Great internships don't just build resumes. They build confidence, curiosity, and careers.
Meet Fernanda Alvarez, a second-year Customer Success Intern at OpenSesame and a recent San Diego State University graduate with a degree in Information Systems. Since joining the team, she's supported digitally-led customers, managed renewals and sales orders, collaborated across teams like Implementation and Accounting, worked on Salesforce reporting projects, and gained hands-on experience serving as the primary point of contact for many customer accounts.
Throughout this interview, Fernanda reflects on how those experiences have shaped her professionally and personally, offering an inside look at what it's like to intern at OpenSesame.
What first attracted you to OpenSesame, and what made you decide it was the right place to intern?
"When I discovered OpenSesame was hiring interns, I decided to reach out to the previous Customer Success Intern and asked if we could have a coffee chat so that I could learn more about the company and what the role entailed.
During our call, he told me, 'OpenSesame is a really great place to start as an intern. This was my first internship, and I feel like I learned so much. Everyone is so supportive; they helped me a lot. If you get this internship, you're gonna get a lot of experience that you're gonna need after graduating.'
After that phone call, I knew I had to pursue OpenSesame."
You've been with OpenSesame for more than a year now. What made you want to continue your internship?
"The people and the culture. Last summer, everyone was so supportive and willing to answer any questions I had, and everyone was helping me learn something new. No one would say no to me.
Even with coffee chats, everyone has given me great advice. I feel like OpenSesame is really great at providing opportunities for connections and is overall just really supportive of their interns.
That's why I came back. They’ve helped me grow a lot as an individual, personally and professionally. Who I was on the first day and who I am now are two completely different people."
How has your role evolved since you first joined, and what new opportunities have you had this year?
"When I first started this internship, it was a lot of training and learning OpenSesame's systems and how to navigate them.
This time, it's more independent projects because I already know what to do and what's expected of me.
For example, I've gotten to collaborate cross-functionally with the sales team, which I think is pretty cool because I mentioned to my manager at the beginning of this internship that I wanted to work with sales to learn more about that operational side."
What's one project or accomplishment you're especially proud of during your internship?
"I would say working with the digitally-led customers. I feel like that has been my project since the start of this internship.
At the beginning, I was very intimidated dealing with contracts, going in the quotes, changing the product or changing the amount, and now I'm very confident in that.
I'm not scared to change any numbers. I'm not asking a million questions to my manager, saying, 'Hey, am I doing this correctly?'
I feel like I've gotten way more comfortable with that project, and even with talking to the accounting team. I remember last summer I was so intimidated to talk to them. I felt like I was being so annoying, but now I know I'm doing my job, they're doing their job, and they're just helping me out."
How have your managers and teammates supported your growth throughout your internship?
"Over time I've had different managers—I see everyone on the CSM team as my manager—and they've always been really supportive. Even when I messed something up, it was never, 'Oh, you did it wrong. Why would you do that?' It was never anything like that.
Instead, they would say, 'Hey, you did this wrong. How can we help you not make that mistake again?'
All my managers have been really supportive with my journey here and helping me improve professionally and personally."
What's one lesson or skill you've developed at OpenSesame that you'll carry with you throughout your career?
"I think curiosity. That's a skill that I've definitely gotten out of this internship—to stay curious, because that is how you get the most out of the projects here.
Also, a willingness to learn and an open mind have helped me out a lot at OpenSesame, and they're skills I'll carry with me forever."
How would you describe the intern experience at OpenSesame to someone considering applying?
"I would tell them that it's really great, especially if this is your first internship ever. It's a really great internship to start off with.
You're getting real-life work and real-life corporate experience. You get to learn a lot about SaaS and B2B companies too, like how they operate and what different roles entail.
You won’t be doing small task that makes you question, 'Why am I doing this work?'
Instead, you're gonna think, 'Oh my God, this is a really big project, and I need to think about it. I need to learn more about it, do research about it.'
Overall, it's a really great internship to start off with."
What's one piece of advice you'd give to next year's interns?
"Stay curious.
Don't be intimidated by any work that's given to you. Ask for projects. Don't just wait for managers to assign work for you. Ask for them because that is how you're gonna grow in the company and how you're gonna learn more about yourself."
Fernanda's journey is a testament to what happens when curiosity meets opportunity. At OpenSesame, our internship program is designed to provide meaningful, hands-on experiences that help students grow both professionally and personally. We're proud to celebrate interns like Fernanda and can't wait to see what she accomplishes next.
