2011 graduate finds first job at The New York Times

12/02/2011 9:47 AM

By Patrick Fontillas ’11

I consider myself a very lucky person. Having left my comfortable life at Bradley University, I found myself in a bustling city full of unfamiliar faces – New York City! Funny thing is that I had a similar feeling the first time I stepped foot on Bradley’s campus. Oh, how these places grow on you.

The most important thing I learned at Bradley was the ability to adapt to new situations and new people. We are all presented with these opportunities, and often times they are all but laid out right before us.

It has been six months since I started working with The New York Times and I am loving every minute of it. I found the transition to be easier than I first expected since our culture at The Times is akin to what I saw at Bradley: strive to better oneself through the help of – and through helping – others. I honestly cannot emphasize the importance of meeting and befriending like-minded individuals; especially those who aren’t afraid to tell you when your idea has flaws and those who will support you when the time comes to develop or present your idea. We are always growing and I believe that everyone can appreciate a place that nurtures and encourages growth and innovation. I am thankful that I found that at Bradley University and that I continue to find it here at The New York Times.

In the workplace I constantly find myself surrounded by curious minds. I learn from them and share my knowledge whenever I can. Although we have project deadlines and the usual paperwork, we all find time to challenge one another to find ways we can make ourselves better. Coming up soon is our annual Hack-day, when we encourage not only our engineers but also individuals outside of the company to make use of our services and application program interfaces (APIs) to create interesting ways to use our content and data. Those are the types of fun events and social gatherings that I really didn’t expect outside of an institution like Bradley University!

With my family and friends from Bradley University and my colleagues at The New York Times I have always had the support I need to succeed and have never been alone through my endeavors, literally. I moved to the Big Apple with the love of my life, Ashley Huston, a Bradley alumna. She has always been by my side and supported everything I have done; all while finding her own success in the big city. I’m truly thankful for everyone and everything that has helped me get to where I am today.