Hear from three Verizon interns who share their experiences and accomplishments in our internship program, as well as advice for future interns.
This summer has been a blast, but sadly, it’s time to say farewell to our #VerizonInterns. As part of our 2022 internship program, we welcomed over 300 interns to the V Team for the summer.
What makes a Verizon internship so unique is that our interns work on real-world projects that truly make an impact across the business and in the world at large. With the internship program coming to an end and the school year right around the corner, let’s look back at our interns’ experiences this summer!
Joseph Russomanno - MBA Customer Experience (CX) Intern
Joesph spent his summer as an MBA intern working within the Retail Experience team. All summer long, he worked on improving Verizon’s locker pick-up experience, in which customers can easily pick up their purchases from a secure electronic locker system.
Meeting in one-on-one meetings with his managers and doing research on Verizon’s retail experience all played a part in his project ideation and execution. Using customer insights collected by his team, Joseph was able to reimagine a new retail experience for our customers.
But, it’s not all work and no play for our interns. One of the highlights of Joseph’s summer was running in the Verizon Corporate Classic 5K, where he met CEO Hans Vestberg: “I got to briefly meet and shake hands with our CEO Hans Vestberg before the race,” Joseph said. “Seeing him hanging around employees and their families was deeply respectable and an unforgettable part of my internship experience.”
“The culture at Verizon is very welcoming and encourages people to gather new insights and perspectives. The technological capabilities that Verizon and its 5G network offer are powerful, but the culture powers those capabilities.”
Isha Nirantar - Software Development Intern
As a software development intern, Isha begins each day by meeting with her team to go through accomplishments and goals for the day. The software development team conducts “Sprints” every two weeks, which is when team members present and demo different projects they have been working on. Being able to present her project on a team Sprint gave Isha the confidence boost she needed this summer.
“For my first Sprint demo, I was so nervous as I was the only intern on my team,” Isha said. “But, after giving the demo, I got so much positive feedback from my team that it made me more confident for future demos and motivated me to keep learning and progressing.”
Ultimately, her career goal is to work in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) software development and/or research. She says Verizon’s internship program gave her new insights and perspectives on how software development is executed in a corporate environment. She was especially excited about getting to work on AI, as this was a key area of interest for her.
“The Verizon culture is very welcoming, inclusive, and encourages innovation and creativity in all its employees. Working at Verizon allows all its employees to have an appropriate work-life balance which is something I value very much.”
Shangyu (Shawn) Zhang - MBA Supply Chain Intern
For Shangyu “Shawn,” his intern experience was filled with meeting new people, engaging with our employee resource groups (ERGs) and learning new things.
He joined four ERGs this summer, including Verizon UNITED (Progress Through Unity), Verizon ADVANCE (Advocates for Disability, Accessibility, Neurodiversity, and Caregiver Empowerment), Verizon PACE (Pan Asian Corporate Excellence), and Verizon PACT (Parents And Caregivers Together). He shared: “I’m proud of being a V Teamer because Verizon is an employer that cares for its employees in all aspects. The interaction of ERG members makes me feel connected, and become a family member of Verizon.”
Joining ERGs even helped him find ways to volunteer throughout the summer. A memorable experience for Shawn was participating in Verizon PACT’s Father’s Day Neighborhood Litter Clean-up with his three-year-old son. Shawn reflects: “It’s not only enlightenment on environmental sustainability for my three-year-old son but also a great opportunity to build connections to Verizon, my family and community. It means a lot to me, as a V Teamer, a father and a global citizen.”
“The culture here provides a collaborative, inclusive environment that encourages authenticity and innovation while fostering a sense of belonging. It’s impressive to see a lot of V Teamers who have worked 20+ years for Verizon and are still passionate to fulfill Verizon’s Credo!”
