Dual Real Estate Internship Helps Joey Simone ’26 Gain Insight Into Career Options

Joey Simone ’26 spent his summer immersed in the fast-paced world of real estate, balancing two roles that gave him a unique exposure to both the investment and mortgage sides of the industry and a first-hand look into which part of the field he might want to pursue after graduation.  

Simone interned under the guidance of Ryan Richards, a real estate professional who works full time as a loan officer at Northpoint Mortgage and also runs his own company, Richards Realty Group. Working out of Westborough, Massachusetts, Simone took on responsibilities that ranged from using Northpoint’s mortgage software to conducting market research and screening potential tenants. 

“I gained valuable hands-on real estate experience and grew an authentic passion for the industry I envision myself working in after graduation,” he says.  

The internship came about through his own initiative and networking. Simone heard through a connection that the manager was looking for help over the summer. After a round of emails and an interview, he secured the role. 

“One of the first tasks I was given was filling a vacancy at one of the properties,” Simone says. “I handled everything from screening tenants and reviewing credit and rental histories to showing the unit and closing the lease.”  

The experience taught him both logistical skills and the importance of judgment. “After a couple of weeks, I landed on someone who I thought was a good fit, and they moved in shortly after,” he says.  

On the mortgage side, Simone helped organize data in Encompass, Northpoint’s internal system, calculating statistics on the average time required to close different steps in the loan process.  

At Whitman, Simone is majoring in finance and real estate, and he credits the school for helping him prepare for this dynamic and varied internship.  

“Professor Adam Fumarola didn’t directly help me land the internship, but he absolutely influenced my career interests,” Simone says. “His class made me want to pursue real estate more seriously. He brought in speakers and created opportunities that showed how diverse and exciting the industry can be.”  

Simone also says being a member of Delta Sigma Pi, a business fraternity, helped him develop professional skills like communication and problem-solving that he used throughout the summer. 

Looking back, Simone says the experience helped shape his long-term goals.  

“I met real estate agents, investors, lawyers, mortgage officers and analysts,” he says. “It helped me realize what I liked and what I didn’t. I learned I want to focus on the investment side—analyzing properties and figuring out whether they’re good opportunities. That’s where I see myself long term.”  

With a dual internship under his belt and a sharpened focus for the future, Simone says he feels more confident than ever about his path forward. “The summer helped me figure out what I want to do five, 10, even 20 years after graduation,” he says. “And through my classes and experiential learning experience like this internship, Whitman has given me the foundation to get started.”  

 By Bo BenYehuda