Internship:
Purpose:
My two-year internship at Northrop Grumman was more than an introduction to the corporate world of tech. It was where I learned how to bridge technical complexity with practical solutions. I gained hands-on experience in data analysis, project management, and engineering principles while strengthening my ability to communicate ideas clearly and collaborate across diverse teams. Through mentorship, independent ownership of projects, and exposure to aerospace and defense innovations, I developed the foundation of a solutions engineering mindset: listening to user needs, identifying the real problem, and delivering technology that solves it effectively.
Internship:
Advanced Project Ownership: Designed and implemented an autonomous navigation system using Raspberry Pi and Python, integrating real-time sensor data for pathfinding and obstacle avoidance.
Mentorship and Growth: Engaged in weekly mentorship sessions, refining both technical expertise and career indastry feedback and real-world advice.
Solutions Focused Engineering: Translated system requirements into working prototypes, balancing performance, reliability, and user needs. Earned recognition for innovation in a national competition by delivering a project that exceeded expectations.
Collaboration and Communication: Presented findings to mentors and peers, building confidence in explaining technical concepts in accessible ways while collaborating across disciplines.
Mentorship:
STEM Industry: Participated in seminars on programming, systems engineering, cybersecurity, and manufacturing. These seminars were interactive showing and lecture driven disscotions. Also presented in colabrative groups on these topics.
Skills and Knowledge Development: Applied analytical skills to interpret complex data and deepen my understanding of project workflows, including those tied to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
Professional Networking: Built strong professional relationships with mentors and peers, fostering collaboration and opening doors for future opportunities.
Site Visits: Gained firsthand exposure to advanced engineering projects including SpaceX manufacturing processes, sharpening my awareness of large-scale system integration.
Key Takeaways:
Learned to break down complex problems into actionable steps, a key part of delivering real solutions.
Discovered the importance of asking the right questions to uncover the true needs behind technical challenges.
Developed confidence in taking ownership of projects while staying adaptable and open to feedback.
Strengthened collaboration skills, recognizing that the best solutions are built through shared effort.
Gained early experience in what it means to be a solutions engineer by combining technical skill, problem-solving, and empathy to deliver technology that makes an impact.
