Name: Cavan Helmering
Class Year: 2025
Major: Mathematics
Minor: Data Science and Economics
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
Internship Organization: Myelin Systems
Internship Title: Technical Analyst Intern
Location: Remote
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
The first half of my internship was defined to be mainly background and learning with a few ad hoc assignments, and that is how the work has gone so far. My supervisor has worked closely with me to assign readings on machine learning, AI, and cloud-based systems along with small exercises related to each topic. I have read about different types of databases used in AI and am now starting to run queries in a graph database, learning Cypher (a coding language) to better understand how they are used. The databases and coding are very different from other coding languages I have used, so it takes some patience. I have also attended various meetings with business leaders of the company and it is interesting to see the decisions being made about how the company is defining its product strategy. I have also contributed to a few deliverables that will be presented to potential customers. I meet with my supervisor each week to discuss assigned topics, where I review my findings and ask clarifying questions. We meet two days before my scheduled weekly presentation to walk through a one-page summary that I create, and then I present the summary to the CEO. At first, I was rather intimidated by this. However, I found myself becoming very comfortable with the information and with my supervisor and her support and presenting it back in a condensed format is not so scary.
My supervisor has also incorporated professional development. Each week I find a posted job description related to the week鈥檚 learnings, for example, a machine learning engineer at TikTok; we then discuss the job responsibilities and required skills, my qualifications, and what I am learning and doing at Myelin Systems. She also critiques how I answer questions on the material and provides recommendations on how I might answer the questions with more clarity.
Why did you apply for this internship?
Artificial Intelligence is everywhere and is constantly growing. As a student, I have not been able to see how it is used and what platforms it ties to. I was immediately captured by the idea of learning more about AI and its use with data. Machine Learning has been a term that I have heard before, but before starting with Myelin Systems, I really had no idea what it was about. As a technical person, the perspective of getting to learn about this rapidly growing area interested me greatly and I knew that it could be applicable to any future career path that I envision for myself, and that is initially what led me to apply.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
My favorite part of this internship is how my supervisor has shaped this internship. She has deep knowledge in this space, more than could ever be crammed into one summer, and I am getting a broad overview of many different aspects of the science and business. And not only is she willing to share her knowledge with me, she truly wants me to help guide what I am learning. She tells me that if I want to discuss anything else or look into any topics further, she is happy to support me and my development. For example, I wanted to learn more about how Myelin Systems was using AI in their products, so she spent a session describing a current development project and how the graph database I have studied is essential to the solution. This job also does not feel purely like an internship. The internship is designed in phases, with this first phase focused on learning and background, getting me acclimated to the technologies used by the company and the vocabulary of the field. I have a lot of autonomy in directing the summer towards my own areas of interest while still helping with the overall development of the company.
Artificial Intelligence is everywhere and is constantly growing. I was immediately captured by the idea of learning more about AI and its use with data.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?
The biggest challenge for me is diving into a landscape that is so vast. The Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) world has a million things you can learn; it is very complex and I am a beginner in this space. The supplemental readings that my supervisor assigns are dense and the vocabulary is new and heavy. I often have to do a lot of research just to get through a paragraph. My supervisor has made herself available for any and all questions that I might have, but sometimes it can be frustrating when my only question is 鈥渟o鈥 what does any of this mean?鈥 Rather than allow this frustration to grow, I remember to be patient and persistent, slowly chipping away at the topics until I understand. However difficult this can seem, I am amazed looking back now on how much I have learned in only a few weeks鈥攖he phased approach and weekly process have been a great approach. I must have an open mind and remember I am learning something completely new to me. My supervisor says I have to be comfortable being uncomfortable during the process. She knows that I will not be able to learn all of this material in a summer, and that the subject matter is challenging, but every day I am a little more comfortable as I see myself grow.
Through the Career and Civic Engagement Center Beyond 91传媒 Summer Internship Program, 91传媒 students pursue opportunities in fields such as nonprofits, government and law, health care, research, sciences, business, and the arts. Thanks to the generosity of our alumnae/i and donors, over 150 students across all academic departments are funded to pursue unpaid internships or research experiences in the U.S. and abroad each year.
CAREER & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CENTER MATHEMATICS DATA SCIENCE ECONOMICS