The Internship That Left The Door Open
This was not your average Summer internship. Most college students that picked up an internship this Summer were stuck in their homes working remotely whereas Ancestry gave us the luxury of being in an office with other people while also following CDC health guidelines. If you had told me a few months ago that my internship was going to be packed with lifelong memories, I would’ve called you crazy because there’s no way I would be able to have so much fun in the middle of a pandemic.
The first week consisted of meeting the other interns and people in our designated teams. Of course, everyone’s a little awkward upon meeting for the first time but we all grew comfortable with each other within days. I was privileged with being on the Ancestry mobile department along with five other interns who were a mix of Android & iOS. Let me tell you, as soon as we were placed on the same team, that’s where the real adventure began.
We spent every waking minute with each other because not only did we work together on the same team but we were also a family outside of work. On the weekends, we would travel out to eat amazing food and indulge in fun activities all while strengthening our bond together. We were lucky enough to go camping across Utah and visit its amazing national parks (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, etc.). I’m not sure if you’re familiar with NBC shows like ‘The Office’ or ‘Parks & Recreation’ but every day felt like an episode out of one of those sitcoms. There were so many wacky, interesting, and special moments that occurred throughout the Summer. I swear, everything felt like it was scripted or written by a group of writers because there was no way life could be this magical.
We were fortunate enough to work on the coolest features an intern could ever ask for because we were collaborating with so many divisions of the engineering department. All six of us worked with the Data Science team, backend team, and even presented our features to the entire company at the end of the program. The challenges that we faced as a team strengthened our character development and grew us closer to each other. The lessons and skills that we learned from our managers and mentors were priceless because we took those teachings and applied them to our everyday lives. I’m so lucky and proud to have had the opportunity to intern at Ancestry because not only did I receive amazing work experience, but I was given a family that I’ll keep in touch with for the rest of my life.
This Summer didn’t feel like work, it felt like a vacation, that’s how surreal and amazing my experience was. I can’t wait to see where we all go in the future and I’m going to miss being able to call coworkers my family. If you’re someone who’s currently looking for an internship with an amazing company, 11/10 would pick Ancestry. These people are my family and if I could pass on this experience to someone else, I would recommend it in a heartbeat. Thank you so much to the amazing mobile organization at Ancestry for everything that you have given me. Thank you Suzy Jessen & Marcie Breivik for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to form a family. Last but not least, thank you Jane Okada, Tiffany Tan, Hea Ran Won, Subohi Agarwal, and Christopher Withers for your love and support. I’ll never forget the bond that we created this Summer, you guys are my world. This review barely touched the surface as to what it was like being an intern at Ancestry.
Also, the best ranch on Earth can be found at Ancestry’s headquarters in Lehi, Utah.
If you’re interested in joining Ancestry, we’re hiring! Feel free to check out our careers page for more info.
