The Summer I Said “Yes”
At the conclusion of every academic season, students shift from the consistent academic stress to a new decision. With the approaching summer, we as students must decide what to do with it.
I chose to say “Yes”.
The Beginning…
It all began on a morning in March, when my team and I were participating in HackKnight 2025. The first day of the event, all of the students crowded into the assembly room. My teammates and I arrived early and began speaking with the individuals in the front row; unbeknownst to me, the woman that we were lightly conversing with turned out to be a recruiter for a well-known fintech company. As she was conversing with us, she posed us the question “Where are you ladies interning this summer?” They answered one by one, and when it was time for me to share my response, I had to reply with “I haven’t secured an internship yet, but I have a lot that I will be working on this summer.” As I sat there and thought to myself, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed. Here I was, approaching the summer of my Junior year of College, and I still had not yet secured an internship for the upcoming Summer. Despite not having an internship, I knew that, regardless, I would find professional development work to devote my time to.
Here is our Hackathon project if interested! ecovision: https://2025-hack-knight.vercel.app/
With just three months until Summer arrived, I knew that I could not remain stagnant. I carefully dissected my resume, handed it to my peers for suggestions, updated my GitHub, updated my LinkedIn profile, and then began the true struggle: applying to internships. I knew this journey would not be an easy one, as most internship applications open around late August to September, and I had already witnessed the barrage of LinkedIn posts from other high-achieving college students sharing their internship acceptances. Every night after class, I would apply to internships. My path was not one of traditional success of securing a position months in advance — I prefer the road less traveled.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost
The Road Less Traveled…
I speak frankly and on a consistent basis about my academic and professional journey to my family members. The first network anyone will ever have, and should utilize, is their family. I remember one day I was visiting my Grandmother, and I spoke with my uncle since he works for a well-known fintech company. I was searching for advice and guidance on the interview process at his company since I had applied for an internship there in the past. While he was unable to guide me on that front, he did offer to connect me with an individual he knew who would be able to better assist me in my journey.
Coffee-Chats…
I was given the opportunity to meet with the CEO of MalterTech on a random day in April. That morning, I prepared my coffee, set out my questions, all not knowing what exactly to expect of our meeting. My expectations remained at a simple coffee chat, where I would receive guidance on my career journey. However, what was in store for me was much different.
Through our meeting, I learned very valuable information:
Soft skills are immensely important: It is great to know and understand how to code, but if you are unable to communicate your ideas effectively, then you will not get very far.
Understand fundamentals: The desire to learn complex concepts is wonderful. However, if these complex concepts are not built on solid foundational knowledge, nothing will click as it should.
Show passion
: Show that you are really interested and genuinely love what you do! People can sense when you are passionate about the industry you are trying to break into versus when you are just interested in the potential financial benefits.
As our meeting was progressing, I noticed a shift in the way we were conversing. Without me even realizing, this informal coffee chat turned into a pseudo interview. At the end of the meeting, I was offered a position to begin in the summer as a Junior Web Developer Intern at MalterTech!
MalterTech…
The duration of my internship lasted from June to July. I could tell from the very first day that I would truly enjoy working there. The internship was remote, further emphasizing the need for consistent communication between my mentor and me. Through my internship, I focused on solving one primary task: company-to-client communication.
The solution: a Slack bot built with Python and Slack’s Bolt SDK, backed by MongoDB for client preferences, and deployed via AWS Lambda for automation.
There are several different strategies I utilized to remain organized and on track with my project’s development:
Document EVERYTHING: Throughout my internship, there were several different documents that I would be working on: The final write-up, my own personal timeline and notes, and a more general use note-taking document. These documents would contain the lifeblood of my project. My personal timeline document specifically had one chart that I utilized the most. This chart contained various columns: one listing the dates, another listing all of the work I hoped to have completed on that day, and one listing all of the work I did complete. This way, I could maintain a running log of my goals and achievements.
Communicate effectively + Ask Questions: As much as the saying goes around, Communication truly is key. It is commonly understood and respected that, as interns, we are brought in to learn! We are not expected to know everything, nor should we. This internship was a result of MUCH learning and many firsts for me. It was my first time deploying on AWS, creating a Slack Bot, working with MongoDB, and I had A LOT of questions. I would not, however, ask a question every time one came up. First, I would try to rectify the issue on my own. If I still could not solve it after much effort, then I would ask my mentor for guidance.
Status updates: At the end of each workday, I would provide a comprehensive yet concise status update. This would include general information that is said in a stand-up meeting. The typical information: What I worked on today, Issues I encountered (if any), and where I plan to take the project next. Since my internship was entirely remote, I felt this to be an appropriate course of action to ensure that my mentor was well-informed as the project was developing.
As the last week of July concluded, so did the last week of my internship. I gained a copious amount of knowledge, great determination, and most importantly, produced a great product! I am very happy that this product will be used to streamline company-to-client communication long after my internship.
CodePath…
A second impactful ‘yes’ I experienced this summer was enrolling in CodePath’s Web Development and Technical Interview Preparation courses, an opportunity that pushed me to grow both as a developer and as a problem-solver.
If this is the first you’re hearing of CodePath, their mission is to “create the first AI-native generation of engineers, CTOs, and founders…Our students train with senior engineers, intern at top companies, and rise together to become the tech leaders of tomorrow.”
CodePath offers a wide range of free resources that are immensely beneficial to students:
Courses: CodePath offers a wide range of computer science-adjacent courses, such as Technical Interview Preparation, Web Development, CyberSecurity, iOS Development, and Android Development.
Career Services: Students are granted access to resume reviews, mentoring sessions, mock interviews, and networking events.
Emerging Engineering Summit (EES): After completion of a successful CodePath course, Students are given access to EES! This summit connects thousands of students with top employers through keynotes, workshops, networking, and AI-powered job matching via CareerConnect.
and even more, extending beyond the list I have provided!
Technical Interview Preparation…
The Technical Interview Preparation is one of (in my opinion) CodePath’s most beneficial courses they offer. Through the Technical Interview Preparation Pathway, students are able to learn tips and tricks on how to excel in the Technical Interview Process.
This class lasted for a duration of 10 weeks; Each week would consist of two classes (I took the class that was on Tuesdays and Thursdays), and each class is two hours long (mine was from 8–10 pm EST).
The entirety of the class was broken up into the following: Announcements, a Lecture from the Professor, a 5-minute break, and then breakout rooms, where we would try to solve Data Structure and Algorithm (DSA) problems. This area instilled growth in me as I learned how to effectively communicate various ideas within a breakout room setting.
For me, this class was a sacrifice. However, it was one that was worth making. There were many times that I had to push myself to the finish line, mustering all of the strength I possessed. What made this course difficult for me was that it stretched me in ways that I had to grow.
Through this course, aside from growth, there were many things that I learned that were of great benefit to me:
UMPIRE: The UMPIRE Method is a very powerful technique to ensure pristine technical execution during technical interviews. UMPIRE Stands for: Understand, Match, Plan, Implement, Review, Evaluate.
Communication: A large part of the technical interview process revolves around communication. It is excellent if an individual is able to solve a DSA problem with a strong time and space complexity. However, if that same individual is unable to clearly explain how they reached that result, their code loses much of its value in a team setting. A large majority of software engineering is collaborative, and being able to effectively communicate ideas is just as important as writing optimal code.
After 10 weeks, I successfully completed CodePath’s Intermediate Technical Interview Prep Course!
Web Development…
CodePath’s Web Development course revolves around building full-stack applications using modern tools like React, Supabase, and Vite. Through this program, we were able to learn real-world applications and transferable skills that will directly aid in my future endeavors.
Each week, I completed hands-on labs and projects that pushed me to think not only about coding, but also about design and user experience. During each class, we were given time to work on varying projects as a team, which allowed me to work on full-stack web applications within a team setting!
Some noteworthy lessons included: Connecting a backend database to a frontend code utilizing Supabase and utilizing varying API’s to display information.
By the end of the program, I had a collection of polished projects hosted on GitHub. These included themed applications like an Animal Crossing Farm, a Marvel Character Web-App utilizing Marvel API, and “The Archives,” a website where individuals can share their latest book reads. Through these projects, I developed a deeper understanding of state management, authentication, and database integration.
This course solidified my confidence in front-end and full-stack development. More importantly, it gave me a portfolio of real projects I can reference when interviewing for future internships or jobs.
After 10 weeks, I successfully completed CodePath’s Intermediate Web Development Course!
AG Eden Church…
Without God, I would be nowhere. Everything that I have done and continue to do throughout the rest of my life will be done through God and for God.
Aside from my professional development work, this summer I devoted my time to implementing a brand new service structure and flow. I downloaded and set up ProPresenter, a presentation media platform that seamlessly aids in service flow.
On Wednesdays, I would go to my church and work on implementing the software. Switching from using Microsoft PowerPoint to ProPresenter was not easy, but it was worth it.
Within ProPresenter, there are several perks:
Stunning Visuals: Through ProPresenter, we are able to have different themes based on services and Holidays. What a joy it is for our upcoming Baptism service to have baptism-themed worship backgrounds and sermon slides!
Service Structure: Within ProPresenter, we are able to have a designated service flow. As the service structure is something that is not typically altered, I generated a master template that will be useful to drag and drop elements (Worship Songs, Verses, Announcements, etc) into, making services more efficient to set up every week.
Faster Service Setup: Every week, I am becoming more equipped with the software. This equipment allows me to develop a team and eventually teach others how to utilize the software. When implementing the service, it is becoming a more efficient process as I am becoming more familiar with the UI of ProPresenter, allowing for faster implementation of Worship songs into the Library, Verses for the Sermon, Announcements, and much more!
To give my talents back to the Lord is the least I can do after all he has done, and continues to do in my life.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1
Lessons….
To grow is to risk: You cannot grow by staying in the same place.
Yes leads to the unexpected: A coffee chat turned into an internship. A late-night CodePath breakout room turned into friendships and skills that I’ll carry into interviews. The unexpected experiences were the ones that led to the most growth and development.
Mental Health = Overall Wellbeing: The importance of balance. Between internships, coursework, church, and leadership, I learned that balance is non-negotiable. Rest, faith, and friendships are just as important as productivity.
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” Psalm 37:25
The Future…
I am now entering my Senior year at St. John’s University! I am thrilled as I will be graduating this May (2026) with my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and then graduating again in May (2027) with my Master of Science in Data Science. I am excited for an amazing academic year filled with rigorous coursework, leadership opportunities, and building lasting friendships!
Aside from my coursework, I just received news that I have been accepted as one of 500 people within the AI Scientist track for the AWS AI & ML Scholars Program, with which I will be receiving a nanodegree in AI & ML!
I am also very involved within my campus community as I attend many events and engage in various leadership opportunities.
STJ Association for Computing Machinery: I will be serving as the information officer. Through this role, I will be devoted to ensuring efficient communication between members and the e-board. I will also consistently maintain and update the ACM website.
STJ Girls Who Code: I will be serving as the President. At STJ GWC, we are working tirelessly to achieve SGI recognition status. There are many potential workshops and meetings in the works, and I am thrilled to bring them to St. John’s.
STJ CyberStorm: I am a competitor for St. John’s University’s Cyber Team. We train weekly to solve Capture-the-Flag challenges, sharpen our security skills, and represent St. John’s at collegiate competitions. Being part of CyberStorm has expanded my technical skill set while also giving me the chance to collaborate with peers equally passionate about security.
STJ Hacks Organizer: I also continue to serve as an organizer for St. John’s Hacks, the university’s annual hackathon. After helping to host our 2025 event, I’m eager to make the 2026 edition even bigger and better!
And there are many more things in the works that I want to achieve at St. John’s University!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for reading. If you really resonated with this story, I’d love to connect!
You can find me on the following platforms! :)
Github: https://github.com/1aur
Personal Website: https://www.laurenrodriguez.dev/
Sincerely, ⋆˚࿔ Lauren Rodriguez ˚⋆