Meet Our Class of Digital Lakes 2.0 Interns!

Congratulations to our pilot class of Digital Lakes 2.0 interns — Hope, Seth, Sophia, and Troy — on completing their internships Aug. 8!

Digital Lakes is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization that showcases the state as a premier tech hub to attract, develop and retain the best talent and elevate the digital growth of the entire region.

Clem Coward, Vice President of Global HR Strategy at General Dynamics Land Systems and a member of the Digital Lakes Board of Directors, says: "Land Systems is a strong supporter of Digital Lakes because it introduces us to young and emerging talent that we otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to through a traditional intern program. We are able to expose a larger number of students to GDLS and introduce them to what we do and the importance of the defense industry."

Digital Lakes provides internships through sponsors to allow students to gain real-world, first-hand work experience. We assisted in the organization's pilot in 2023 and became a platinum sponsor in 2024!

Investing in young talent is critical to the company, says Jeff Massimilla, Vice President of Global Engineering Design and Technology. "The students come ready to learn to improve their future success at school and in the workplace, and they also bring a strong desire to make significant contributions in a short period of time," he said. "They bring some of the highest levels of engagement and unparalleled energy, which has an overall impact much larger than their individual internship."

Digital Lakes takes a growth-based approach by offering two programs: Basic Micro Internships and 2.0 Internships.

The Basic Micro Internship Program is suggested for graduating high school seniors through college sophomores to complete three one-month rotations across different industries, including defense, automotive, medical and insurance, to name a few.

In order to enhance the program, Katherine Rupard, Talent Development Strategist and Digital Lakes Program Manager at Land Systems, notes that "feedback is a gift, and we listen! We learn from our interns through their observations and suggestions because, ultimately, it all ties back to our company culture. By placing value in and acting on their insights, we are continuously improving our internship experiences and strengthening our talent pipeline."

The 2.0 Program follows a more traditional approach, inviting micro interns back to learn in a focused area based on their experiences in the previous year.

We are excited to share that three 2023 micro interns returned to pilot the 2.0 program. One more micro intern from 2023 came on board as a traditional intern this summer.

During their report-out Aug. 8, each intern briefed the audience, which consisted of employees on the various teams that hosted the micro interns and the supervisors for the 2.0 interns, on the work they accomplished.

They also provided feedback on their internship experience, including what they learned and wished they learned, what the company did that they appreciated, any surprises they encountered along the way, etc. The audience had the opportunity to ask questions and gain insight into the interns' experience.

Hear from the 2.0 interns and their internship experience over the summer!

Hope

Internship Site: Sterling Heights, MI

Department: Configuration Management

School: University of Michigan

Major: Business

Expected Graduation: Spring 2025

What was your favorite part of your internship?

“My favorite part of my internship was meeting so many amazing people and reconnecting with others from last summer. Everyone at GDLS has been so welcoming, and it's been a pleasure to build these relationships."

What are some things you worked on during your internship that have been memorable?

“I worked on a project for the Business Development and Strategy team to develop decoy capabilities. I liked this project because it has real-world implications and can actually make a difference to the company."

What are your future plans?

“I'll be graduating in May and am still figuring out what post-grad will look like for me."

What is one piece of advice you have for future interns?

“Meet as many people as you can. Go up to people's desks just to chat, and really make meaningful connections with the people around you because networking will take you further in your career. Experiencing the culture at a company is super important in determining where you want to be, and what better way to do that than to talk to people around you?"

Seth

Internship Site: Sterling Heights, MI

Department: Engineering

School: Central Michigan University

Major: Computer Science

Expected Graduation: Spring 2025

What was your favorite part of your internship?

“My favorite part of this internship was watching my programming projects come together and eventually become successful as I worked through them."

What are some things you worked on during your internship that have been memorable?

“I worked on projects ranging from bug fixing to full-on programs, the most notable being the automated testing program I worked on for testing general user interface components."

What are your future plans?

“To avoid Gollwitzer's substitution effect, I will keep this brief. My plan is to aggressively look for employment starting this fall while simultaneously doing software projects for some side income."

What is one piece of advice you have for future interns?

“Be at the right place at the right time in the right work attire."

Sophia

Internship Site: Sterling Heights, MI

Department: Harness Engineering

School: University of Michigan

Major: Electrical Engineering

Expected Graduation: Spring 2027

What was your favorite part of your internship?

“My favorite part of my internship was working with my team. While working with a team of experienced engineers, I learned a lot from them about harnesses and engineering, in general."

What are your future plans?

“I am still early in my college career and do not know exactly what I want to do yet, but I want to continue to gain experience as an engineer."

What is one piece of advice you have for future interns?

“Don't be afraid to ask questions. Speaking up can get your question answered, but it can also lead to interesting and useful conversations that are unrelated to the original question."

Troy

Internship Site: Sterling Heights, MI

Department: Platform Cybersecurity

School: Oakland University

Major: Cybersecurity

Expected Graduation: Spring 2026

What was your favorite part of your internship?

“My favorite part was getting actual industry experience in the subject I am majoring in and being able to see what knowledge I would need for all of the different roles within the department.”

What are some things you worked on during your internship that have been memorable?

“Working on onboarding the department onto CyberSTAR, a service used to keep track of U.S. government compliance within the cyber department, allowed me to learn a lot about certifications and how the DoD classifies cybersecurity roles.”

What are your future plans?

“I intend to graduate with my degree and get a job in the defense industry, hopefully at GDLS.”

What is one piece of advice you have for future interns?

“Don't be afraid to ask questions; there's nothing to be afraid of!”