I had heard, before my first semester at USC, that it is important to get an internship during the summer to help get a job after graduation. However, I initially struggled to figure out which internships to apply to, overwhelmed with the sheer number of options. Last summer, I knew I wanted to try research to see if I found it interesting, and there are many summer programs at USC and other universities that seemed less imposing than an internship at a company. At that time, I had only spent a semester at USC and did not yet know what area of Electrical Engineering I wanted to focus on. Through cold emails and applying to programs at universities, I found a lab to work at over the summer after my freshman year. I worked at the CHARM Lab at Stanford University, which is a lab focused on haptic devices for medical applications. During my time at the lab, I realized that I found medical devices extremely interesting and that Electrical Engineering is highly applicable to the field.
This past year, when it came time to apply to internships, I had taken more classes in Electrical Engineering, which made it much easier to sort through the internship applications to find ones I would be interested in. USC Viterbi has many resources to network with companies in person or apply through websites such as Handshake, so the hardest part of applying was figuring out what positions looked interesting to me and my future career. Ultimately, I decided to work at a startup near where I live that focuses on remote medical monitoring, including heart rate, breathing rate, and sleep monitoring. I hope to continue my passion for the medical device field while also expanding skills in circuit design that I learned at USC this past year.
I find it easy to get wrapped up in internships and school work, and often forget that I should plan free time for myself to enjoy. This summer, I hope to also take time for myself. I am planning a trip with several friends to Hawaii and also hope to spend time with my family. I look forward to eating at my favorite restaurants and enjoying free time without classes and homework for a few months.
