Q&A with Rolando Argueta: Interning at Box

by Kristin Brabant, Internship Services Manager at Year Up Bay Area

I met Rolando last year during his first week at Year Up when I was assigned as his coach. What immediately struck me about Rolando was his genuine and warm personality. In our coaching group, Rolando modeled humility and an openness to personal-development that many of us are too scared to even attempt. Over the past year, I’ve watched Rolando maintain his trademark humility and kindness, but expand his presence with newfound confidence in himself. A year later, Rolando knows he can do anything he sets his mind to, and he knows that he won’t just be doing it for himself; he does it for his family and his Latinx community. He aims to lift while he climbs and he will be unstoppable for this powerful mission. I’m looking forward to continuing to be a lucky observer of his path to growth and impact. Before he graduated, I sat down with Rolando for an interview to ask him about his past year.

KB: How about you tell us a bit about yourself and where you interned, Rolando?

RA: Sure! Well, my name is Rolando Argueta, and I am currently an IT Support Analyst intern at Box. I’m at the end of my 6 month internship and all I can think about is how amazing my experience at this company has been. Although I’ve enjoyed some of my previous jobs, nothing can compare to the excitement of working at Box. It has been the one of the best learning experiences―I used to be intimidated by my highly-educated colleagues, but I soon learned that my team was more than willing to teach me along the way. My team taught me that past experience is not the only thing that matters but rather, in order to run a successful team we must learn and teach one another. Although my experience in IT was limited at the beginning, they treated me as a full fledged team member and gave me the room to grow into my role.

KB: Tell us about a particularly memorable day that stands out for you during your time at Box.

RA: The most memorable day at Box happened when I was running the help desk early in the morning. All alone during the first hour of my shift on my 3rd month of my internship, a manager came running towards me for urgent assistance. She was in a room full of executives and 40 sales managers ready to present when her laptop started to malfunction. It was go time! Before setting one foot inside of that conference room, I took three deep breaths, so that I could focus under pressure. It only took me 5 minutes to troubleshoot the issue in front of the large crowd and then she was able to proceed with her presentation as planned. After her presentation finished, she reached out to my manager, Jason, and gave him feedback about my support. She complimented my dedication to customer service and even said that it was the best support she has ever received from the Box IT team in the 6.5 years she has worked at the company.

KB: Was there a particular person that inspired you during your time as an intern?

RA: After meeting with the Co-founder of Box, Jeff Queisser, I will never forget the memorable words he shared with me: “Gather a group of people who push you and motivate you towards success and call them your own board of directors.”

My board of directors includes Jason, Paul, Jeff, Bryan, Mike, Brad, Will and Norlito. These are the most inspiring and motivating people who have pushed me towards success at Box. I look up to every single one of them for their great accomplishments. They’ve all taught me that success is a never ending ladder and you must keep climbing. Because of my board of directors, I have re-enrolled back in school to pursue a bachelor’s degree. I am more than ever motivated to complete the impossible.

KB: What have you learned from this last year?

RA: Before attending Year Up, I was working late night shifts and never had any days off. During the program, I learned how to carry myself in a corporate environment and began to develop a real passion for tech. With zero regret, I am very happy to have quit my job and sacrificed my financial situation to invest in these skills at Year Up.

KB: What’s next on your journey?

RA: I am happy to announce that I have earned an employee contract at Box on the IT Help Desk team. It has been a long road but I have the privilege now to call myself a professional and hold my fist up high like one of my favorite movie characters, Rocky Balboa.