Student Soars at PepsiCo Internship This Past Summer
When you think of PepsiCo or Frito Lay, you may think of drinks and snacks, and not necessarily consider engineering job opportunities. However, the company has employees in data science, process improvement, packaging, and software engineering, to name a few.
Anaiya Williamson, a senior student majoring in Industrial Systems, secured an internship at PepsiCo this past summer through the Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) organization. Through her relationship with MLT, she was able to attend a conference in Plano, Texas where students were given the opportunity to meet with several companies. At the conference, Anaiya met with the PepsiCo corporation. Soon after the conference, she followed up with the company on Linkedin and was invited to interview, a proof point that staying in touch and following up can lead to job opportunities.
When asked about her internship at PepsiCo, Anaiya responded by saying, “The experience was super fun, engaging, and challenging. I’ve never met that many open, kind, and humble people at a company before.” To add to her good impression of PepsiCo, Anaiya met a very diverse group of interns at PepsiCo and created new friendships that could last a lifetime.
Each of the 40 interns was paired up with a manager at PepsiCo and given a specific project to work on during the summer. “It was amazing having your project talked about in town hall and other leadership meetings,” Anaiya added. She was not left out in the PepsiCo environment to fend for herself and acquired an amazing network of employees to help her succeed. At the end of the internship, Anaiya had the opportunity to present her project to the senior leadership team as well as her internship cohort, which helped her develop confidence and other soft skills that she can use in the industry.
Anaiya suggests that when taking on an internship opportunity, you really have to advocate for yourself and not be afraid of asking for help. She was hesitant at first about asking for assistance but soon realized that there are people around you who are way more knowledgeable so why not tap into that resource? “There is no shame in asking for help. Just be confident in yourself and realize that you have learned so much in the classes you have taken. Be confident in who you are,” said Anaiya.
Anaiya’s biggest takeaway during the internship was to always stay curious and to continuously look for areas of improvement. She has had internships in the past, but her experience at PepsiCo exceeded her expectations, she didn’t expect everyone to be so kind and welcoming, and she didn’t expect to meet so many interns from across the country. Her greatest piece of advice to other students looking for an internship opportunity is to not be afraid to seek a job out of state and to go out of your comfort zone.
Reaching the Hispanic Community at Noche de Ciencias – Day of Science
The Hispanic community continues to remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Creating visibility into STEM goals and careers would make those more attractive to other Hispanics, especially the younger generation.
Enter San José State University (SJSU) engineering graduate student, José Luiz Sarabia Torres who helped host a science day earlier in September in his Redwood City, CA neighborhood. The purpose of the evening was to enlighten Hispanic youths, and their parents about STEM goals and careers.
The evening dubbed Noche de Ciencias was a collaboration between the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the Hispanic Society of Silicon Valley (HSSV), and United Through Education – Familia Unidas.
José is the current president of the SHPE Silicon Valley Professional Chapter. The organization focuses on community, outreach and professional development. Noche de Ciencias had over 200 in attendance including 70 parents, 120 children, and 20 members of the student organizations (students and professionals).
The event consisted of dinner and a networking session where families and children had the opportunity to meet SHPE Members to engage in discussions about being Hispanic in STEM. Each representative from the collaborating organizations talked about what they had to offer, their mission, and their vision for the Hispanic community.
José addressed the audience, describing his journey about growing up in the same community of Redwood City and going to the same elementary, middle, and high school as the young people in the audience. He shared how he graduated high school during the COVID-19 pandemic and how he is continuing his graduate journey in Mechanical Engineering here at SJSU.
Overall, the evening was a success and created an interest to host more events in the future that would create a pipeline for students to pursue degrees in STEM at SJSU.
Aviation Department
On Monday, September 9, 2024, a delegation of 14 students from several universities, including Kyoto, Iwate, Osaka, Toyohashi, Okayama, and Niigata University, visited the SJSU Aviation and Technology Department. This visit marked the 7th annual US-Japan Forum Delegation, hosted by Dr. Fred Barez. These students are part of a cultural exchange program between the U.S. and Japan aimed at promoting U.S. universities. The program was initiated 16 years ago by Mr. Yuji Ide to foster collaboration in science, technology, and education between the two countries. During their visit, the delegation explored the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, with Dr. Fred Barez giving a presentation and highlighting master’s project studies conducted within the Engineering Technology Program. After visiting SJSU, the delegation continued their tour with visits to UC Berkeley and Stanford University. Their trip concluded with a banquet on Friday, September 13, which was attended by distinguished guests, including Dr. Chikae Asami, Consul of the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, and Dr. Yusaku Nakabeppu, Director of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science in Berkeley, California.
Following this, on Sunday, September 15, 2024, the SJSU Aviation Program participated in the annual Hayward Executive Airport Day, an event they have been involved in for the past five years. Several SJSU Aviation students represented various program clubs, including Women in Aviation, Alpha Eta Rho Honor Society, Flying 20s, and the Precision Flight Team (PFT). The PFT proudly displayed their NIFA SafeCon Competition award, which they won in Wisconsin in May 2024. Leading the group, Dr. Yuwei He, Assistant Professor of Aviation, helped promote the program and engaged with numerous parents, students, and visitors. The department faculty also had the opportunity to connect with engineers from Archer Aviation, SF Drone School, Chabot College, and CSU East Bay.
Here’s a look at global impact of Bay Area computer chip industry featuring Prof. Ahmed Banafa
Semiconductor production took center stage during the recent presidential debate, with Vice President Harris accusing Trump of selling chips to China, while Trump blamed current policies for the U.S. losing ground in chip manufacturing. With Silicon Valley’s key role in the industry and the U.S. aiming to boost production by 2032, this issue hits close to home.