This summer, UDig hosted eight interns across a variety of positions. During our nine weeks at UDig, we grew our skillsets with real-world project and development experience. Each intern worked with an assigned mentor who guided them as they worked through fun and challenging client work. Data, Software, and Intelligent Automation interns worked to develop hard and soft skills, while Operations and Marketing interns broadened their horizons as they worked internally on a wide range of projects. Our interns learned how to be members of a successful team while gaining first-hand insight into how business works.
2022 Intern Class
- Chloe O’Hallaron, James Madison University, Marketing
- Mary Cooper Frank, James Madison University, Operations
- Elizabeth Phillips, Virginia Tech, Data & Analytics
- Connor Dolan, M.A., North Carolina State University, Data & Analytics
- Sam Gilmore, University of Richmond, Intelligent Automation
- Devin Pendse, University of Virginia, Software
- Parker Colson, George Mason University, Software
- Anthony Lee, Vanderbilt University, Software
An Opportunity to Learn
During our first weeks at UDig, we sat in with college new hires to learn a bit more about consulting in a series of crash courses led by a Principal Consultant on the Software Engineering team, Sean Gannon. Sean’s interactive crash courses covered a variety of topics such as Requirements Gathering, Running Client Meetings, and Consulting 101.
Additionally, we had the opportunity to sit in with the rest of the UDig team on a Leaders as Teachers panel, where UDig leaders discussed the topic of ‘Handling Difficult Consulting Questions.’ This panel taught us how to learn from our mistakes; it provided us with real world examples from members of the UDig team and gave us valuable tips for when it comes to tricky situations in consulting.
As a student, it was great to learn directly from professionals who gain experience in the field every day. Sean and our UDig leaders left us with some valuable information that we could have never picked up in a classroom setting – there’s nothing quite like learning from your leaders!
Becoming a Team
Over the course of the summer, we participated in a variety of group events to facilitate teamwork and flexibility. Data team member, Allie Firebaugh, led UDig’s ‘Intern Summer Book Club,’ where we came together each Thursday afternoon to discuss Alex Banayan’s The Third Door. Each week, one intern took their turn in preparing and leading our book club discussion. This weekly event provided some time for us to catch a breather and have a fun group discussion together – special thanks to Allie!
We also participated in daily stand-ups and weekly 1:1 meetings led by a Senior Consultant on the Client Service’s team, Patrick Kliebert. Patrick facilitated daily Intern stand-ups each morning, where we came together to discuss our current projects. Stand-up gave us the opportunity to chat about our work and flex into other work that differed from what our projects specifically required. Along with stand-up, we attended weekly 1:1 meetings with Patrick. These 1:1’s acted as a personal check-in, where we could discuss highs and lows for the week, ask questions, and make suggestions.
It was refreshing to be able to come together as a group throughout the week to learn about each other’s interests and projects. We all worked on such a large scope of work and it was neat to learn about the different things that go on here each day. Some interns even took the opportunity to team up and tackle projects together during their downtime.
Making Connections
Throughout the summer, we attended group lunches and UDig office events, which provided a great brain break during the work week and allowed us to make connections with UDig team members outside of the Intern class.
UDig Connect is a monthly, company favorite where team members come together, both in-person and online, to connect for a fun event at UDig HQ or a local spot in Richmond or Nashville. UDig Connect events that took place this summer include a lunch cookout on the patio at UDig HQ, a food truck and popsicles following July’s Quarterly Business Review, and a celebratory breakfast for National Intern Day. Lastly, we celebrated all the hard work we put in over our nine weeks at UDig with a fun outing to Drive Shack during our last week at the office. This was the perfect sendoff celebration as we wrapped up our final projects – thank you UDig!
I believe that making connections with those around you is a key factor when it comes to success in the workplace. If you don’t enjoy who you work with, it can make the job miserable. I was so pleased to find such a warm and welcoming culture at UDig, I never felt like “just an intern.” I am confident that the hard work the Intern class put in this summer is greatly appreciated and will certainly not go unnoticed. I know that we are thankful for the opportunity to come together for events like these which allowed us to make new connections, put names to faces on the team, and chat with those who we may have connected with on projects.
