Katie Eng: The Virtual Internship Experience
This past summer was a summer of a lifetime. I was double vaccinated, COVID cases were dwindling, and I moved back to Santa Clara for the first time in over a year. Among learning how to regain my independence and adjust to life pre-pandemic, I was lucky enough to score an internship as a Growth Intern at Saturn Technologies, a rising startup based in New York operating under the goal to make high school schedules less confusing and stressful. While remote, I learned a plethora about business, marketing, management, design, operations, and more.
I went into the 6-week sprint internship with a cohort of around a dozen college students from across the country. Despite the entirety of the work being online, we were able to foster a sort of remote camaraderie through bonding activities such as playing Kahoot and other games together in between meetings. Our goal was to expand the company from its origins in the Northeast to across the country using outreach and growth techniques. Since I lived in California, I was responsible for the entire West coast.
This task seemed daunting at first, but I was extremely impressed by how well the internship was run. All my questions were quickly answered, and I never had to worry about feeling alone in the process. Additionally, I quickly discovered my passion for working with a startup team, as within the first week I was able to meet not only my managers, but the CEOs of Saturn and the app developers, designers, and marketers. I learned about what goes on behind the scenes and the people responsible for what aspects of making a cohesive product and company. The six weeks of learning passed in the blink of an eye, as every day was truly a joy. Working for such young, motivated individuals all working towards a common goal was very inspiring and made me realize how much I valued making a difference.
I was fortunate enough to be extended past the initial offer of 6 weeks to continue growth and outreach, but also ventured into the Operations department to handle the more data-involved side of things. My time at Saturn and my first “real” internship were both extremely rewarding and eye-opening experiences, and I look forward to seeing the company soar.