Congratulations, You're Hired!

The key to scoring a rewarding job out of college isn't what you know or who you know, but according to Matthew DaSilva '24, it's the perfect combination of both.

DaSilva admits he now drinks from a SUNY water bottle, but he has no plans of purging any green and gold from his wardrobe.

"I still have my Siena garb and hoodie. The only reason I'd replace it would be to upgrade my Siena gear."

DaSilva now works for the State University of New York, but is heart is with Siena.

In June, DaSilva began his career as lead programmer/analyst for SUNY. He writes and modifies code within the SUNY workspace adding certain functions to certain programs. As a computer science major, he built an application programming interface, a fully functioning mini-game, two professional websites, and a structured query language database.

"I interviewed for the job in between classes in the spring. I think they were impressed by the diversity in my portfolio, including my passion for both JAVA and Python. They knew I had the background to do what the job demanded."

Acing the interview is half the battle, but getting the interview is equally important. For that, DaSilva credits the MacDonnell Career and Internship Center.

"They provided me the gateway to this position. I worked with the Career and Internship Center quite a bit, so they knew my background and my interests. One day, I got an email from a contact there, and they told me who to reach out to at SUNY for an interview. They found the opportunity for me."

DaSilva credits Siena for both "being prepared for the real world and the easier access to the job market." That's why even in the SUNY universe, the Siena hoodie isn't going anywhere.