When Fred Ramirez founded CNF Technologies in 2005, he knew the importance of attracting and retaining talent, but equally understood the value of growing experts from within. His idea was simple: offer hands-on real-world opportunities where students could learn and work alongside industry professionals. Nearly 20 years later, with CNF led by the next generation of the Ramirez family, son Freddy Ramirez, the focus on cultivating talent from within remains an endearing and enduring pillar of CNF’s culture.
“What is considered standard in our industry continues to evolve faster than education can keep up with, so growing talent from within is crucial to staying ahead of curve. We also benefit from having a new generation of developers and cyber professionals with new perspectives and fresh takes – they sometimes push us to think outside the box,” said CNF CEO Freddy Ramirez.
From Internship to Employment
CNF recently welcomed two interns from its summer internship program to full time employee status. Read about the newest members of our team and their experience as CNF interns.
Ayden, St. Mary’s University
“My internship experience allowed me to join and integrate myself into a professional software development team for the first time ever. This opened a door into the world of development and gave me the chance to witness an efficient team utilize their talents and resources to the fullest. Throughout my internship, I developed code for various software that made it into production. I also had the opportunity to work on research and reverse engineering which was new and exciting. I would advise anyone to seek interest in CNF Technologies, as they have offered me an incredible start to my professional computer science career, and I am grateful for the experience.”
Meagan, University of Texas at San Antonio
“I can’t express how grateful I am to our mentors for their time and care. I’ve really gotten to know the team, and I love how everyone is comfortable being themselves. CNF encourages us to do our best, and the way that everyone supports each other is incredible. I am also shocked at how much I have learned in such short time. From day one we got to work directly with the team and made real contributions, which encouraged us to excel and soak in all the knowledge being given to us. I have loved every bit of this summer’s internship and CNF has taught me what a company where everyone strives to their best and genuinely takes care of each other looks like. Whether it is enjoying all the little ducks around the office, chatting and laughing together, or diving into cyber security development, there was always something to look forward to. I have learned so much and I am excited for my future career path!”
About CNF’s Internship Program
CNF dedicates numerous resources to the community and academia to discovering and growing the next generation of cyber leaders. CNF is partnered with University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) where together they have established the CNF Cybersecurity Scholarship and Internship opportunity. The National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC) is another CNF partner whose work advances research, education, and workforce development in the cyber forefront. In recent years, the internship partnership has extended to Alamo Colleges like Palo Alto and Northwest Vista.
“Each year, I see significant growth to our internship program. Whether its enhancing lessons or finding new and engaging projects to work on, I promise you our interns are never bored,” said Internship Coordinator Liz Vasquez. Alongside Liz, Program Manager Jason Morales and Project Manager Elisha Gerhard led the program’s efforts. A special thank you to each CNF team member whose time and contributions made the internship program what it is today. To hear from our Internship Program leaders, visit https://cnftech.com/intern-story/.
As of October, the interns have been intergraded as part of the CNF family and as the operational team in day-to-day life of the company. At CNF, we’re focused on helping each new intern pinpoint their strengths while discovering new abilities. Our ultimate goal for each intern is to find the most fulfilling position within the industry, while valuing who they are as a person and what they will grow into.
CNF is happy to offer real-life work experiences for students passionate about cyber and security, but even more proud to turn these Interns of Today into Employees of Tomorrow.
To read more on CNF’s past interns, visit San Antonio area students shine in CNF Summer Internship – CNF Technologies.