This summer may not have been quite as outrageously fun as getting to go to Rome with Viterbi Study Abroad last year, but it definitely was a great time and helped me learn a lot about what it’s like to work as an engineer and what I want to do in the future.

Camp Pendleton Mud Run with my Boeing coworkers!

I just finished my internship with the Boeing Company at the Satellite Development Center in El Segundo. I worked in the FPGA/ASICS group and was asked to continue working there part-time during the school year. It was a good experience to have for a first internship and I’m looking forward to continuing. Everyone in my group was really helpful and welcoming. They taught me a lot and I had a fun time with them this summer as well. It was cool to get to use some of the skills I learned in class while also gaining a new skill set. My manager also really made an effort to expose me to new concepts and tools, which I appreciated.

Sunset at Dockweiler Beach

Another cool thing about this summer was having a work schedule instead of a school schedule. Don’t get me wrong, I love my classes and all my involvements at school but they take a LOT of time and then when I get home I always have things to do. Working this summer was a cool new experience because when I got back from work I had time to go out with friends, go on trips on the weekends, and go hiking. This summer I went to Yosemite, Monterey, went hiking all over Southern California, went to the beach, and just generally had a lot of fun!

Weekend trip to Monterey!

Looking out over Half Dome at Yosemite! (We’re going to hike Half Dome next summer)

It was a great summer, but I’m looking forward to getting back to school and seeing everyone! Right now I’m back on campus and in the process of move in. I love seeing all the new freshman moving in and meeting all my friends as they come back (although most were here this summer). Can’t wait for another school year!