For three years, Austin Whyte ‘22 proudly served in the United States Army. He was stationed in Texas and Florida and also deployed to Afghanistan. Now a veteran, he's serving fellow veterans in the area as a veteran advocate intern at ClearPath Mortgage Solutions.
Much of his job involves communicating with veterans, a role he's specifically suited for.
“Some veterans don't share a lot with civilians. It's not that civilians aren't trustworthy, but some veterans have been through a really hard time. So as soon as I mention that I'm a veteran, was deployed, and had a hard time with benefits, it's an automatic connection. And what I find is that they're a lot more viable to opening up and telling me the truth behind what they're thinking, so I can give them my best service.”
Whyte researches the various benefits available for veterans and facilitates veteran outreach through social media. In fact, he's currently developing new social media campaigns for ClearPath, and thanks to his social media marketing class this semester, he’s ahead of the game. Plus, because his course work and internship function hand-in-hand, Whyte is tuned into emerging trends in marketing and social media.
After graduating, Whyte expects to land a job in the marketing field. Actually, he might already have one. His internship supervisor will complete an evaluation of his internship soon, and the results could lead to a full-time job.
“This internship really broadens my resume and it gives me helpful real world experience. I've been in other jobs, but this is a completely different field of work for me, and I just view it as more experience and more knowledge of how to interact with people and customers.”
Austin Whyte '22
A panel of four students with rich internship experience shared career and internships tips and answered questions from an audience of their peers.
“The panel was a great opportunity to talk to the students about realistic expectations when searching and participating in an internship. It is such a vital experience in a person's college career, therefore learning from those who are currently going through the process can be extremely helpful for a student's future endeavors.”
Valentina Doren '22, secured an internship through Siena's Washington Semester Program
"Siena offers so many great internship opportunities, so it was awesome to learn about the different ones that students are taking advantage of. The panelists offered a lot of great insight into topics like how internships work, but also how to strengthen your resumes, network, and grow professionally. I'll definitely utilize their career tips during my own job hunt!”
Nyla Green '22, attendee
Primary takeaways and tips from the panel:
- Take advantage of the opportunities that are available no matter your class year
- Use Career Saint and other resources to find internships
- Use the Career and Internship Center for help with mock interviews, resume critique, and other career needs
- Participate in internships to gain real-world experience that will make you a more attractive job candidate
