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Baker-Simpson’s Caceres ’24 Is Taking Advantage of Opportunities

As Samantha Caceres ’24 knows, sometimes finding an internship is all about that personal connection.

“I heard a talk from Miranda VonFricken, a LinkedIn strategist,” said the nursing major. “She said that when you’re looking for a job or internship, it’s important to find a common connection with someone at the company.”

After hearing about an internship at Schmidt Futures, a New York-based philanthropy that focuses on science and technology innovation, the nursing major dug deeper – and found an employee she had an “in” with.

“This woman’s LinkedIn profile mentioned she went to a private school near mine,” she said. “I went to Lynbrook, and we played against their team, so I introduced myself.”

It’s one of three internships Caceres applied for as a Baker-Simpson Scholar. The annual opportunity, made possible through the continued generosity of Simon Baker ’93, allows motivated students to explore their aspirations in and around social entrepreneurship, innovation and social impact.

“As a nursing major, I’ve never been in these business settings. I’m interested to talk to people who work in these big corporations and understand that office dynamic.”

Samantha Caceres ’24

Nursing Major, Baker-Simpson Entrepreneurial Leadership Program

As part of the experience, she and 14 fellow students – five of them from the Baker-Simpson Entrepreneurial Leadership Program – will also embark on an inaugural Spring Break immersion trip to Silicon Valley, where they’ll tour the offices of AirBnB, Pixar, Ideo and Baunfire Media, as well as have dinner with College Trustee Colleen Connery ’83, Dmitry Lipkin ’91, and Baker himself.

They’ll also spend time at the offices of All May See, which provides vision care for lower-income populations, and StreetCode Academy, a nonprofit that teaches at-risk people computer programming and coding skills.

“As a nursing major, I’ve never been in these business settings,” she said. “I’m interested to talk to people who work in these big corporations and understand that office dynamic.”

While at Hartwick, Caceres developed a passion for rural medicine, especially making care accessible to unhoused populations.

“People get the idea that nurses are stagnant in our positions,” she said. “But learning from these businesses and entrepreneurs gives us the perfect opportunity to make innovations and solve the problems in delivering healthcare.”

March 9, 2023
Baker-Simpson, Griffiths Center for Collaboration & Innovation, Spotlight, Student Spotlight

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