From Theory to Practice: Inside FDU’s Student Networking Program
In the fall of 2021, the Networking Team at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) had a vision of launching a student networking program that would create an educational, hands-on opportunity for students interested in the field of networking and IT infrastructure. Juan Estrella, M.Sc, now a Network Analyst and Student Intern Coordinator at FDU, was the very first student participant in the program and played a vital role in shaping its early structure and ongoing success. “The program was designed to be more than just a work-study opportunity,” explains Anthony Licandro, Senior Network Operations Manager at FDU. “The idea was to give students real-world, technical experience, whether it was learning about cabling, testing equipment, troubleshooting wireless coverage, or addressing data and phone issues.”
With a small core team supporting multiple campuses, including the Metropolitan Campus, Florham Campus, as well as FDU’s global locations in Vancouver and Wroxton, England, the program also helps augment staff capacity. Student interns are trained to respond to Tier 1 networking issues and act as liaisons to full-time network analysts like Estrella and other staff members for more advanced support. By blending academic learning with practical, service-oriented experience, Licandro says the student networking program provides students with valuable exposure to the IT field while enhancing the university’s technical support capabilities.
Empowering Students with Real-World Skills
Estrella began his journey as the department’s first-ever student intern while completing his bachelor’s degree. “When I first started, I was kind of the guinea pig, but gained valuable hands-on experience,” Estrella recalls, “During the first wave, I was mostly observing and learning. By the second wave, I was coordinating deployments alongside the new student network technicians.”
Demonstrating strong commitment and capability, he was hired full time after graduation and continued on to earn his master’s degree, all while contributing to the growth and development of the department. “I’ve recently taken on an expanded role, helping to build and coordinate the student intern program. I also help manage the services we’re developing, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to contribute both technically and as a mentor. My background in computer science has truly paid off and has always been a field I’m passionate about.”
Through this full-cycle involvement, from planning to deployment to maintenance, Estrella says the students gain deep, practical insight. “Interns are not just doing basic tasks, they’re attending meetings, working through full project cycles, and troubleshooting. Right now, they’re involved in an access point (AP) upgrade project. Since they already help troubleshoot the APs, it makes sense for them to be involved in the upgrade too. They really get to see both sides: how things are built and how they’re supported after deployment.”
When reflecting on what draws him to both the technical and mentorship sides of his role, Estrella says, “What appeals to me about each area is how they build on both my academic background and personal experience. In my master’s program, I took courses in management and operations, which sparked my interest in leadership and coordination. That’s part of what drew me to the intern coordinator role, mentoring students and helping guide their growth. Since I was the first student worker in the networking department, I can share that experience and use it to shape the intern program. I help them develop Tier 1 support skills while also giving insight into Tier 2 operations. It’s a great way to combine my technical background with a passion for mentorship.”
Bringing a wealth of experience to his role at FDU, Licandro’s career spans decades, with a background grounded in both technical and managerial disciplines. “I have a degree in computer science with a minor in industrial engineering, and I also earned an MBA,” shares Licandro. “I began my career at AT&T and later Lucent Technologies, spending many years in highly technical roles across a variety of sectors, including healthcare. When I came to FDU, I took on more of a project management role and headed up scheduling, purchase orders, follow-ups, and keeping things on track.”
Licandro is also known internally for his foundational contributions to project tracking systems. “We now use a system called SAMI to track projects and tickets. Someone once said, ‘Before there was SAMI, there was Anthony,’ and that was a really kind acknowledgment. I used to handle all of that manually.”
“The idea was to showcase what the student interns actually do and give potential recruits and the FDU community a real sense of the experience. The video is meant to live on the FDU website and serve a dual purpose of informing internal audiences about the program and to help recruit new students.”
Developing a Promotional Video
To support the growth of the student networking program, the Network Analysts set up a table during the career fair to connect with students interested in tech and introduce them to the opportunities available through the program. Djeams Muse, IT Project Manager at FDU, was instrumental in hiring and student outreach for the program. “We work as a team to find and mentor students who are curious and driven to learn,” says Muse. “The students are vital to our mission, helping our team with basic IT troubleshooting and gaining valuable real-world experience. From day one, they contribute and learn how a professional IT environment operates, making them an essential part of our team’s success.”
As interest grew, the team began expanding the program across FDU’s New Jersey campuses, with around six student network technicians currently split between the Metro and Florham campuses.
Recognizing the importance of visibility and recruitment, the team proposed creating a promotional video. “The idea was to showcase what the student interns actually do and give potential recruits and the FDU community a real sense of the experience,” says Licandro. “It’s meant to live on the FDU website and serve a dual purpose of informing internal audiences about the program and to help recruit new students.”
The video is part of a broader initiative to not only highlight the program’s value but also support Estrella’s ongoing efforts to recruit and onboard new interns. “If students can see what the work is like, how hands-on it is, and the impact they can have, they’re more likely to say, ‘I want to be part of that,’” Estrella adds.
As part of the student video project, Licandro led pre-production planning and coordination. “I helped with the coordination and pre-production, bringing everything together between our media specialists, staff, network analysts, and the student network technicians. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes work and we had to book rooms and coordinate schedules across several groups. This included aligning availability with the university’s internal media specialist from multimedia services, network analysts and network student technicians involved in the project. It took a lot of coordination to get everyone on the same page, but it was very rewarding to see it all come together.”
“We work as a team to find and mentor students who are curious and driven to learn. The students are vital to our mission, helping our team with basic IT troubleshooting and gaining valuable real-world experience. From day one, they contribute and learn how a professional IT environment operates, making them an essential part of our team’s success.”
The team began with a series of internal planning meetings to develop a rough storyboard as a framework built around value statements. These statements were designed to reflect the impact of the student networking program on students’ academic, professional, and personal growth. “We created questions around these statements to ask each student for the video,” explains Licandro. “We are currently editing the 15 hours of content to create the final video, but will also have B roll footage that highlights different aspects of the hands-on experience like configuration of a switch, pulling cable, managing patch panels, or working with the Meraki dashboard. These visual elements will be interspersed throughout the video to align with the dialogue and will showcase the different skill-building opportunities available for student interns.”
“What appeals to me about each area is how they build on both my academic background and personal experience. In my master’s program, I took courses in management and operations, which sparked my interest in leadership and coordination. That’s part of what drew me to the intern coordinator role, mentoring students and helping guide their growth. Since I was the first student worker in the networking department, I can share that experience and use it to shape the intern program. I help them develop Tier 1 support skills while also giving insight into Tier 2 operations. It’s a great way to combine my technical background with a passion for mentorship.”
Extending the University’s IT Team
Once the video project is completed, the team hopes it will increase awareness of the student networking program and educate students about the critical role of network support specialists. “A lot of students don’t even know this program exists or what networking really involves,” says Estrella. “Many think of ‘networking’ as social interaction, not realizing it’s the foundation of all tech infrastructure. We want this video to be informative for both students and staff, show the value of the work we do, and spark interest about joining the program.”
From an operational standpoint, the project also highlights how student interns serve as a critical extension of the university’s IT team. “The student networking program is also about staff augmentation,” adds Licandro. “Having trained student network technicians on different campuses helps us handle more requests efficiently. They’re part of the team, working real tickets and solving real issues, which would otherwise fall to full-time staff. This program not only aims to build technical skills and mentorship, but also strengthen our IT operations and create a foundation for both student success and campus-wide support.”