(Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of stories highlighting College of Information Sciences and Technology students and their summer internships and professional development experiences).
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When searching for a summer internship, rising senior Hannah Kern sought out a position that went beyond the average nine-to-five job.
“I was looking for a space that encouraged growth and learning opportunities,” said Kern, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in human-centered design and development (HCDD) in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).
As a software engineering intern at Lowe’s this summer, Kern has been exposed to a number of new experiences and technologies while developing code — including learning new computer programming languages.
"I have spent time studying React.js, ESLint and Kotlin,” Kern said. “I recently received a story from their backlog to write rules in ESLint. This is all so new and exciting to me.”
While on-the-job training is common, especially in technology which is ever-changing, Kern felt prepared to succeed in her internship thanks to the HCDD program and the College of IST classroom experience.
“IST did a great job preparing me for the teamwork that it takes to be a software engineer,” Kern said. “The project-based classwork was a great experience that expanded my communication and collaboration skills.”
Kern landed the internship thanks to her participation in last fall’s IST Internship and Career Fair, where she learned about various companies and the opportunities they offered through face-to-face interactions with company representatives. There, Kern had a meaningful conversation with a Lowe’s recruiter. That connection subsequently turned into an interview, which Kern prepared for with assistance from the IST Office of Career Solutions and Corporate Engagement.
“When I was interviewing, I went to resume reviews (hosted by the IST careers office) and spent lots of time preparing myself to be the ideal candidate,” Kern said.
In addition to helping her advance her skills and learn new programming languages, the internship position has shown Kern the connection between classroom and industry work, and the power of making a larger impact on the surrounding community.
According to Kern, Lowe’s prides itself on being a customer-focused business that wants to do right by its users and contribute to a better, bigger picture. In this spirit, the Lowe’s internship program brought the interns together to participate in service projects in the local Charlotte, North Carolina community, where Kern and her co-workers were based.
Kern had the opportunity to work alongside her peers to build boxes that were then stocked with markers, tape, stickers and other materials necessary to expose elementary school students to a STEAM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) at a young age.
Lowe’s also led Kern and her fellow interns in a partnership with Rebuilding Together, a local non-profit dedicated to repairing homes, revitalizing communities, and rebuilding lives. Through this effort, Kern built flower boxes and benches to aesthetically improve area neighborhoods.
“It is very important to me to be a part of a company that has a heart for doing good work within our community,” Kern said.
After graduation, Kern plans to apply to the Lowe’s Launchpad rotational program for recent graduates.
As someone who is interested in exploring multiple career paths, this program is very appealing to Kern because it provides new hires with the ability to work on two different teams in different fields before selecting one on which to continue.
“So far, I have loved the opportunities that this role provided and the team that I work with,” said Kern. “I would love to apply to the rotational program and grow even more with the company.”
Regardless of where her future career path takes her, Kern’s summer internship experience with Lowe’s has opened her up to a world of new technology that excites and invigorates her.
“Whatever my future looks like, this experience has taught be so much about being on an agile team and a real part of the workforce.”