The end of the academic year always arrives with much relief but a touch of bittersweet nostalgia. It’s been an outstanding year; I’ve definitely learned and grown the most this year.
But now I’m looking forward to summer – always a well-received break from the rigor of engineering studies. Last summer I did Viterbi Summer Abroad (you can read more about it here) which was hands down the most fun I’ve had in college. It was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore Italy and Europe and take my relationships with my engineering peers to grand new highs. I can’t even talk too much about Viterbi Summer Abroad cause I get painfully nostalgic – life will never be the same!
Where I'll be working this summer - in screenshot form!
This summer I’m heading home and taking an internship at Cortina; a semiconductor manufacturer based in Cupertino that works on high-speed data transfer chips. I’ll be working on developing a testing environment for them and hopefully some test design as well. While it may not be quite as exciting as spelunking through Europe, it will no doubt be a life experience every bit as fulfilling as studying abroad. I’m really looking forward to gaining new insights into how technical positions in industry operate; as a junior with the end of my undergraduate experience in sight, I want to develop a stronger idea of what I want to do post-graduation.
Summer is also a great time to catch up on all those pet projects and things you wanted to enjoy during the academic year, but didn’t have time for. I’ll be catching up on my reading (thinking of re-reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – if you haven’t read it, it’s one of the most enlightening books I’ve ever read – give it a shot), cooking (let’s be honest – just barbeque’ing), and getting back in shape.
