Getting Down to Business

With an interest in business, San Diego native Ryan Wiik ’09 wanted to complete a summer internship at a start-up company on the West Coast. But as a student in New England during the academic year he knew that landing something that far away was going to be a stretch.

Holy Cross’ strong student-faculty interaction and loyal alumni base, however, helped him reach his goal.

Art Ciocca ’59, whose funding helped create the Holy Cross entrepreneurial studies program that bears his name, and business owner Mike Hogan ’85 were meeting a few months ago. Through that conversation, Hogan consulted with David Chu, director of the Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies, to find an intern from Holy Cross.

On July 14, Wiik, an economics and political science double major, started his internship at ScaleDB, where he is shadowing Hogan, the organization’s chief operating officer. Located in Silicon Valley, ScaleDB has developed software which allows users to increase the efficiency of their databases through increased scalability. His internship will run for five weeks and he is living a few miles away from the offices in Menlo Park.

As the only intern at the start-up company, Wiik will see first-hand the behind-the-scenes efforts required to successfully launch a business. Throughout the process, Wiik will be blogging about his experience. He will work specifically on helping to secure capital for ScaleDB and developing marketing materials.

This experience will serve him well when he goes off to start his own company, which he sees as his vocation even though he’s not sure what kind of business he’d like to establish.

“We are all made in God's image and called to be imitators of Christ,” Wiik explains. “As a result, I think there is a certain satisfaction that we as humans naturally gain from participating in acts of creation. It’s hardwired into our systems. I want to start my own company because I enjoy business and want to create. Interning with a start-up company is an excellent opportunity for me.”

Related Information:

Holy Cross’ successful alumni make learning about business fascinating, writes Ryan Wiik ’09