Summer has started, which means that our RAN Summer 2023 Interns have arrived! This year we have three new interns, and they are all ready and eager to help RAN achieve their goals. Each intern provides RAN with a variety of skills, knowledge, and experience that will develop more with their time here. Without further ado, let us introduce you to our interns!
CJ and Hunter are interning this summer at our Albany Office, and Crea is interning at our growing Rochester Office. Each intern is working hand in hand with our established engineers to complete projects and gain experience in the Fire Protection Industry.
To help you get to know our interns better, we asked them some questions and here are their answers:
1. What drew you in to want to intern here at RAN?
CJ: RAN offers so many great opportunities for young engineers who are looking to learn right away. You just get so much hands-on experience, whether it's working on a project in CAD or going out to a job site and doing real measurements. RAN puts you in a position to help you learn and succeed.
Hunter: RAN offers interns an excellent opportunity to advance their design skills as an engineer and help gain real world experience for any engineering discipline. RAN creates an inviting yet challenging environment that is crucial for any young engineer. The idea of using my skillset to help protect lives gives me a purpose as an upcoming engineer.
Crea: The first time I heard of RAN, or even fire protection engineering in general, was at my school’s career fair. I saw RAN’s table while walking around and it piqued my interest, so I decided to introduce myself. I met Tyler, who explained fire protection engineering with such excitement that I truly became interested. I am so glad I decided to take a chance and apply for this internship because the work environment is exactly what I have been looking for and I’ve already met so many wonderful people. I can’t wait to see what the rest of my summer with RAN brings!
2. What skills do you hope to gain from your internship?
CJ: Through this internship I hope to develop the skills I need to be a successful engineer by putting my thinking, communication, and teamwork skills to the test to do whatever is asked of me.
Hunter: I hope to grow as an individual and as a team and hope to form new connections upon graduating WPI. Working effectively in a group setting is extremely important as an engineer, and I hope to continue to grow as an effective communicator and collaborator.
Crea: As this is my first internship experience, I hope to gain skills that I can apply to my education or other job opportunities that come my way. Communication and collaboration with others are important skillsets that I’ve been trying to develop, and I think I will have a chance to do so during my time with RAN. By the end of this internship, I hope to have made meaningful connections with my coworkers and develop my networking skills.
I also hope to gain a better understanding of fire protection engineering practices and the intricacies of fire protection. I’ve always been interested in using my skills and knowledge to help others, and fire protection seems like a great way to do so!
3. What is your goal that you hope to complete during your internship?
CJ: My goal for this internship is to absorb as much information as I can from the people that work at RAN. I have already learned so much about fire protection engineering, but also so much more, like how to be effective in a work environment and how to think outside the box to solve problems.
Hunter: The goal as an intern at RAN is to learn as much as possible about fire protection. Fire Protection Engineering is quite complex, and I am only just scratching the surface of what an engineer can accomplish.
Crea: My goal during this internship is to gain as much knowledge about RAN’s engineering process as possible so that I may be capable of completing a project all on my own. I have learned a great deal in the short time I’ve been here so far, so I am hopeful that my goal will become a reality soon enough.
4. What do you like to do in your free time?
CJ: In my free time I usually play basketball or hang out with my friends and family. I also like playing cards, watching sports or movies, and relaxing when I am not hooping.
Hunter: One thing I love to do in my free time is play the guitar. I love to learn new things in life, and the guitar offers a new and challenging experience that is extremely rewarding.
Crea: Since the age of three, I’ve been very passionate about dancing. I love to experiment with different movements, and I’ve practiced many styles of dance, but I have always been a huge fan of tap dancing. Aside from how much fun it is, dancing has taught me strength and perseverance as well. Sometimes while dancing, your shoes may fall off, but the most important thing to do in those moments is to keep on dancing (a good, cheesy life lesson, but also a real thing that happened to me during an important dance performance).
RAN is very excited to have these interns along with us for the Summer of 2023 and we are excited to watch them grow and develop this summer!