UI Spotlight: Software Engineer Intern Yohann Pereira

You follow us on Medium, you’ve read our many blog posts, but how much do you really know about our team? Introducing UI Spotlight, where you’ll get to learn a little more about the great people behind Upstate Interactive, in their own words. Today: Meet our Software Engineer Intern, Yohann Pereira.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a student at Syracuse University currently getting my masters in Information Management. I’ve been in the USA for around 10 months. When I came here from Mumbai, I had to get acquainted with a lot of things. Firstly, the imperial unit system — using miles instead of kilometers and Fahrenheit instead of Celsius — then, the roads where driving is done on the other side, and even things like switches, where switches here are to be flipped up instead of down. I have become quite acquainted with living here now.

What led you to apply for your internship at UI?

I was looking for an internship for the summer and my professor, Lee McKnight, told me that companies were looking for students at the Hack Upstate event in Syracuse. Though the event was already over, I thought of reaching out to them and so I did. That’s how I applied for a job at Upstate Interactive.

What’s the most exciting project you’ve been able to work on?

I’ve made several projects myself ranging from Android games to motion-controlled apps and SPA websites. At Upstate Interactive, I helped develop smart contracts for a blockchain application too. One of the most exciting projects I worked on was when I developed an AR game during the 2019 Global Game Jam within 48 hours. I had been wanting to make an AR app for a long time, but didn’t have a phone that supported AR. When I finally got a supported phone and got this application to work, it was quite exciting.

Outside of work, what kinds of things can we find you doing?

In my free time during weekdays, I usually play video games after work. It’s boring to be at home alone during the weekends, so I usually wander around Syracuse University looking for things to do or people to meet (it’s literally a ghost town during the summer).

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

To be able to eat all the junk food I want. All the pizzas, chicken nuggets, etc., with no repercussions.

Interested in working with us? We’re always looking for great people to join our team! Check out our Jobs page for the latest opportunities.