Internship Spotlight: Leah Pollock, Tech Core

Leah Pollock '24 (MIS) was a Project Lead, Database Architect, Website & Web Application Designer at Tech Core through Eller College as a remote intern in Tucson, AZ

What was the process of getting this internship, job, or summer experience? I filled out an application on the Tech Core website and then later went through a group interview process. I found out about this internship through my friends and professors in my Eller classes. 

What was a typical day like? A typical day for me was leading a morning team meeting and then working independently on my own work throughout the rest of my shift, occasionally communicating with my team on new updates. 

What was your favorite part of the experience? My favorite part of the experience was being able to launch my own project from scratch where I designed a product with my team called the Wildcat Welcome Map which is an Esri web map application targeting first-year and transfer students. I led the project and was supported by my team to make my ideas come to life.

If you worked on a big project, please describe it below: I designed and launched my own product called the Wildcat Welcome Map during my Tech Core Summer 2022 internship within the data science and visualization pillar. Within a few weeks, another student and I put together an Esri web map application to help students navigate the campus to meet a tight deadline. I directed as project lead while also working the technical side of creating the map, layers, and website that went along with it. I also came up with the name and color scheme. 

While my partner helped create layers that went into the application and another friend I invited made the logo to accompany my product look, I designed the whole web application that you see and interact with. A few of the layers were given to us by the University of Arizona database where we were able to edit them to fit our style. My Tech Core instructor provided guidance and helped troubleshoot various technical issues we ran into. I concluded the internship with a live demo presentation to faculty and local companies during Tech Core's demo day. I am currently in the stage of communicating with potential clients and plan to still work on my product even after the internship ends. 

What did you find most challenging? I took on multiple challenges starting the project from scratch. Adapting to new situations, communicating with potential clients, collecting feedback from multiple perspectives to make product improvements, presenting a live demo to faculty, and motivating the team to pursue a new endeavor were several new challenges I had little experience facing before in my past work experiences. Quickly adapting to new tools like Esri’s ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and Web Experience helped me grow in a situation where there was a big learning curve with new technologies I was unfamiliar with at the beginning of the internship. 

What did you learn? I learned how to apply interpersonal skills, work ethic, critical thinking, teamwork, time management, and communication in a real-world scenario. I needed to practice persistence, tenacity, self-motivation, and resourcefulness to keep my project running smoothly as project lead. I learned how to take risks. 

What advice do you have for other students looking for a similar experience, or advice for future students to be successful? My advice to students is to always be a continuous learner not just in academics but in everything they do! Be open-minded and challenge yourself to do new things because you never know which doors will open.

How did Eller Prepare you for this experience? Experience in previous Eller clubs gave me the confidence to go through the interviewing process and be professional throughout the program. Some of my past classes also gave me the technology experience I needed to get ahead of my peers who were not in Eller.  

Did you feel supported by the company or organization you worked with? Please share what they did to help you feel included. This could include general inclusion as an intern, concerted efforts around diversity/equity/inclusion, or something specific in response to COVID-19.:

I always felt supported by Tech Core. During our weekly Friday team meetings, we got to learn what other teams were working on and it was very encouraging to get feedback on our progress while seeing what our friends were doing too.

The special thing about my internship was that when my team and I were given the challenge of completing a new product in less than a month when our original plans shifted, we were able to make a functional web map application with our own design and logo in the end that caught the attention of potential clients. I also feel honored to be the one who started the new project and am thankful for all the support I received from my teammates and instructor.