CDS Students Apply Knowledge, Confirm Career Path During Summer Internships

Lebanon Valley College understands the importance of obtaining professional experience before entering the job market. Many of the programs at LVC require students to complete an internship experience in order to graduate—computer & data science (CDS) is one of those programs. Multiple CDS majors spent this past summer applying the skills they learned in class to real-world workplaces, including Alex Koinski ’19, Logan Phillips ’19, and Patrick Holmgren ’18.

Koinski completed his internship at Cleo, a company that manages file transfers and data integration, where he worked on spreadsheets and modified code. Despite having a background in Java and knowledge of the physical aspects of computers, which he learned at LVC, Koinski discovered that he still had a lot to learn.

“Seeing how capable those around me were was definitely humbling,” Koinski said. “I also learned how to work in a professional environment, how to spot and fix bugs in my code quickly, and how to read large amounts of code to figure out what exactly it was doing and how it was doing it.”

Phillips interned at MetLife where he helped implement a new web application. The program streamlined the process of booking conference rooms and setting meetings. 

“Instead of drop-down menus and other elements that are cumbersome to use, this application used a 3D model of each building and floor,” Phillips said. “That way, employees can easily see which rooms are booked and which are available. Using this application is extremely fast compared to using the old Outlook interface.”

Phillips credited the College’s Department of Mathematical Sciences with his ability to learn and apply material quickly. This skill was important because Phillips needed to become familiar with technologies that he had not used prior to his internship. 

Holmgren also says that the College’s emphasis on learning new skills quickly helped him at his summer internship at Foot Locker Inc. Interning at the company’s corporate office, he worked within the information security and technology team to build web-based versions of the company’s current systems.

“I learned a lot during my internship and it proved to be extremely helpful,” Holmgren said. “I learned how to use the technology that I needed to—.NET, C#, and other things that I didn’t have direct experience with at LVC. I also learned how development is done at a professional, enterprise level.”

Holmgren also gained experience working with clients, which taught him to merge his view of the end-product with theirs. 

Koinski, Phillips, and Holmgren all left their internships with positive experiences and positive outlooks on their chosen career paths.

 

-- Megan Marron, Marketing & Communications Intern