DataHouse Summer Interns Cultivate Innovation for Real-world Projects

This summer, students from the University of Hawaiʻi joined the DataHouse team to develop solutions that help improve our local and global communities. During our 2021 Summer Internship Program, these incredibly bright students worked on real-world projects including modernizing and enhancing nonprofit websites such as https://www.hec.org/true and https://kidneyfriends.org/default.asp developing a Bridge Inspection and Assessment Digital Data Model, and pitching an MVP solution for their very own Hoteling Desk application that DataHouse could use for its office headquarters.

During the projects, our intern mentors provided a series of training and 1:1 coaching that included Cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, and API design/dev.

“It’s wonderful to watch our interns take this opportunity to initiate positive changes for our community. Their constructive energy and collaborative mindset have contributed to their growth and cultivated innovation, both within DataHouse and externally.”
Scott Fujieda, Vice President, Solutions and Consulting Services (and former DataHouse intern)

“For the first two weeks, DataHouse had their current employees to share their knowledges/experiences about their roles. This was beneficial because the interns not only gained skills necessary for the purpose of completing the projects, but also knowledges about the field and how they could be applied to future projects.”
Tsz Wong, Computer Engineering, The University Of Hawaiʻi At Manoa, 2021 Datahouse Summer Intern

“What stood out to me the most throughout this project was the soft skills I learned. Throughout the program I learned that weaknesses do not always have to be a bad thing. In fact, they should be recognized for self-improvement. It is okay to have them because we are all different and then we can help others with our strengths. DataHouse truly showed me what a family work environment is like, and I can’t wait to see where it goes in the future.”
Alyssa Mencel, Mis & Marketing, The University Of Hawaiʻi At Manoa, 2021 Datahouse Summer Intern

“My goal for this internship is to be able to work in a professional project to get experience. I would also like to develop professional software tools, like JavaScript, Typescript and AWS. My success for me was to be able to adapt to the software workforce environment and to do as much as I can to complete my projects.”
Clyde Felix, Electrical Engineering, The University Of Hawaiʻi At Manoa, 2021 Datahouse Summer Intern

“I wanted to experience using industry standard practices that I have never learned before. Luckily, we got just that with most of our projects incorporating development like google APIs or platforms like WordPress and AWS. I had hoped to meet a lot of people and create connections, and I had a great time talking and learning from everybody I met at DataHouse and projects. I am grateful for this opportunity as I came out not only understanding more technically, but more about myself. And I had a great group to do it with.”
Justin Wong, Computer Science, The University Of Hawaiʻi At Manoa, 2021 Datahouse Summer Intern

“Going into the DataHouse internship program, I was clueless to the amount of work the company would trust to a team of interns. To my surprise, we were given three projects to complete during our eight-week internship. On top of that, two of these projects were for real clients. Producing these products also highlighted the importance of the CI/CD process and cooperating with clients. These are aspects of software development that are not actively taught in the school, so it was valuable to learn these skills firsthand at DataHouse. Thanks to our wonderful mentors and the rigorous projects, I leave this program with a wider skillset, more confidence in my abilities and a clearer goal of where I want to take my career moving forward.”
Riley Sodetani, Computer Engineering, The University Of Hawaiʻi At Manoa, 2021 Datahouse Summer Intern

For over 46 years, DataHouse has prioritized the internship program as part of our innovation strategy and Principles of Success. We value the contributions our local students are making to create a better Hawaiʻi and World. Especially during the current COVID-19 crisis, we are proud to extend our impact and provide valuable learning experiences for the next generation of innovators.

Mahalo to our remarkable internship team! We look forward to all that you accomplish in your academic and professional careers.