Anais Alvarado: Virtual Networking and Collaboration with Lockheed Martin
Last Updated on September 15, 2020 at 12:00 AM
Originally published September 15, 2020
By Anais Alvarado
Senior, Finance
Anais Alvarado, a senior finance major, is one of many UTEP students who spent their summer expanding their knowledge by taking part in internships and research opportunities. Anais shares her story about her experience during her virtual internship with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company:
Initially, before the pandemic, I was going to be completing my 10-week internship with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas. I had been advised in March that the start date of my internship would be May 27, and in April, all the interns received news that the whole internship was going to be done through a virtual environment.
At first, this was shocking news because this was my very first internship and I feared that it would be less engaging or less impactful due to the switch to virtual. Shortly after that, Lockheed did a great job of preparing us for our virtual onboarding day. They sent an IT bundle package to every intern’s home, which included both a laptop and a monitor, a keyboard, a Skype headset, a backpack, and a VPN to be able to connect to their database. They also provided the first month’s stipend that was going to be used as help when relocating to Fort Worth, which was nice of them.
Communication was great from beginning to end. I really loved my time with LM and doing it through a virtual setting the whole three months was not an inconvenience at all. I found that networking became really accessible because I could be talking to different professionals/interns from different business areas and gain different insights all at the same time! Besides that, the learning experience I got was more than what I could have asked for.
My summer project as an analyst was to literally analyze supplier proposals that were over $2 million and try to figure out if what was being bid was a fair and reasonable price. I learned so much about finance and supply chain and I am glad I got to work with different suppliers, engineers, and other analysts to see what I have been learning in school come to life. I also got the opportunity to see the company’s culture firsthand, which I absolutely loved. I am thankful for the awesome people I met who were all so willing to help me in any way possible at all times. I couldn’t be happier with the virtual experience I got to be a part of this summer!
