Kayla Snyder didn’t know what to expect when first starting the DME internship. But she applied to be a web analytics intern to gain experience in analytical work and learn skills to compliment the computer science degree she is pursuing. Kayla lives in a small rural town, so technology internships can be difficult to access. However, the virtual format of the DME internship has allowed her to gain valuable skills from her location.
Kayla heard about the internship through her school and was excited that it would offer her the chance to give back to others. Her parents are Veterans, so supporting Veterans has always been important to Kayla, and she seeks opportunities to give back with all the work she is doing. After being accepted, Kayla went through the standard onboarding process and learned more about the expectations of the internship and her role in the web analytics department. Now, her daily tasks consist of generating reports and tracking down error links. She is currently working on creating an analytical dashboard to automate Veteran of the Day (VOD) tracking for the future. To do this, she determines what she wants to track, such as page views or time viewing page, and creates a layout for the dashboard with these criteria in mind. She then retrieves information, interprets it and organizes it in a visually appealing way so that others can understand the dashboard.
Kayla’s favorite part of the internship has been supporting the start of this newer department in the internship. Her experience has given her the opportunity to connect with other web analytics interns as they work together to build on the foundation that was created for their department the previous year. Since web analytics is still a new department, Kayla has practiced flexibility and collaboration. Initially, there were still changes being made in the department, and adaptability was necessary as projects and ideas were developed and scrapped. In addition to working through the development of a new department, Kayla also had the opportunity to work with other departments in the DME internship, collaborating on projects and adjusting to different departments’ methods for completing work.
The DME internship has helped Kayla know what to expect when applying and onboarding at internships and jobs in the future. Her advice to future interns is to go with the flow and not be afraid to ask questions. In her experience, everyone on the DME team has been friendly and wanted to help others succeed. Here, Kayla has learned the value of asking questions, as well as helping others who need support.
Kayla graduates in May and wants to work in data analytics, which would offer her the opportunity to continue giving back to others, just like her work with the DME team did. Despite this being her first internship, Kayla gained valuable skills throughout her year-long experience that will benefit her throughout the rest of her pursuits.
Writer: Kimberly Kassis
Editor: Alli P, Julia Pack
Graphic Designer: Grace Yang
