student profile
In the boardroom in South Beach by Megan Hall ’10 he lights and sounds of South Beach, Miami are a far cry from quaint and quiet Banner Elk, but that’s exactly where Lees-McRae senior Ignacio “Iggy” Falco found himself this past summer as he worked for MTV Networks Latin America as a production management intern. Falco, who will graduate in December of 2009, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, but has resided in Weston, Florida, for the last nine years. During his time at Lees-McRae, Falco was a midfielder on the men’s soccer team, an active part of the Banner Elk Clean-Up Project and a resident assistant in Tennessee Residence Hall. However, this business administration major has dreams far larger than Banner Elk can accommodate. “I have a couple post-graduation goals. I want to find stability in a secure job; and even if the first job I get is not the one that best suits me, I can learn from it and get the most I can out of it. Another goal is to obtain a job in one of the cities in which I would like to live. My first choice is Milan, Italy; but cities like Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles attract me a lot too. I am very open about relocating anywhere in the U.S. and Europe,” said Falco. Real world experience in a large city is exactly what Falco received through his summer internship. From May 19 to July 31, Falco worked for MTV Networks Latin America as a production management intern. His tasks ranged anywhere from handling budgets from companies (mostly based in South America) to general office chores to assisting the vice president of production management in any way possible. Falco’s most significant project while working at MTV Networks was analyzing budgets from candidate production to produce the MTV Latin Music Awards 2009, which take place simultaneously in Los Angeles, Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina in October, a task that would be nearly impossible to learn in a classroom. “I was challenged to learn different computer software used in the field of production management. The most significant one is called EP Budgeting. This software is starting to replace Excel in the production management field since it is dedicated only to budgets. Another challenge I faced was receiving Excel budgets from foreign companies, verifying there were no mistakes in the formulas used and then converting everything to American dollars,” said Falco. For a business administration student concentrating in marketing and management, this internship was an opportunity for Falco to
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14 | The Pinnacles Fall 2009
do some serious networking in his field. “I believe gaining professional experience before graduating will make obtaining a job easier. Networking in a professional environment should make the transition a bit smoother after graduating from Lees-McRae. During my internship I used tools I learned in my business classes, and I also learned new tools a person can never learn in a classroom,” said Falco. How does a student from Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina end up working a summer internship in Miami, Florida with MTV Networks Latin America? “I found out about this internship through my sister’s friend and I did my Internet research on the company, the positions available, the job descriptions, the qualifications required. Once I applied I was very consistent in showing my interest to the company. I also had a job interview a few weeks before the spring semester was over. MTV Networks offers internships to college students all year long. However, it takes a bit more than just applying for one. You have to be willing to make some sacrifices and to show that you really want the opportunity,” said Falco. And sacrifice he did. Falco’s internship was unpaid, which meant he had to simultaneously work two part-time jobs to make ends meet. But with the experience he gained, and challenges he conquered, he said he would definitely do it all over again. “Even before I found an internship I always knew the summer before my last semester in school I would be working on one. I believe it is so important for every student to go out there and learn things that are not taught in the classroom. My advice is to search for an internship, commit yourself to it, network with the company’s employees, and prove that you can be an asset to the company you are working with,” said Falco.