Falcon Futures: First-gen college student making her mark at UWRF, gaining experience through summer internship

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Falcon Futures: First-generation college student Stephanie Garcia Villagomez is making her mark at UW-River Falls, gaining experience through summer internship

July 21, 2026 — Stephanie Garcia Villagomez of Rogers, Minn., a finance major at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, is not passing up any opportunity to prepare for a successful career in business. Having just completed her junior year, Garcia has already worked an on-campus job for three years, served as president of the UWRF Women in Business Club and is working this summer as a business technology intern with the Metropolitan Council, the planning organization covering Minnesota’s seven-county Twin Cities metro area.

Garcia said she is grateful to be building a high value resume as she prepares to enter a challenging job market.

“To have the opportunity to get hands-on experience as an intern is very meaningful” Garcia said. “It makes me feel more confident for post-graduation.”

As a first-generation college student, Garcia said she is grateful for the UWRF faculty and staff who have helped her find her way.

“Going to college comes with challenges, but having all the resources on campus that I have makes it 100 times easier,” Garcia said. “All of my professors and any campus employee here have been more than willing to help me when I have a question or just need some advice.”

That includes the staff and peer advisers at UWRF Career Services, where Garcia has worked as an office assistant since her first year on campus. Besides gaining work experience in the office, she is taking advantage of career-prep services like resume review and mock interviews.

“I have them review my resume once a year when the Career and Internship Fair rolls around,” Garcia said. “Then once I get a job interview, I let them know what I’m applying for and can do a mock interview designed for a specific job.”

Those efforts paid off this year, when Garcia secured her internship with the Metropolitan Council. In this position, Garcia is working at the Metro Transit Police Department, where she fulfills requests from police officers and prosecutors for body cam and video surveillance camera footage.

“My internship experience as a business technology intern has been highly rewarding, providing valuable hands-on experience with a variety of technology systems,” Garcia said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside knowledgeable colleagues who have been generous with their expertise. Through this exposure, I’ve been able to meaningfully develop my professional skills and grow both technically and professionally.”

In addition to her education and work experience, Garcia knows that building professional connections will be vital to a career in business. That led her to join the Women in Business Club, first as a member, then serving as president.

“I’ve always heard that it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know,” Garcia said. “I thought, ‘I need to get involved with the club that will allow me to make more connections.’ The Women in Business Club was perfect for that. Serving as president has given me the opportunity to network with a lot of people and help other students out.”

That networking has included reaching out to business leaders to serve as guest speakers for club events. Garcia said participating in events put on by the Finance Club and Sales Club has also helped broaden her professional development.

Another highlight of Garcia’s time at UWRF was a semester abroad with the Experience Scotland program in Dalkeith, just outside of Edinburgh. She said studying business, world religions and international communications in another country provided a unique opportunity for personal and academic growth. It has also been a point of interest during job interviews.

"During those classes, they would take us on a lot of excursions into the city, so I was able to really connect with the culture there and expand what I know about diversity,” Garcia said. “I would call that the highlight of my college career.”

Garcia plans to continue to grow in her career through networking and real-world experiences.