My Experience as a Summer Intern: A Welcoming Company Culture

One of the aspects of Summer Consultants which I have benefitted most from during my 12-week mechanical engineering internship has been the employee and company culture. The support which I have received from my mentor and my fellow employees has helped me grow as both an engineer and a person during my time here.

My mentor, Danielle Regula, was instrumental in helping me have an amazing experience this summer. She encouraged me to ask questions about the work which I was doing and was very patient while I climbed the steep learning curves of Revit, AutoCAD, and IESVE. She also helped me explore the different aspects which go into HVAC engineering, understand the big picture for each project and how my contributions would fit into it.

In addition to the support which I received from my mentor, I also received support from my fellow employees. They were always willing to help me and answer my questions or point me to someone else who could.  My fellow employees were also happy to answer my questions on matters not directly related to my work. Their insights on everything from professional development to academics to apartment hunting has been greatly appreciated and will help me on my journey as a senior in college and a young professional. Before this summer, I didn’t understand the importance of the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, and now I have a plan to take it before I graduate next year.

One of the aspects of the community at the Summer Consultants McLean, VA, office which I greatly appreciated as a new intern was the opportunity to eat lunch with other people in the kitchen or on the balcony. Chatting with fellow employees from all levels of the company helped me get to know them and feel like I belonged at Summer and was a valued member of the team. I loved learning about the interests and lives of my fellow employees, and it always invigorated me for my afternoon work. I also greatly enjoyed the times which we all got together outside of work for the Summer Summit activities, picnic, etc. It was great to see everyone in a more casual setting and having fun.