Tomas Luque’s Summer 2025 Internship at Santander, Lima, Peru
October 11, 2025 By Tomas Luque Sanguineti (Edit)
Read below about Tomas Luque’s Summer 2025 journey as an Investment Banking Mergers & Acquisitions Summer Analyst at Santander in Lima, Perú
In the summer of 2025, I had the incredible opportunity to work as an Investment Banking Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Summer Analyst at Santander in Lima, Perú. My name is Tomas Luque, and I am an undergraduate student in the Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (M.E.T.) Program at the University of California, Berkeley, where I am pursuing a dual Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR) from the College of Engineering, and Business Administration from the Haas School of Business.
Through this journal, I aim to share insights from my professional journey, reflect on the lessons learned during my internship abroad, and highlight how the GLOBE Discovery Scholarship made this transformative experience possible.
Before diving into the details of my internship experience, I’d like to take a moment to share more about myself—how my interest in this field began, and the experiences that led me to pursue this opportunity. I am a Peruvian, American, and Italian student, born in Miami, USA, and raised in Lima, Perú, with a lifelong passion for entrepreneurship and the intersection of engineering and business. After graduating from Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt, The American School of Lima, I decided to pursue my studies at UC Berkeley’s M.E.T. Program in Fall 2024.
The M.E.T. Program felt as though it was designed specifically for me—it brought together all my passions in one place and represented the perfect next step in my academic and professional journey. Finding a program that seamlessly combines engineering, business, and innovation had felt like searching for a needle in a haystack, but when I discovered M.E.T., I knew I had found exactly what I was looking for. During my first semester at Berkeley, I had the opportunity to work on a professional consulting project with Blue Origin, in partnership with the M.E.T. Program, as an M&A Financial Consultant. This experience introduced me to the world of Mergers and Acquisitions within the finance industry and sparked a deep curiosity to learn more about Investment Banking.
Fast forward to the summer of 2025, I had the opportunity to join Santander as an Investment Banking M&A Summer Analyst in Lima, Perú. It was the ideal environment for me to continue fostering my passion for learning in the finance industry, and also a space where I could apply my bilingual skills as a native Spanish and English speaker covering deals in the Latin American (LATAM) market. For me, this internship became the perfect bridge between the academic foundation I had built early in my career in business and engineering and my professional aspirations, especially as a first-year undergraduate navigating the world of investment banking.
And then, the moment I had been waiting for arrived: the first day of my M&A internship at Santander’s office. I still remember walking into the lobby surrounded by the quiet anticipation and excitement that filled the room. My fellow interns and I, all equally eager, waited for the day to begin. We were all unsure of what lay ahead, but united by the same thrill of stepping into the unknown, driven to grow, adapt, and become part of something larger than ourselves. We arrived with nothing besides ourselves and our mentality ready to go—prepared, hungry to learn, and fueled by the same spark that had carried us through the long recruiting process. Before long, we received our bright sky-blue lanyards and official ID badges, small symbols marking the start of a significant milestone and the true beginning of this journey. We were all beyond excited, trying to balance professionalism with the thrill of knowing we’d finally made it here.
This was a hands-on, practical experience in the world of M&A, where I had the opportunity to directly assist and contribute to live deals in the pipeline from my very first day in the office. I worked closely with and specialized in the mining industry, one of the most significant sectors of the Peruvian economy, accounting for more than 60% of Peruvian exports. Beyond mining, I gained firsthand experience from live and previous deals across industries such as technology & telecommunications (TMT), energy, healthcare, agriculture, and infrastructure, which gave me a broader, more macroscopic understanding of how these industries function in the economy and in international markets.
The internship itself was packed with opportunities to learn, explore, and grow ever more curious about the inner workings of the investment banking world. There is no better way to understand the true essence of M&A than by being in the same room where multimillion-dollar deals are structured and executed. But these deals are not born overnight—each one demands meticulous planning, rigorous due diligence, strategic negotiations, and an unwavering attention to detail at every stage. I quickly learned that success in M&A is not about the number of deals completed, but about the discipline of being diligent, analytical, and precise in every step of the process, ensuring that each transaction upholds the highest standards of financial and strategic integrity.
What truly made this experience exceptional, however, was the team—the M&A department’s collaborative, supportive, and inspiring environment made every project engaging and every day enjoyable. I owe much of what I learned to them and will always cherish the moments we shared, especially during lunch breaks, enjoying some of my favorite Peruvian dishes together.
During my time at Santander, I also had the privilege of learning from leaders in the banking industry, including directors and senior professionals who generously shared their insights and experience.
Just as importantly, I met an incredible group of fellow interns who quickly became close friends and, by the end of the program, felt like a second family. Looking back, I remember the thrill and anticipation at the very start of my journey—not yet realizing that these peers would become such an essential part of my summer experience at Santander and in the friendships that extended beyond work.
Thanks to the GLOBE Discovery Scholarship Program from Berkeley’s College of Engineering, I was able to pursue this incredible opportunity. For me, it truly was the best of both worlds—an experience that pushed me to grow personally and professionally, challenged me to learn something new every day, and allowed me to return home to Lima, Perú, pursuing my passions and aspirations.
Now, returning to UC Berkeley’s M.E.T. Program as a sophomore, I am eager to continue building on this experience across both academic and experiential learning. I remain committed to cultivating a mindset of curiosity, resilience, and ambition, embracing challenges, pursuing ambitious goals, and seizing every opportunity to grow. Looking ahead to Summer 2026, I am actively seeking new experiences to continue immersing myself in practical experiences to learn and develop my skills. I am excited to tackle the next chapter of my professional journey with the same passion and determination that guided me through this unforgettable summer. More importantly, I look forward to wherever life takes me, confident that I will give my all in everything I do and savor the journey along the way.
Written by: Tomas Luque Sanguineti
UC Berkeley M.E.T. Dual B.S. Undergrad (IEOR + Haas Business)
Reach out to me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tomasluque