Alumni Profiles

Learn from recent Bentley graduates about their experiences on campus and how their education has helped them achieve their goals.

Greg Conklin '07

Accountancy
Albany, New York

What was your best academic experience at Bentley?

I participated in a management course that enabled students to analyze business cases and compete with other schools in a case-based competition. It was beneficial to see how the concepts I was learning in class applied to a real-life business case.

What do you consider your best social experience at Bentley?

I was a resident assistant at Bentley, which means that I was responsible for a floor in one of the residence halls each year. This not only gave me the opportunity to engage with my peers on my floor, but also across campus through fundraisers, programs, barbecues, sports events and community interaction programs. It was a great way for me to meet new friends each year, as well as play a part in engaging students in this great campus.

How did you use Career Services and their resources?

I leveraged Career Services as early as my sophomore year, when they helped me prepare a resume and practice a behavioral interview in preparation for an interview with Deloitte. I also utilized their services during my junior and senior years to seek internships and full-time job opportunities.

How do you feel Bentley helped prepare you for what you are doing now?

I am a finance strategy and transformation consultant with IBM Global Business Services. I am currently working based out of New Orleans, Louisiana, and have found myself traveling to many job locations in different states — this keeps my work interesting and new. Bentley academics gave me a foundation for working in a group atmosphere and quickly learning how to solve problems — both integral parts of being a consultant. Bentley professors always pushed students to ask questions and challenge the subject at hand, which is also a critical skill in the consulting profession.

Carlos Paniagua

Marketing
Panama

What was your best academic experience at Bentley?

A key benefit of the multicultural atmosphere at Bentley is the way students and faculty share best business practices from around the world. You get to test your ideas and experiences with people from very different countries and cultures. It’s a great experience, especially for me as a Marketing major – so many different perspectives!

What is your current job or path in life and how do you feel Bentley helped prepare you for what you are doing now?

After Bentley, I returned to my native Costa Rica. Now I live in Panama, where I work as a senior relationship manager at HSBC Private Bank in Panama. I think my multicultural exposure at Bentley helped me to learn about business practices that are part of my daily work at HSBC.

Lindsay Weiner '06

Marketing
Rumson, New Jersey

What was your best academic experience at Bentley?

I would have to say my General Business 301 class project. We were required to work in teams and analyze the corporate structure, financial statements, debt history, cashflows, and marketing strategy of a real company. After analyzing every aspect of the company, we created a streamlined marketing concept that would eventually be used in the company's marketing campaign. This project gave me and my fellow classmates a taste of what we would be facing in the business world.

What do you consider your best social experience at Bentley?

Swimming and having the opportunity to be captain of the swim team, win hands down! Swimming taught me dedication, time management, and perseverance — and allowed me to meet and connect with 40 new people. Because we all knew the difficulties of being a full-time college student and a full-time varsity athlete, we all supported one another. I had 40 best friends who I could rely on. Even though we had to rest on Friday nights for Saturday meets, we always knew how to enjoy our free time on Saturday nights!

How did you use Career Services and their resources?

Career Services helped me construct my resume, as well as go over practice interview questions. I would not have been prepared for my interviews if it were not for the help of the Career Services office.

How do you feel Bentley helped prepare you for what you are doing now?

I am currently working in sales for Bloomberg Financial in New York City. I travel to Florida every two weeks in order to meet with clients, learn about my clients' businesses, and streamline their workflows. With Bentley's diverse business background, I felt prepared and comfortable when I started my job with Bloomberg. The classes I took at Bentley continuously help me understand every aspect of my clients' businesses.

Andres Trujillo

Computer Information Systems
Colombia

What have you done since graduating?

My post-Bentley career has taken me all over the world, from Florida and Boston in the United States to Spain, Colombia, and even the Sinai Desert (as part of the international peacekeeping force). At Bentley I combined a business degree with computer science.

What's your current job or path in life and how do you feel Bentley helped prepare you for what you are doing now?

I’ve been a soldier, a business consultant with Anderson, an international management associate with Citigroup, and a computer systems account manager for Compaq. Now I’m executive manager of a startup in Colombia called TuCARRERA which supports savings for college education through customers’ purchases at Carrefour. In all these roles I use the solid business foundations, critical and analytical thinking, corporate citizenship, and global perspective I learned at Bentley.

Christina Conklin '06

Marketing
Dedham, Massachusetts

What was your best academic experience at Bentley?

During the spring semester of my senior year, I took MK 421, "Internship in Marketing Practice." This course I was able to relate my learning experiences within the classroom to my semester internship at Reebok. I selected a seminar project topic that I was interested in and worked closely with my team at Reebok to develop my report.

What do you consider your best social experience at Bentley?

Studying abroad — during the spring semester of my junior year, I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. This was by far my best social experience at Bentley. I recommend all new students to consider studying abroad!

How did you use Career Services and their resources?

While studying at Bentley, I used their online resources to help create my resume and cover letter. I also relied their interview tips to help settle my nerves while interviewing for internships! I often met with career counselors to review my resumes and cover letters throughout my years at Bentley.

How do you feel Bentley helped prepare you for what you are doing now?

I work for a nonprofit organization in Austin, Texas called Texas Round-Up. Our mission is to improve the health of Texans through education and promotion of physical activity and healthy living. My marketing and PR courses at Bentley, along with my internship at Reebok, helped prepare me for my current position working closely with the athletics industry in Texas.

Katrina Santos '96

Economics-Finance
Philippines

What was your best academic experience at Bentley?

I had an incredible time during my four years at Bentley. The teachers are top notch, and the amazing access to high-end technology gives Bentley students a running start on our peers from other universities. We get a true real-life working experience from day one. Living on campus among a diverse international population was also valuable.

What's your current job or path in life and how do you feel Bentley helped prepare you for what you are doing now?

I’m working in Hong Kong now as director of syndicated finance for HSBC, serving the Asian market. In this international role, I deal with people from Asia to the Middle East to Europe on a daily basis. Closing a deal and averting conflict often depends on understanding the cultural mindset of my clients and counterparts. The insight that I gained from the different nationalities at Bentley has helped me succeed.