helping my supervisor come up with unique and creative ideas on how to promote through social media and in the city. I was also in charge of researching fun facts, motivational quotes, and current events on media and ad revenue. It was cool to look at their social media and say, "Hey, that was my work!”

How has the Pace Path helped you in regard to this internship opportunity?
The Pace Path has definitely helped make connections in order to get this internship. I learned making connections is one of the most important things you can do when trying to look for a job. My supervisor actually graduated from Pace University and was roommates with one of my chapter founders for my sorority.

How has this internship shaped you for the future?
If I ever work for another marketing firm in the future, I now have the experience in the marketing field thanks to TMPG.

As a member of Pace’s Cross Country team during his time as an undergraduate, Nick Porretta ’17 understands the value of endurance. Similarly, during his time as a nursing student in the College of Health Professions, he has also gone the extra mile. From participating in world-class clinical rotations to establishing a solid blueprint for future career success, Porretta is ready to embark on the long-distance race that more commonly referred to as life after college.

“A great Pace perk is that, in my four years here, I’ve lived the best of both worlds. I have taken classes on both campuses, done clinical rotations throughout the Westchester and New York City area, and enjoyed the pleasures of exploring and experiencing city and suburban life,” says Porretta.

Locally Porretta participated in clinical rotations at NewYork Persbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and Manhattan VA Medical Center, where he garnered essential on-the-job training that will help him be adequately prepared for any kind of medical emergency. All in all, Porretta participated in an extremely impressive ten clinicals, some of which involved considerable travel—including a particularly eye-opening experience in India.

Working in a small village along the Himalayan foothills through an internship with the nonprofit Child Family Health International, Porretta assisted in providing valuable services to the under-served population living in the rural, mountainous community. Three days a week, alongside doctors, staff, and several Pace faculty members, Porretta and his team operated a clinic to anyone who sought medical assistance. The rest of the time, staff would travel to nearby villages to set up health camps complete with the necessary medical equipment and medications needed to assess, diagnose, and treat patients.

Porretta recounts one anecdote from the trip that particularly stuck with him, and has inspired him to continue to provide aid and assistance wherever he possibly can.

“One day I was walking back from one of these health camp visits, and I encountered a young boy sitting at the bottom of the sloped pathway with a bundle of wood tied on the ground before him. With the help of the doctor as a translator, I asked the boy if I could carry the wood up the hill for him; he agreed and aided with positioning the bundle on my shoulder. With great effort and strength, I was able to complete the task, but this wasn’t without some assistance and soreness afterwards. Next, I watched this boy—half my height and half my age—effortlessly pick up this bundle and continue to carry the bundle atop his head to his home. My whole experience in India was truly humbling, enlightening, and inspirational,” says Porretta.

Back on campus, Porretta continued to hone his personal and professional skill set through both the classroom setting and extracurricular activities. As a four-year member of the cross-country team, he traveled all over the northeast to compete. Along the way, he learned the importance of properly managing his time, as well as the benefits of working together cohesively as a team, even in a sport that’s individualistic in nature.

In the classroom, Porretta was able to make connections with Pace faculty members in a way a school with larger class sizes may not be able to manage. He particularly cites nurse education professor Yanick Martelly-Kebreau as being instrumental to his undergraduate experience, helping him fully understand the value of his Pace education.

“During my semesters with Martelly-Kebreau, I came to face some difficulties in my personal life, and these difficulties were starting to affect my focus and performance in school and in clinical. One day she told me that ‘Education is your greatest investment; nobody and nothing can take that away from you. Focus on yourself and your studies.’ She had great faith in me, and she helped to instill a renewed sense of purpose and confidence in myself.”

As Porretta readies himself for the “real world,” he can safely say that whatever personal or professional obstacle may come his way, his time at Pace will help him take any future challenge in stride.

BriAnna DellaSala ’17, a marketing student in the Pforzheimer Honors College and president of Profashionals, has combined her creative and analytical skills in more than eight internships at prestigious companies across the city, each helping her get one step closer to her dream of working in the fashion industry.

“I live by a quote about fear that explains how an action doesn’t hold you back, but the fear of the action will,” DellaSala says. “I try to always go after what I am afraid of doing, and then you find that it wasn’t that big of a deal in the first place.”

Even as a senior in high school, DellaSala knew she was ready to fearlessly conquer city life, only applying to schools in Boston and NYC. Though she said she was leaning toward Pace based on its strong business program, she was sold the day she toured campus.

“When I toured Pace, my guide went on and on about all the great internships here, and I knew that I really wanted to intern in college so it seemed like the perfect opportunity,” DellaSala says. “I also really loved the campus and how it wasn’t a traditional college setting, because I am not a traditional person.”

Because Pace is placed in the heart of downtown Manhattan, DellaSala loved the idea of being on her own, owning the city, and forging a path in fashion.

Growing up, DellaSala always had a flair for fashion, obsessing over the fashion-focused TV series Ugly Betty, envisioning herself as the assistant to a major fashion editor like Andy in The Devil Wears Prada, and standing out from the other kids with her unique clothing choices.

“I loved fashion, but I knew I wasn’t good enough at drawing to go the design route,” DellaSala says. “But I knew that I was a really good businesswoman. My dad is in finance and I can negotiate with him really well, so I knew I had that business mind with math and management.”

While she built on her analytics, finance, and marketing skills in the classroom, DellaSala began dipping her toes in the fashion mecca that is New York City by joining Pace’s former fashion club, Styleta, and networking with people who shared her same interests.

There, she met Cindy Nguyen ’16, who asked DellaSala to join the executive board of Pace’s current fashion group, Profashionals, which stitches together a community of students looking to land their dream internships and careers in the fashion world through events, networking, informative meetings, and more.

While working to get Profashionals up and running for other students to find success in fashion, DellaSala wasted no time kicking off her own journey into the industry, interning with the online boutique Lux and Eco during the summer after her freshman year. As an assistant buyer intern, she singlehandedly picked many of the clothing and accessories the company sold on their site, and after three months, she was hired on as a part-time fashion buyer while still maintaining her good grades.

“I didn’t know it then, but I realized I want to do buying for my career,” DellaSala says. “That is why interning has been so important to me, because I was able to figure out what I do and don’t like. As a marketing student I am learning the material in class, but through internships I can apply and experience marketing of all types and learn what I like.”

Her next internship was found through her organizing of and attendance at the Profashionals event, Dress for Success, which brings together a panel of fashion professionals for students to learn from and interact with. She walked up to a woman from the marketing department of Cosmopolitan magazine, introduced herself, and expressed her interest in interning at the magazine.

From networking with the woman, DellaSala scored her internship in the fast-paced fashion closet of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen, checking in samples, running around the city, and organizing the closet covered in designer clothes.

Next, she tried other facets of fashion, working in the fashion closet of American fashion designer Michael Kors and completing a sales internship for another American designer, Zac Posen.

During the fall of her senior year, DellaSala was offered an opportunity she couldn’t resist, as it combined her passion for marketing, analytics, and fashion into one unique opportunity in merchandising at Salvatore Ferragamo. As an intern in the men’s department, she worked as an assistant merchandiser and assistant buyer.

“I absolutely loved it, and I am obsessed with the company,” DellaSala said. “I made graphs that the CEO presented in meetings, and created the trend reports that went to every Ferragamo store.”

DellaSala loved the opportunity so much that she is working with Ferragamo through the spring semester in the women’s merchandising department.

When she’s not busy at her internship or being the president of Profashionals, DellaSala is working on her thesis that compares how older luxury brands conduct their brand management and marketing in comparison to newer luxury brands, and what each could learn from the other.

As for her next steps after graduation, DellaSala scored a position at Salvatore Ferragamo as a buyer for women's accessories and fragrance.

“Pace has allowed me to be in the perfect location and in the center of it all,” DellaSala says. “I bounced around a lot in the fashion industry and was able to try as many things as possible within my interest to find what I enjoy most.”

At Pace, Elliana Gianacopoulos ’18 has taken on as many leadership opportunities as possible to give back to her community through mentoring underclassmen, volunteering in hospitals, helping the underprivileged in the community, and guiding her peers and herself toward success.

“I chose Pace University because I was in love with NYC and the downtown area,” she says. “Pace offered me generous scholarships, which made it that much easier to say yes. I was pretty set on attending Pace right off the bat, and I knew I would be coming here after my first visit in junior year of high school.”

As a biology student and aspiring medical student, Gianacopoulos is taking advantage of opportunities outside and inside of the classroom by connecting with professors and participating in medical research.

“Pace’s small biology program spoils the students with incredibly supportive and open relationships between the professors and students,” she says. “Every professor knows our names and is willing to help us succeed. As a freshman I was able to begin researching with an incredible mentor, Marcy Kelly. This is something I am sure I would not have been able to do at another, bigger university.”

Currently, Gianacopoulos is conducting cutting-edge research on Mycobacterium bovis (BCG), the current vaccine for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, alongside biology professor Marcy Kelly, PhD.

“Working with Dr. Kelly has helped me grow both as a student and as a person,” Gianacopoulos says. “I am constantly being taught how to push my curiosity and thirst for learning to the max, and how I can best manifest my desire to help people in this world.”

Last year she was awarded a Provost Undergraduate Research Grant to continue her work with Kelly, and won first place at the end of year showcase with a $2,000 scholarship to present their work at a national conference.

In addition to her research, Gianacopoulos is a member of the Pforzheimer Honors College and Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society, biology discussion group peer leader, Dean’s List first honors recipient, and currently serves as the president of Pace’s Pre-Professional Medical Society (PPMS), whose members host events that help science students find their passion and show them the many opportunities in the STEM and health fields.

It all started with a Razor scooter for communications student Andre Arias ’18. His aunt, a world-traveling sports journalist, returned home from a work trip abroad with the toy for Arias one Christmas, putting the coveted scooter in his hands before all other American kids his age. And his interest and experience in the communications field has only grown since then.

Arias is an active member of the Pace Community who has served as a UNV101 peer leader, worked on student engagement for Dyson’s Center for Community Action and Research, helped win a Distinguished Delegation award for Pleasantville’s Model United Nations team at the 2015 National Model UN Conference, and more. On top of it all, he’s taken up to 25 credits some semesters. But he’s putting most of that on hold now in order to gain a new kind of experience—a production internship at Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS.

Serious about his career path and how to get there, Arias kept a tight schedule during his freshman and sophomore years in preparation for a future internship. “For me, I plan a lot ahead of time. So I had planned my Pace Path way before I even came to Pace. I knew that when I got to be a junior, I was going to have an internship. I think the Pace Path helps students to do what I did on my own,” he says.

In addition to putting in some extra credits in the classroom and face time into campus activities and organizations early on, one of the other ways he continues to try to get ahead is by checking in regularly with Career Service and his adviser Carol Dockery, who he praises for her support. Arias found his internship at Samantha Bee through Handshake, Career Services’ job and internship listing database, and applied to roughly 25 positions before starting his role at the show.

While he can’t elaborate on exactly what he does as a production intern at Samantha Bee, Arias does say that he’s heavily involved in the making of the show and gets to interact regularly with Samantha herself. So far, the show has been exactly what he hoped for in terms of gaining real world experience. “Especially in my field of communications, that’s all experience. I feel it’s important and hard to be learned behind a desk,” he says.

For example, Arias says he understands just how important a good resume can be when it comes to obtaining future career opportunities over fierce competition in the communications field. Not only that, but creating a resume early in a college career is good experience for other students in other disciplines as well. “I think for a lot of students, it allows you to actually see and reflect on your work experience,” he says.

Though his internship is a top priority these days, this go-getter Setter is keeping involved on campus and in politics, another interest of his, and is active in Student Government Association on the Westchester Campus. He’s also got his eye on the prize when it comes to sports journalism, hoping to cover the Rio Olympics, following in the footsteps of his jet-setting aunt.