BSIS student Bea Verin discusses her internship experience with Nike. She especially enjoyed the “fun atmosphere” at the company and opportunity to collaborate with fellow interns.
Where did you intern, and what was your role?
I interned at Nike in Beaverton, Oregon, as a global technology engineer.
How did you find out about the internship?
I found out about this internship through the Nike's career website. I've always liked Nike as a brand, so I ended up going to their website to see if there were intern opportunities. After I saw the Global Tech position opening, I attended one of the info sessions and applied.
What new skills did you acquire?
During this internship, I was able to learn many skills. I learned technical skills from using Tableau, Python, and SQL as well as Big Data tools like Grafana Dashboard, Meerkat, and Spark. Nike had a hackathon for all the global tech interns, which gave us the opportunity to work in teams with interns from other departments. We had fun creating a project toward the end of our internships. It was awesome to collaborate and work on mobile development, an area that was new to me.
What did you like best about working at the company?
I enjoyed the fun atmosphere that Nike offered. I love how they had multiple organizations for people from different backgrounds to join. I loved the fellow interns; we were such a tight-knit group and truly made the most of moving to a new place. My team members were so helpful and wanted me to grow in all aspects. I also loved the sports factor. After work, we had a community to play beach volleyball together.
What would you advise current students who are interested in an internship opportunity?
Be incisive in how you conduct your search. Consider the companies in which you are most interested and learn as much as you can about them, including any potential early career development programs. Additionally, make an effort to meet with a company one on one, whether it be at a career fair, an instructional session, a coffee meeting, etc. Your chances of being called back for more interviews and rounds of screening will increase as more company representatives recognize your name and face. Put some thought into your application and then follow up with employers.