Name: Prajita Shrestha
Pronouns: She/ Her
Semester of Internship: Summer 2025
Major: Computer Science
Current Class Level: Senior
This semester I completed a(n)...: Internship
Internship, Co-op, or Research Site (Company/Organization Name): Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Location of the Organization (City, State): Laurel, MD
Title of position: Software Engineering Intern
Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities:
I had the opportunity to intern for a group that developed and managed a data analytics software. Throughout my internship, I mainly worked on adding smaller features for the program. My main task was to create a summary tool to highlight the differences between data types to streamline workflow for analysts. My day-to-day mainly consisted of stand up meetings with the whole team, check-ins with my mentor, and coding.
Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?
I learned about APL through the career fair hosted by UMBC. Initially, I applied to around 3 intern positions for APL, which did not work out. In December, I applied to another intern role at APL that I found on Handshake and got an email to schedule an interview in January. The interview was mainly behavioral questions, where I discussed my previous experience and skill level.
What resources did you use to find your current experience?
UMBC Career Center, Career Fairs, Handshake
What have you enjoyed the most about your position and organization?
My favorite part about APL was the group's welcoming atmosphere and flexibility. As an intern, I was given the flexibility to choose from different tasks of varying difficulty and give my own input on features and tasks to work on. On Fridays, I was able to work from home and was given the flexibility to choose my times to come in and leave work.
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
I believed that I made an impact by developing tools that made analyzation faster for analysts. My tool will save analysts significant time when they are comparing and creating new data types.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
My main advice would be to not give up and keep searching for roles. A lot of internships come out during the fall season but it is not the end of the world if you do not land one then. My internship interview and offer came during an unexpected time. Make sure to look out for the various opportunities on campus such as teaching assistant and research assistant positions. I think the main reason I got my internship was because of my research experience.
Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.
I loved how this internship gave me the opportunity to work alongside highly skilled professionals and grow my technical skills. The Career Center's resume review sessions and resources played a big role in helping me land my interview and internship.