This Fall, I am interning at Stark & Wayne, LLC in Buffalo, NY. Although this is my second internship, it is a lot more than I thought it would be — in the best way possible! I got the opportunity to develop skills in utilizing different UI design tools, as well as overcoming my fear of command line. I have been working a lot with the CTO (Wayne Seguin), our supervisors (Dr. Xiujiao Gao and Tyler Poland), and three other interns.
This internship has been by far the most challenging yet exciting work I have done in my college career. What I loved most about it is the weekly meetings and 1:1’s where we get the opportunity to present our work and gauge perspectives from our supervisors and guest attendees. We also discuss mentorship and career development tips which I think are very important at this stage in my career. The overall work culture is very open and friendly which makes it easier for us interns to gel with the team!
I classify myself as a calculated risk-taker and have always tried to avoid making mistakes. At the beginning of this internship, I was scared of using the terminal because it’s one (unintentional) move and game over. I mentioned this during a conversation with my supervisors and they helped me realize that it was okay to make mistakes, provided you learn from them. They motivated me to try new things and reach out if anything comes up and, slowly & steadily, I have overcome my fear of using the terminal! Besides this, I learned the benefits of version control, active discussions, and reverse engineering.
As for expectations for the rest of my internship, I am thrilled to be learning more every day! This internship has given me a taste of the real-world industry and also given me a chance to explore problem-solving and designing a product based on client needs and how I can use my expertise and skills in a team to help deliver the best results.
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