We recently spoke with three Dell interns to learn about their experiences, opportunities and career paths. Each intern signed on for subsequent opportunities with Dell, including two full time positions after graduation.
A BOLD Career Path
Brittany Bertorelli’s career path to Dell started simply—with a friendship.
“My friend helped me get my foot in the door with Dell,” she said. “He had completed the internship program in the Finance Department and told me great things about the company.”
Bertorelli (above), a senior at Bryant University majoring in Business Administration, felt that inside scoop eased her transition to her internship in summer 2016, within the Business Operations Leadership Development (BOLD) Internship Program. She has since worked remotely for BOLD and accepted a full-time position with Dell in the Business Operations Program, starting in January 2017 after she graduates.
While initially hired as part of EMC, during Bertorelli’s tenure, the Dell-EMC deal closed. The integration opened up opportunities within the scope of her internship, which fueled her excitement and desire to stay with Dell.
“I was actually very involved with the merger,” Bertorelli said. “My team worked hand-in-hand with Dell. I was able to sit in meetings with Dell employees talk to them and ensure everything went smoothly. I was right there with everyone else, which was really cool.”
She’s most excited about the opportunity to work more closely with people she met through her internship once she comes on board full time in January. Having been so involved with the Dell integration as an intern, she knows her next steps will include meaningful work.
From Testing to Developing
When Obe Okaiwele (below) started as an intern at EMC in 2012, the friendly environment both took him by surprise and left him wanting more. Fast forward to 2016, he got his wish; he works full time as a software engineer on the platform network team.
Having started in software testing, Okaiwele found software development better aligned to his professional goals. He connected both with his manager at the time and University Relations to express his desire to advance his career in that direction.
“Dell’s size provides you the potential to move into a different role within the same company without having to look for a job somewhere else,” Okaiwele said. “That’s my own story, I was able to transition from one team to another that was a better fit for me.”
Looking to the future, Okaiwele is most excited about technology that Dell develops.
“Michael Dell visited our office to talk about his vision for Dell, going to the Internet of Things,” Okaiwele said. “I’m really excited to be part of that journey, to reach a new frontier and develop technology for a new industry.”
He feels Dell provides the perfect place to learn and develop technical skills, one of the more compelling reasons he opted to join.
Opportunities Abound
Lauren Kaufman interned in both 2015 and 2016 for Isilon Sales.
“In the summer of 2015, I worked really closely with my mentor,” Kaufman said. “She taught me how to forecast, how to put all the sales data in. I had that guiding hand.”
Coming back the second summer, Kaufman felt she was given more autonomy to opt into work in which she was most interested. That meant she explored healthcare and media before finding a passion project: creating a partnership between the Women’s Leadership Forum and a charitable organization.
At the time, the Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF) was welcoming a new president and simultaneously looking to become more involved in the community. Kaufman’s manager was involved with the WLF which provided an entry connection for Kaufman to find an organization she was passionate about and get involved with.
“They gave me so much responsibility; I was able to take on a project full force,” Kaufman said.
Kaufman identified the National Academy Foundation and worked directly with the organization’s CEO of to make a deal to partner with the Women’s Leadership Forum. The experiences Kaufman had over the past two summers have positioned her well and left her with a sense of excitement for the future.
“Because I worked at Dell, the possibilities are endless,” Kaufman said. “They’ve opened so many doors for me, whether that be within technology or because I’ve developed my skills, I’m ready to take on any challenge in the future.”
***
Dell offers a wide variety of internship opportunities for students at varying points in their education.
