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Meet #CrusaderIntern Daniel Mendez ’20, Programmer Analyst Intern at American Mathematical Society

1. Tell us about where you interned over the summer and the kind of work you are doing.

I interned in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the main goal for my internship was to create a new help system for MathSciNet, which is a website used by American Mathematical Society (AMS). This involved working on backend (SQL, Scala) and frontend (Javascript – Vue.js framework, Html, CSS) aspects of full stack development. I created mock ups of help pages for testing queries/output in which databases such as PostgreSQL and Elasticsearch were needed to store/update/delete data. This was a test driven development environment where I would write code for some modules and write code that would test those modules. Lastly, I used tools such as Git for source code control.

2. Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

There were some cs courses that helped me out more than others for this internship. For example, I had to work with such a large amount of data, so using the appropriate data structures to store and access that data was important for memory and time considerations. Therefore, my Data Structures course(csci132) was definitely helpful with this. Furthermore, there are many styles in which to program which are called paradigms. I learned about the majority of these paradigms in my Programming Languages Design and Implementation course(csci324). This course was also helpful when I had to program in Scala for my internship because the internship required me to use different paradigms such as Functional Programming and Object Oriented Programming. Lastly, generally speaking my academic learnings have sharpened my critical thinking skills and have helped me easily work with people from different backgrounds. Therefore, being able to make my own judgments on an issue and articulate my solution to a co-worker is as important as being able to take constructed criticism from that same co-worker.

3. What has surprised you about being an intern?

I have had internships in the past, but they were mainly composed of running errands for the actual employees. Your typical coffee runs and printing out copies, etc. However, for this internship at AMS, I felt more like an actual employee. From the first day I was given a large project to work on and the expectation to learn a plethora of tools and technologies that I had never heard about. This responsibility gave me some pressure, but it also made me grateful and privileged for the position I was in.

4. How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

Part of my future career plan is to attain a job where I don’t have to push myself to go, rather the job excites me enough to pull me into work everyday. I can definitely say I had this feeling sometimes when I worked at AMS. Therefore, working as a software developer is an option I am heavily considering. Furthermore, I plan on obtaining a masters degree after working for a few years, so the area of focus for this may very well be computer science. If not then I may do a crossover between both of my majors in computer science and physics such as Electronics.

5. Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

Be open minded because although you may not obtain the exact internship you wanted, it may turn out to be something you enjoy. Even if it’s not then you still have that connection with the company and its employees which may be helpful a few years down the road. Also, if you don’t hear back from several internships you applied for, don’t give up. It’s their loss not yours. Keeping a positive attitude while you’re applying to internships and going through interviews is very important.
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Meet Summer Intern, Emily Rivard ’19, Harvard-Amgen Scholar at Harvard University

Name: Emily Rivard

Class Year: 2019
Internship Position: Harvard-Amgen Scholar at Harvard University

Tell us about where you interned over the summer and the kind of work you are doing.

This summer I conducted research at Harvard University through the Amgen Scholars program, which is a residential summer research opportunity allowing undergraduates to partner with a Harvard faculty mentor and work under the supervision of graduate students or post-docs in his or her lab for 10 weeks.  I worked in Dr. Hopi Hoekstra’s lab in the Departments of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology and Molecular and Cellular Biology, studying the developmental and genetic bases of natural variation.  Using deer mice as a model system, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution.  I had the opportunity to give an oral presentation on my work, present a poster at a university-wide symposium, and attend the annual Amgen Scholars U.S. Symposium at UCLA.  This program also offered a number of pre-professional development opportunities, such as weekly networking events and graduate school preparation seminars, as well as fun community-building programs with the other members of my Amgen cohort, including Red Sox games, hikes in the White Mountains, and Boston Harbor cruises.

 

Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

I was able to utilize information I had learned in a variety of my biology courses during my research this summer, including material from introductory courses on organismal biology and evolution and material I learned in my upper-level courses in genetics, genomics, and cell biology.  It was really exciting to conduct research that spanned such a wide range of topics within the scope of biological research.  I am glad that Holy Cross promotes such a well-rounded education, since I think it prepared me well for working in an interdisciplinary lab.

What has surprised you about being an intern?

Working as an undergraduate researcher at a university was a new and interesting experience.  My lab this summer had a different environment than what I have experienced at Holy Cross because it was large and composed of undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, laboratory technicians, a laboratory manager, and a PI.  I was pleasantly surprised by the incredible welcome and support I received throughout the summer from everyone in the lab.

 

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

As a biology major currently applying to PhD programs in genetics/genomics and hoping to one day become a professor, my research this summer was relevant and important to my future career goals.  This experience, in conjunction with the research I conduct in Professor Findlay’s lab at Holy Cross, gave me the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to be a competitive applicant for graduate school.  My research experiences as an undergraduate have also helped me determine the types of biology I would be interested in pursuing for my future research.

 

Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

For students interested in conducting research at other universities, I would definitely recommend getting involved with research here at Holy Cross first.  Conducting research at Holy Cross during the school year and last summer was really important for me to get the experience necessary to be a good candidate for programs like Amgen or REUs.  My research advisor here at Holy Cross was also very helpful during the process of applying to summer research programs at other schools.  The research opportunities at Holy Cross are really amazing, so I would suggest chatting with the professors here about possibilities to help with their projects!
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Meet Summer Intern Laura Escolero ‘19, Research Assistant, Boston City Councilor Kim Janey

Full Name: Laura Escolero ‘19

Summer Internship: Boston City Councilor Kim Janey

What were you up to this past summer?

This past summer I was a research intern for Councilor Janey’s office of the seventh district of Boston. Most of my work had to do with researching and brainstorming plans for many issues that the city of Boston is facing such as gentrification, gun violence, trauma, homelessness, and education. During my time working for the city councilor, I was able to sit in many briefs and meetings and understand the process of local government rulings and procedures. I was also able to meet many of the local constituents and hear their voices and opinions on the issues we were directly working on at town hall and community/neighborhood meetings. This was definitely an eye opening and transformative experience as I was able to network and learn about the many challenges my home is facing and how I individually can hold my city representatives accountable.

What was your favorite part?

My favorite part about the internship was that it was very student oriented and I was able to work on issues that I cared the most about. For example, every intern did a research project of their choice and I researched police surveillance through the use of new emerging drones as it was a very concerning issue for many of the residents in Boston. All of the other offices also had college interns and every Friday we would all take “field trips” to local service centers and other community venues to learn about organizations that are helping the city with issues of housing, emergencies, and law enforcement to name a few.

What surprised you?

The most surprising part about my internship was how city councilors and many employees in city hall work all hours of the day and really take into consideration every single complaint or petition of constituents. I really didn’t realize how local officials take their work home everyday in order to improve conditions for each of their districts and how they work tirelessly to really get to know and be in solidarity with their residents.
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Meet Caroline Legare ’18 Intern at Catchpoint Systems

Meet Caroline Legare ’18 Intern at Catchpoint Systems

Tell us about where you are interning and the kind of work you are doing.

This summer, I interned at Catchpoint Systems, a tech company in NYC. At Catchpoint, I worked on the marketing team, and completed a vide array of tasks. Some of my tasks included research projects utilizing Excel, writing a case study, and sending a biweekly company-wide report on the internal and external content produced by the marketing team!

Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

It’s super refreshing to know that the skills acquired through my history major carried over into the workplace! A number of employees on the marketing team stressed the need for “good writers” in the marketing field– and that is definitely a skill that the history major demands of its majors. Similarly, the ability to analyze key information and write concisely is another skill I have acquired through my major. I definitely tapped into these skills while writing the case study and sending biweekly reports!

What has surprised you about being an intern?

The immense responsibility of your role! Many students associate internships with coffee-runs or completing mundane tasks. However, at least at Catchpoint, my work actually mattered to the company, which was definitely rewarding.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

I now can officially say I have a clear desire to pursue a career in marketing, which gives me somewhat of a game plan! Catchpoint provided me with an experience that makes me excited about the field, and gave me a great overview of what to expect!

Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

Document your tasks! I made an Excel sheet and filled out my tasks for the week, including the skills I utilized and what I learned from completing the task. This will make resume adjustments easier, and will give you plenty to share when people ask what you did!
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Meet CrusaderIntern Gabriel Castagna’18

Meet Gabriel Castagna’18 Editorial Intern at SourceMedia.

Tell us about where you are interning and the kind of work you are doing.

My internship is at a newsroom in Downtown Manhattan. SourceMedia has multiple different publications, all with a focus on financial news in various categories. The publication I primarily work with is called Asset Securitization Report, and as the name suggests it focuses on news regarding new securitization deals and regulation in securitization markets.

I typically start the day by logging on to the company’s Twitter account (follow @_ASReport !) and tweet out links and headlines to ASR’s latest stories. I then spend a few minutes scrolling through the latest #securitization hashtagged tweets to see if there is anything worthy of a retweet that may be of interest to our readers. Next, I convene with my supervisor to see if anything newsworthy is happening in the securitization market and come up with a topic to research and write about. I spend the rest of the day researching, writing, and revising until I have a fully-edited story ready for publication.

Give us an example of how you have applied your academic learnings to your internship?

My academic learnings have been vital to my internship experience. As a Political Science major, much of my work involves researching and dissecting articles for information that may be relevant to whatever topic I am assigned to write about. That is what I spend the majority of my day doing here at SourceMedia. My Holy Cross experience has taught me how to research effectively and write professionally in a timely manner.

What has surprised you about being an intern?

The most surprising thing about being an intern in my experience is that nobody sees you as subordinate or less valuable to the company because of your intern status. At least in my case, I feel like the full-time employees here view me in the same regard. Expectations are just as high for you as they are for full-time employees; nobody will cut you breaks or expect any less of you because you’re an intern.

How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans / goals?

I hope to someday work in financial services, though I’m not sure what in particular I’d like to pursue. The finance knowledge I am acquiring will be extremely useful in my future career plans; I’ve learned more about financial markets in the past three weeks alone than I have my entire life.

I never considered working in journalism before, but given how much I am enjoying my internship I could see myself pursuing that particular career path. Personally, I think it’s so cool that people I’ll never meet read my articles every day, and pay to do so. There’s something rewarding about that, and it actually motivates me to do my work to the best of my ability knowing that people other than my professors genuinely care about what I write.

Any internship advice to pass on to other Holy Cross students?

Remember why you’re interning. It’s nice to have a summer job and make some extra cash before heading back to school, but that isn’t why you’re interning. You’re there to learn, to see, and to network. Take advantage of the opportunity you have before you; a lot of students would love to be in your shoes. Meet everyone you can, because you’ll never know what you might learn from them or who may offer you a job sometime down the road. Lastly, work hard. Always. There are tons of other kids just as qualified as you for your position, but they chose you. If you’re going to slack, your company will have no problem trading you for one of the other thousands of kids raring to prove themselves.
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#CrusaderIntern: KCSA Strategic Communications

Catherine Greene ’17
KCSA Strategic Communications

What were you up to this past summer?
As an intern at KCSA, I split my time working on two accounts. One of the biggest parts of my internship is research. From researching press release coverage, to potential contacts for clients, and a wide variety of statistics that our clients utilize, I spent a good amount of my day reading. In addition to this, it is safe to say that I spent an equal amount of time writing briefing books and outreach emails for clients. Many days I will have two or three meetings, listening in on conference calls with clients and other PR firms, as well as participating in brainstorming sessions.

What was your favorite part?
Having the opportunity to intern at a well-regarded communications firm is something that I am very grateful for. I was exposed to many commonly-used PR tools such as Gorkana and Factiva, and worked with account directors and high-up executives. I love the fact that I get to go into work everyday knowing that I will be doing something different for two different accounts, and leaving with a sense of accomplishment.

What surprised you?
Something that surprised me the most was the prevalence of Excel in the public relations industry. While it is not used for computing, it is used as a means of organization and as a way to present information to clients. I met with a man that worked at Google here in New York and he told me that if there is one thing I can enter the workplace with is proficiency in Excel. I would definitely say that this is true and I would recommend to all students seeking internships that they have somewhat of a capacity for Excel.