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The Pace University Small Business Development Center's (SBDC) talented student interns have worked alongside our business advisors, and post graduation landed impressive roles at J.P Morgan Chase, Condé Nast and American Express among others!
Click a name to learn more about their experience working for the center and how it helped them land their current role.
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Joe Peterson, Business Advisor, Pace SBDC
What is your current job/position, and can you explain some of your day-to-day duties?
I’m currently an Associate Business Advisor at the Pace University SBDC. Most of my day is spent meeting with business owners to talk out their challenges, work to strengthen their businesses, and provide support and guidance wherever I can. Aside from meeting directly with entrepreneurs, I do a lot of professional development. When I sit down with a business owner, I encourage them to highlight any and every challenge their business is facing, so I am always trying to learn more and preparing to meet the needs of my clients as they appear.
What was your overall experience interning at the Pace SBDC?
I started interning during the COVID-19 pandemic, so I saw firsthand both the need for SBDC services and inequities within our economy. Few small business owners have access to professional advice, market research data, business planning resources, procurement tools, good technology, and the list goes on. The resource gap is enormous, and as an intern I became passionate about closing it. It’s a passion my colleagues and I share, and together we are working hard to grow the local economy from the ground up.
What are some of your key takeaways of being a student intern at Pace SBDC?
I say it often and it’s incredibly true: running a small business is hard. It is an uphill battle from the beginning, and rarely does growing a company ever get easier. This means, however, that it is also a labor of love. Working in entrepreneurship means working with some of the most talented, dedicated, driven people in the world. I’m honored to be even a little speck in that universe.
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You can find Joe on his Linkedin
Seyi Fakoya, Co-Founder & CTO, Gamr
What is your current job/position and can you explain some of your day-to-day duties?
I am the Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Gamr, a cutting-edge gaming and esports platform that empowers gamers to monetize their skills on a global scale. In my role as CTO, I bear the responsibility of overseeing the entire technological framework that caters to gamers in 20 different markets. On a day-to-day basis, my focus lies in leading our engineering team through an agile development process, determining the necessary features and functionalities to be implemented, and establishing timelines and overarching objectives. Additionally, I collaborate closely with other team members to set the tone for our product releases, manage versioning, and cultivate an overall service-oriented approach that caters to the needs of our users.
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What was your overall experience interning at the Pace SBDC?
During my time at Pace SBDC, I was fortunate to be immersed in a truly remarkable experience, forging invaluable connections and cultivating lifelong mentors. Rather than viewing myself as an intern, I embraced the role of a partner, collaborating with our business advisors to assist numerous small enterprises across New York City. I would like to take this moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to Director Andrew Flamm, whose leadership at the center has been nothing short of inspiring. I am determined to carry forward the lessons learned from him as I navigate future endeavors involving collaborative work with individuals.
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What are some of your key takeaways of being a student intern at Pace SBDC?
Embrace the role of a sponge, diligently observe the minutiae, and come with empathy for the small business owner. Although the assigned tasks may appear repetitive, they present an opportunity to develop a steadfast consistency, empowering not only your own growth but also amplifying the strength of focus in others.
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You can find Seyi on his LinkedIn.
Minho Lee, Client Relations & Marketing Specialist, ISO Student Insurance
Pace SBDC Intern Alumni Spotlight - Career Paths
What is your current job/position and can you explain some of your day-to-day duties?
My current job position is Client Relations and Marketing Specialist at ISO Student Insurance. And my day-to-day duties/work can be explained by my resume for this job which is:
>Lead and execute an end-to-end marketing campaign, developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy, creating engaging content, collaborating with cross-functional teams, monitoring performance, and making data-driven optimizations.
>Create engaging social media content, manage scheduling, measure performance, and drive customer engagement.
>Provide exceptional customer support, ensuring high levels of satisfaction and building strong client relationships.
>Develop and design materials for direct marketing campaigns, enhancing brand visibility.
>Collaborate cross-functionally, analyze campaign performance, and make data-driven recommendations for optimization.
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What was your overall experience interning at the Pace SBDC?
My overall experience interning at Pace SBDC was very valuable, starting with the amazing staff we have at the Pace SBDC. All our advisors and GM Andrew are the best people to work with, they understand the duties of interns and try their best to give help and provide feedback when it's needed. It's located at Pace University so couldn't have asked for a better work opportunity. I was able to get hands on experience with client relations, creating social media contents, constructing an email campaign, newsletters and more.
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What are some of your key takeaways of being a student intern at Pace SBDC?
Do not be afraid to ask for help, it can start with joining a client meeting assisting their needs and helping the advisor. You have the ability to really explore all the marketing campaigns and analytics so the more eager you are, the more you'll get out from this internship. It's rare to come across a such a genuine team who cares about the work they do and cares about the people they're working for.
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You can find Minho on his LinkedIn.
Taiwo Adegoke, Treasury Associate at JPMorgan Chase (position post-graduation)
What is your current job/position and can you explain some of your day-to-day duties?
I am a Treasury Associate/Data Analyst at JPMORGAN & Chase. My duties include building Tableau Dashboards for treasury related data, in order to improve decision making by end users, using Alteryx to automate manual processes done through Excel, thus improving operating efficiency and to build data workflows in order to organize, structure and produce data output that is relevant for input into Tableau for the purpose of aiding data visualization and interpretation.
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What was your overall experience interning at the Pace SBDC?
My experience at Pace SBDC was a remarkable and fulfilling one. I got to meet small business owners with amazing business venture ideas and established businesses. I was very passionate about reading challenging business plans & their underlying assumptions, and helping to educate small businesses on improving their business models. We were a small and powerful team armed with unique specialties. The Pace SBDC Director and Certified Business Advisors were down-to-earth, caring and personable. I always came to work happy because I had the backing of my Director and business advisors. They gave me opportunities to work on different projects including business plan reviews, construction procurements, creating marketing plans and financial projections, which went a long way to help me as a Business Advisor at the Brooklyn Small Business Development Center and current role at JPMORGAN as a Financial Professional. I can offer one or two sound business advice to any business client.
What are some of your key takeaways of being a student intern at Pace SBDC?
Learn as much you can. Be enthusiastic about working with the business advisors and be a good and reliable support. And be impact-minded right from the time you pick up that call to schedule an appointment for a small business owner, to reviewing business plan or working to get a small business loan.
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You can find Taiwo on his LinkedIn.
Tiffany Boodram, Global Marketing Manager for Condé Nast
What was your overall experience interning at the Pace SBDC?
My overall experience at the Pace SBDC was extremely positive! It was a great learning experience and interning at the Pace SBDC has prepared me for a business environment.
What skills have you taken from interning at Pace SBDC into your current job?
I was able to develop a variety of important skills at the Pace SBDC which I still use in my current job. Life-long skills I have taken my internship to my current job duties are computer proficiency, efficient time-management, organizational skills and leadership. Moreover, I was able to join in on a lot of client meetings with all of the business advisors. This taught me how to create business plans and utilize different marketing tactics for small businesses. The team at Pace SBDC allowed me to assist and take the lead on various meetings which pushed me to be more confident in my role.
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How has the experience at Pace SBDC helped you advance in your career goals?
I was able to develop leadership traits that helped me collaborate with my coworkers efficiently. The team at Pace SBDC were not only my coworkers, but they acted as mentors that helped guide me in my future career path.
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What are some of your key takeaways of being a student intern at Pace SBDC?
You need to take initiative in every role and be ambitious towards your goals. Be the first to share new ideas, ask for more projects, or even volunteer for something outside of your job responsibilities.
You can find Tiffany on her LinkedIn or Instagram: @Breakfastwith.Tiffany.
Vanessa Canarte, Account Manager at Policygenius
What is your current job/position and can you explain some of your day-to-day duties?
My current job is at Policygenius, a broker for life insurance. I'm currently a case manager and assist the client from post sales through underwriting all the way to an offer, with any of our 10 carriers. My job is to personalize and communicate with clients for requirements that are needed during underwriting on behalf of the underwriter. This may include lab results, medical records, etc.
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What skills have you taken from interning at Pace SBDC into your current job?
I learned the ability to personalize my communication with clients so they always have a very pleasant experience. There's no face to face contact at my current position, but its just as important to make a client feel like they are talking with a human as they have concerns and qualms that can come up during the process.
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What are some of your key takeaways of being a student intern at Pace SBDC?
Interning at Pace SBDC taught me the fundamentals of a business that I carry through in my current position, as I handle business applications and business clients.​ I also enjoyed asking the advisors different questions for more knowledge as every client was different than the one prior.
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You can find Vanessa on her LinkedIn or Instagram: @_nesssssaa
Vansh Shah, Account Associate at Wix (position post-graduation)
What is your current job and can you explain some of your
day-to-day duties?
My daily duties as an account associate at Wix are generating new business opportunities, driving growth with current Wix users and engaging with high-value Wix clients. Further, I am responsible for the very early stages of a sales cycle.
What was your overall experience interning at the Pace SBDC?
My overall experience was beyond perfect! Being an international student, pursuing an MBA in Entrepreneurial Studies, I got first-hand experience of working with 100’s of small businesses. All the business advisors were very knowledgeable in their fields and were more than willing to share their knowledge with me. Andrew was more of a mentor to me than a supervisor/manager. I was always taught to learn from the work I did and given enough flexibility to manage my work and studies. ​
What skills have you taken from interning at Pace SBDC into your current job?
Similar to my time at SBDC, I work directly with a lot of business owners/clients at Wix. The skills I developed at SBDC are coming really handy in my current job while I deal with the clients, such as project management, time management, communication, financial and business acumen, etc.
What are some of your key takeaways of being a student intern at Pace SBDC?
To always be… learning! The vast variety of businesses I worked with during my time at Pace SBDC helped me immensely develop my business and many other skills.
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You can find Vansh on his LinkedIn.
Jaslin Singh, Senior Marketing Analyst at American Express (position post-graduation)
What is your current job/position and can you explain some of your day-to-day duties?
I am currently working as a Marketing Analyst with American Express. I am responsible for managing and executing 10 email marketing campaigns on a rolling basis and work with cross functional teams to ensure timely delivery of these campaigns.
What was your overall experience interning at the Pace SBDC?
It was definitely a great experience as I was exposed to the small business world and got a chance to work with different kinds of clients. All my responsibilities honed my communication skills and prepared me for the corporate journey. Being a Marketing student, getting a chance to work on all social media channels, email marketing, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Website structure, and so forth, helped me prepare for my future career goals. I was also able to be a self-starter and implement what I learned in my marketing classes in practice.
What are some of your key takeaways of being a student intern at Pace SBDC?
Working at SBDC gave me a chance to conduct SEO audits for the clients which I am passionate about and wish to continue to do in my near future. Being a student intern at Pace SBDC gives you an opportunity to be self sufficient and experiment in the white space available. Andrew is a great leader who motivates you to lead and own your own projects and supports throughout. Working at SBDC also keeps you close to the business school and you can definitely learn more about the business world from a closer lens. I have always been able to flaunt my rich experience with SBDC in my job interviews.
You can find Jaslin on her LinkedIn.