By Maria Iacobo
The day after I first spoke with Alan Reyes, he was headed out of town for a two-week vacation. Where to? He didn’t know. His cousin planned the trip and Alan asked that the destination be kept a surprise.
“I sent him some money to pay for the flight and said, ‘Let’s go somewhere.’”
That spirit of adventure definitely comes through when you connect with Alan. He joined MIT in 2018 as an intern, supporting human resources and financial operations in the Dean’s office of the School of Architecture and Planning and the Department of Architecture. He was assigned to this internship as a student enrolled in Year Up, a local organization that provides young adults with the opportunity to gain skills and experiences to help them reach their potential in their chosen careers.
“Alan did a remarkable job navigating the SA+P environment quickly, and he did so with great positivity and enthusiasm,” says Ramona Allen, the School’s former assistant dean of human resources and now MIT’s vice president for human resources. “From the beginning, he took responsibility for processes and projects that impact SA+P and the Architecture department. Everyone knows that they can rely on him to step in to assist whenever needed.”
After training in Year Up’s project management track for six months, the final requisite was a six-month internship. Alan reported to Dineen Doucette, SA+P’s manager of finance and human resources, and Doug Le Vie, Architecture’s fiscal officer. The following year he joined the Architecture department as a fulltime employee as human resources and financial services administrator.
“Year Up’s mission to address the opportunity divide is incredibly important, and our MIT partnership with them has been positive and rewarding,” says Allen. “We have been fortunate to welcome many young adults to the Institute through Year Up: some have moved on to more responsible roles elsewhere, and some —like Alan — have grown into positions of greater responsibility at MIT. We’re thrilled that Alan, and others, have decided to pursue careers here.”
How was your experience coming to MIT?
It was so different from what I’ve done in the past, and it was nice to get a different experience. I was born and grew up in Boston, but I never came to Cambridge. So, I was interested to see what MIT was like. The MIT community is so different from what I’m used to in East Boston and Chelsea. Although I didn’t go to school at MIT, you always hear about it—especially growing up here. And MIT interested me because there are a lot of smart people here!
Year Up was an awesome program. I grew up not having a lot of the opportunities that other 20-year-olds have. But I wanted to change my life. I pushed myself and was able to become an intern in a place I never thought I’d be at. And I became an employee and a part of this community in just a few years. I don’t regret anything. It was great!
Dineen just opened the door and let me be me and show what I can do. I don’t know how to thank her and Ramona. And Andreea O’Connell (administrative officer of the department) and Doug La Vie. Now that I’ve graduated from Year Up, I help others in the program who are where I was.
Is there any particular aspect of your role that you find the most satisfying?
This may sound weird, but I like being my own person at work. In past experiences before MIT, it’s always been “report to this” or “do this and that.” Here, I have my own responsibilities and help people when they need it. I’m independent, my role is flexible, and I’m not in one spot all of the time. If I have meetings, I just go. I never had that experience before MIT.
I am involved in the reconciliation for multiple departmental accounts in Architecture and use a lot of spreadsheets to track budgets. When I first got here, not everyone had much experience with spreadsheets and I was able to show off my experience.
My favorite part of being here is the people. I like seeing how many different people come through the campus and I like meeting people. My life was just so different before. Where I grew up, not a lot of us get an opportunity to work in these types of places or even meet these types of people. But I wanted to make a change in my life because I wasn’t going the right way. I was unhappy. That’s when I found Year Up. And MIT helped me find what type of person I am and where I want to go.
I work closely with Andreea on multiple day-to-day operations as well as process visas for potential visiting scholars and postdocs. I get to meet people from countries I’ve never heard of. They’re well educated, but the fact that they need me to do something to help their career makes me feel good. I also get to meet a lot of students because I process student employment appointments for teaching and research assistants. I’m also involved with student hourly payroll. I really like meeting all the different people that come through MIT—everyone is so nice. It’s just awesome to be a part of that and to be part of something bigger for a change.
Do you have a favorite place on or near campus?
I walk the Charles River a lot. I love being outdoors and take pictures when I’m walking. But Cambridge is such a windy place. When I used to have longer hair, my hair would get messed up before I returned to the office. Anyone who knows me knows that my hair is very important to me! I used to go to my barber every week. But when everything closed down, there were month-long waits. I bought the tools and just taught myself how to cut my hair. I’ve been cutting my own hair ever since. That’s actually a skill I learned during the pandemic.
Has anything about your job changed because of the pandemic?
Absolutely. Before the pandemic, when you walked into Architecture headquarters, the first person you used to see was me. I used to manage the front desk and only did a few of the financial things. Now I’m more involved with finances and the behind-the-scenes work. That’s what I eventually wanted to do.
How would you finish this sentence: “One of the coolest things I do is. . . ”
Definitely one of the coolest things I get to do is being the event host and coordinator for the winter and spring thesis reviews held at the Media Lab. It’s a big, all-day event with a reception afterwards. Although it’s a lot of work in the months beforehand, it’s nice to know that I get to put together an event for students when they are at such an important point in their education here—presenting their thesis. When the reception is going on I go out on the deck. I love it there with the views of Boston.