My internship with Dell Technologies has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have been able to take part in. Not only have I had the opportunity to meet people around the world, but I’ve also made meaningful connections and improved valuable skills that will help me in the future.
My position at Dell Technologies is Emerging Technological Specialist under the company’s Dell EMC-specific subsidiary. Dell EMC focuses on data centers, storage, backups, and cyber recovery for many different organizations, ranging from small businesses to schools and governmental agencies, and much more.
At the beginning of the internship, we were aligned to an Intern Olympics team. For my squad, we had Mitchell Lung, Mackenzie Volker, Carly Chirstofori, and Ethan Ash. We all are in different states but are working together to complete our daily tasks, which can vary. Some weeks we encourage leads to look into the portfolio Dell EMC has to offer to help save their IT department time and money. Other weeks we are shadowing full-time employees and helping them on their current projects. Furthermore, I’ve gained skills navigating Salesforce, Xant, Linkedin, and Excel sheets full of data.
Working at Dell, you are treated as an employee, not a traditional intern. They encourage a work environment of making meaningful mistakes so you can grow both professionally and personally.
As a Team Leader for the Bryan School, we are taught to embrace being uncomfortable. All the skills I gained from being a Team Leader have helped me to excel at my internship and not be nervous or discouraged when reaching out to higher-level employees or communicating with people from various backgrounds. Being a Team Leader, you represent not only yourself but the entire Bryan School. At Dell, you do the same when you speak with a customer. You represent your team, your organization, and Dell Technologies as a whole, so we pride ourselves on being the best at what we do!
There have been some rough moments of the internship, however, which is expected when first heading into a professional career. At the beginning of our projects, I had a difficult time grasping some of the important information needed to successfully do my job. But as time went on, while getting time on different managers’ calendars, I had an aha moment of: “Wow, this makes sense.” For example, cyber-attacks were put into context, seeing how Dell has a portfolio that is helping to solve real-life problems.
This internship taught me that what I do matters, that I am making a difference in someone’s company by getting them products that are designed to help protect their sensitive data. In addition to having an amazing team, Dell’s University Relations has put on a plethora of events from small virtual mini-games to speaking with the CEO and founder Michael Dell. These virtual events have made my time with Dell such an amazing experience (not to mention the free gear they sent all interns). Some notable events Dell has put on for both interns and full-time employees include having a chance to listen and speak with civil rights activist and poet Nikki Giovanni, which is probably the highlight of my internship.
My time with Dell has really taught me more about myself and what I value in company culture. I learned the skills the Bryan School is teaching us are important for the competitive world that we will soon encounter. In conclusion, not only being a Team Leader but a Student Leader has shown me the valuable skills that are transferable to real-life situations. These are things that you can’t learn in the classroom, only through experience. So I encourage you to apply to be a part of any on-campus organization. Learn people skills that will help you work with team members to complete a task. The Bryan School loves to help bring out the hidden talents inside of everyone through professional development. I encourage you to take a leap of faith and try something new.
By Saheim Jones (Business Administration)
