When the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation needed help redesigning its website, the non-profit organization didn’t need to stray far from its offices across from the College on Union Street.
A new student-led group, the Union Consulting Collaborative, stood ready to assist. Formed this year, the group aims to pair students with Schenectady’s nonprofits and small businesses to support various projects, including research, outreach and web design.
The community organizations get a much-needed service for free, and in return, students get experience completing projects, which they can list as internships or volunteer experience on their resume.
Maureen Neufeld, executive director of the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation, meets with Liam Secrist ’27 and Nate Goldstein ’27, who are part of a new student-led group, the Union Consulting Collaborative. Formed this year, the group aims to pair students with Schenectady’s nonprofits and small businesses to support various projects, including research, outreach and web design.
“We see these engagements not merely as short-term mini-internships, but as opportunities for long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships,” said Nate Goldstein ’27, an electrical engineering major from St. Louis who serves as the group’s executive director. A Seward Organizing Theme minor in entrepreneurship and innovation, Goldstein chose the development of the collaborative as his project.
“These relationships may take many forms. Students may discover new mentors, land internships or simply develop new ties to the Schenectady community.”
Goldstein said the group helps students build connections across campus, learn about Kenney Center programming through its meetings, collaborate with student clubs and be introduced to the abundance of resources offered through the Career Center in Becker Hall.
“It’s a place where students can test out different career paths in a realistic, low-risk environment,” Goldstein said. “It’s a space where engineers can work with psychology majors promoting multidisciplinary collaboration. It is also a great resume booster, especially in this job market. I have friends who recently graduated who still don’t have jobs. It’s hyper-important to get real world experience and be able to talk about it.”
The group started with about 14 students from across a variety of majors, but has more than doubled that number in recent weeks. Students are assigned to a marketing or maintenance team. They spend a few hours a week on a project so as not to disrupt their academic work. They receive guidance from the Kenney Community Center and Lorraine Cox, associate professor of art history.
“Nathan’s vision, along with the dedication of the students who helped found this organization, has been truly remarkable,” said Kevin Trigonis, director of Community Engagement and Outreach. “They have developed a one-of-a-kind model, by creating unique internship opportunities that simultaneously empower students and bolster our local community. The overwhelming student response and the rapidly growing roster of those eager to contribute speak volumes about the project's significance.”
Liam Secrist ’27 was one of the first students to join the group. A computer science and managerial economics major from Southborough, Mass., he has experience in coding and website applications.
“I know that interpersonal and business skills are just as valuable as my technical programming capabilities,” said Secrist. “UCC provided me an opportunity to take on a project and work directly with a client to put both of those aspects to the test and refine them. By the end of the project, I would like to have polished these skills, as well as identify areas in which I can improve.”
Secrist met with Maureen Neufeld, the executive director of the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation, who was looking to overhaul the organization’s website. The DSIC promotes the downtown as a premier and vibrant destination and hosts a number of popular events to attract visitors downtown, including Wing Walk, Schenectady Soup Stroll and Schenectady Restaurant Week.
Secrist and Neufeld agreed on a scope of work and timeline, as well as establishing a metric for success and coordinating faculty advisors that could oversee the students and be accessible to the organization should the need arise.
“Through this collaboration, we empower students to broaden the impact of our small nonprofit while strengthening the downtown community they call home during their time at Union and helping them build a strong foundation for their careers after graduation,” said Neufeld.
“There is also something to be said for students realizing the value of creating opportunity before their careers even begin. It takes many of us years to understand that ‘other duties as assigned’ doesn’t actually need to wait for an assignment. Those who are able to see an area of need and create their own opportunities to step up for an organization will have a much better place in the world.”
Besides the DSIC, the consulting collaborative is working with a number of other non-profits, including miSci, the Museum of Innovation and Science, blocks from campus. Goldstein hopes to add to the group’s roster in the spring.
“If we get our feet on the ground and get real performance indicators from the companies, then we have made an impact,” he said.