Name: Ashley Copenhaver

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Google

Position Title: Engineering Practicum Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s):Mathematics & Biology/Computer Science

Work Term:Summer 2017

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

As an Engineering Practicum Intern, I worked on the Search UI Infrastructure Team alongside full time software engineers in Chicago. One other intern was my designated partner for the summer, so we worked collaboratively on a project which involved creating an experiment, designing a dashboard for our results, and learning new programming languages such as JavaScript, SQL, and Go. While my partner and I did a majority of the work independently to maximize our time spent in the office, we pair-programmed for the more challenging aspects of the project. Weekly meetings with various engineers around the world kept us up to date with how our project should be functioning.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I first heard about this position through my participation in an earlier Google program called the Computer Science Summer Institute, but it was not until I had begun my first computer science course here at UMBC that I really decided to pursue this position. The introductory computer science course gave me a background that made me feel confident enough to actually apply. I submitted my application in November, and as I progressed through the interviews and site placement, I set up appointments in the Career Center to give my resume a facelift. By February, after going through the whole application and interview process, I had been offered the position of Engineering Practicum Intern for the summer.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

This experience enabled me to network with people around the world and build relationships that will last a lifetime. In addition to the great support I had throughout the whole internship, I loved learning new things every single day. At any point throughout the day, I could ask any other engineer in the office a question and get a genuine answer, resulting in a massive increase in my computer science knowledge throughout the summer.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Google's mission statement from 1998 is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Through hours upon hours of collaborative meetings with other engineers around the world, I believe that I have certainly made a positive impact on the organization of the world's information.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Whenever you get the opportunity to attend a networking event, you should take that opportunity because you never know when the person you meet is going to become your manager. In addition, remember that you will miss 100% of the shots you don't take. So if you are interested in getting involved in internships or other experiences, actually apply for those experiences even if you think it is a long shot because you may be exactly what the organization is looking for in an applicant -- just stay true to yourself.

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I hope you guys all had a fantastic thanksgiving break! Now that the holiday break is over, there are only ….. THREE AND A HALF WEEKS LEFT IN THE SEMESTER??? When did that happen?! Well, I guess as the semester is closing up, now is a good time to reflect on your experiences this semester. And keeping with the theme of thankfulness, let’s talk about how you can show thanks to the employers and mentors that have helped you this semester.

First of all, why should you be thanking your mentors? The most obvious reason is that when someone does something good for you - like offer you a job/internship/research position - thanking them for it is just the right thing to do. Being thankful makes others feel good, and it makes you feel good! But from a more self-serving perspective, it also helps your chances of working with them again in the future. People always remember those who are kind to them, so if you thank your mentor for their help, they’ll probably want to hire you again! Also, taking the time to think about reasons to thank them will help you reflect on how you’ve developed through this experience. If you’re enrolled in an Intern Success Practicum course with the Career Center, you should be submitting your end-of-semester reflections by December 8th.

Here are some great ways to thank your employers and mentors:

• In person is always the best option. Being able to talk face-to-face when thanking your mentor will show them how sincere you are, and will also give them a chance to thank you in return! They appreciate the work you’ve put in as much as you appreciate their guidance.

• Sending a thank-you card is a good alternative if you’re shy, or don’t get a chance to do it in person. People don’t usually send physical cards anymore, so it will be a pleasant surprise for them to get a nice card in their mailbox.

• If you’re not in a rush, or if you are continuing your work in the spring, be on the lookout for the Career Center’s annual Thanks for Making a Difference Campaign, which is a creative way to thank all and any kind of mentor in your life.

Personally, I’d like to send a thank you to the whole Career Center for welcoming me into the office as a new employee this semester. I have already learned so much about professional development and helping other students, and I look forward to continuing my own development here and working on new projects to give my fellow students all the opportunities they deserve. Feel free to comment on what you’re thankful for this year in the comments section below.