Transitioning into Research and Internships

February 28, 2018 / By Sharon Henry

​Irvine, February 28, 2018 — 

At Wednesday’s lunchtime event, “This is What a Scientist/Engineer Looks Like,” Ericca Go, a fourth year computer science major at UC Irvine shared her experiences and advice about landing an internship at a tech firm. “Don’t spend all of your time waiting in line just to hand your resume to someone at a big company like Microsoft and Facebook," she said. "Starting at a smaller company can lead to bigger things.”

Go, a former intern at Siemens PLM Software explained how her initial internship at a smaller organization helped pave the way toward a later internship at Microsoft. She also encouraged students to be more involved in clubs and organizations outside of academics. Go, who is also a leader in the Women in Information and Computer Sciences (WICS) organization at UCI, told the audience of undergraduates. “It will make you look more well-rounded to employers.”

Go was one of three speakers at the lunchtime session designed to advance excellence through a commitment to equity and diversity, and raise awareness about STEM opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities.

Also featured on the program to share tips and strategies on transitioning into research and internships were; Nalini Venkatasubramanian, a professor of computer science at UCI, and Anna Nierenberg, a UCI Chancellor's ADVANCE Postdoctoral Fellow in the school of Physical Sciences.

The series is sponsored by UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence, UCI Office of Access & Inclusion and CALIT2.

For information about upcoming sessions, visit: http://inclusion.uci.edu

-- Sharon Henry