Major: Computer Science
Company: Naval Information Warfare Center
Internship Title: Student Research Scientist
Location: San Diego, CA
Semester: Summer 2025
Why did you choose the company you work for?
I feel very grateful to have received this opportunity to be a part of VICEROY as a MAVEN. I particularly wanted to be a part of the advancing cutting-edge technology that the US Navy uses. This internship helped me gain real-world skills, helped make connections with the nation’s smartest scientists and engineers, and I felt as if I was making an impact for the agency overall, even as an intern.
What were some requirements for your internship?
During my internship, I got the opportunity to work with the smartest scientists and technicians using cutting-edge technology. I improved my skills in front-end development on the Cyber Kevlar project and gained experience integrating LLMs for the Adversarial Cyber team’s pen-testing tool parser project. Every Tuesday, I attended Coffee and doughnut networking sessions to create new connections. This helped me connect with the UI/UX design group at NIWC and learn about their experiences and the process of human-computer interaction techniques. I also received the opportunity to be on the NIWC’s On-Point podcast, where we discussed our experience as VICEROY interns at NIWC and our work-life experience. Every Thursday, we also had Cybersecurity training, and this is where I applied the school learned materials to real-life scenarios. We worked on software-defined radio systems, Modbus protocol labs, and Hack the Box labs. After these sessions, I felt more confident in my cybersecurity skills and their applications. My internship with NIWC highlighted the skills I possessed and those I still needed to develop to be a part of the DoD sector.
What is your favorite part about your internship experience?
The team that I worked with was highly supportive and helpful. Their ideas sparked interest in me and made me realize the type of workplace that I want to be part of in the future. The internship was very well organized. The housing, meal plans, and transportation costs were covered, so we were able to fully focus on the work that we did at NIWC. The regular check-ins made us feel heard about our concerns and ensured that they were always there for us in need. The location was an important factor that made this internship experience even more fulfilling. Experiencing San Diego, its food, culture, beaches, puppy yoga, SeaWorld were unmatched and unique to this internship making it both successful and filled with memories.
What is the most challenging part of your internship? How have you overcome these obstacles?
Some of the challenges I encountered were time constraints and limited resources for my second project. I started the second project during my last week because of the amount of time it required to set up the environment. Setting up the environment was complex and time-consuming for both projects. The internship aligned well with my academic focus and career goals, reinforcing concepts from my coursework and building practical skills in cybersecurity.
How did you find your internship?
Personal Connection
Why was it beneficial for you to register for academic credit through the Internship Program offered through the Career and Advising Center?
I wanted to get credits that counted towards my graduation and since I planned to graduate this fall (Dec 2025) with my bachelors. This program really helped better understand my experience as a whole at the internship through the assignments that we had to do and share my experience with other interns and learn from their experiences as well.
What advice would you give a student who is in the process of searching and applying for an internship?
I would advise someone to narrow down their list to their interests and focus on building skills than chasing grades. I was able to add several projects I did over the summer, my leadership skills from clubs etc. which I mention during interviews and set me apart from other candidates.
