On Friday, August 12th, CNF celebrated the graduation of four special teammates from the Summer 2022 Internship Program. The 12-week, paid program paired each intern with a mentor, several in some cases, and immersed the teams in real-life projects most students are rarely exposed to.
Led by CNF Program Manager and Professor at University of the Incarnate Word Brian MacDougald, the students were given a chance to enhance their skills and put their book knowledge to the test in this elevated course offering firsthand experience in today’s cyber world.
“Integrating the interns into our operational workforce and assigning them real-world tasks has provided the interns with a window into the world of operational DevOps—an experience they greatly learned from and will never forget. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know this group of interns. Each brings unique skillsets, perspectives, and backgrounds which have proven to be valuable assets to CNF as we continue to solve difficult technical problems for our government customers.” Brian summed up the program by stating it’s something he’s very proud of.
Internship Coordinator and HR Specialist Liz Vasquez stated that the program didn’t just have a technical focus. “We wanted to give these students a taste of our company’s culture and what a home-grown but now national company like CNF can offer. To show the interns who we truly are, we had an energetic welcoming orientation, sponsored ambassador lunches where they we able to meet and hear from different members of our team, invited them to company socials, and celebrated individual achievements. I know they learned an incredible amount from a technical standpoint, but I hope they left with just as many fun memories.”
Liz continued saying she especially appreciated Brian for running the day-to-day operations and aligning the intern’s experience to their course work and specific degrees. She also stated the program wouldn’t have been as successful without the help of the incredible mentors including Aaron Olivarez, Jason Morales, Chris Walding, and Karen Davidson.
“I’m glad we were able to provide a great internship experience for these students, but what I’m most proud of is that we hosted four students from underrepresented groups within the technology industry and more specifically cyber security. This was unintentional, we simply chose the best of all applications submitted, but it’s a testament to the future diversity of the technology industry. These four individuals represent three local universities and the vast amount of homegrown talent here in San Antonio,” said CEO Freddy Ramirez. He continued on to explain that two interns are from the south side of San Antonio, one grew up in the Judson area, and one from El Paso is currently living with family on the northeast side of San Antonio.
CNF is proud to provide new perspectives and enhanced skillsets that will help these interns continue to grow in their education and careers. We are excited to see what these individuals will accomplish in the future.
Click on a picture below to read about the intern’s experience.
To read more on CNF’s internship experience, visit Projects – CNF Technologies