Internship Q&A: Roddey Sims - Information Science and Technology
What did you do?
United Way produces a monthly report by pulling data from their management software, Charity Tracker. Normally, the data specialist must run these reports manually, which is tedious and time-consuming. I was hired to automate this process and create visualizations so that anyone could easily understand the data. The steps involved understanding the data, transforming it, storing it, and then visualizing it. This entire process now runs automatically on a schedule.
Where did you live?
I have been commuting from home to college ever since freshman year, and it was the same for this internship. It was only a 30-minute drive from where I live.
What's one surprising thing you learned?
I would say that one of the biggest things I learned was the importance of networking. Just talking to people is an incredible skill that I am always improving, and during this internship I had so many opportunities to speak with people from all fields of United Way as well as other companies like Microsoft. Whether I was explaining my project or just talking about simple things like music, networking was my main takeaway.
Why did you intern there?
I interned at United Way because I wanted my work to make a meaningful impact, and after I saw the job and project description, I knew this was what I wanted. Originally, I wanted to intern with Publix in their technology department in Lakeland, Florida. At the time, I had been with Publix for over five years working in retail. I did not get hired at Publix, so United Way became another option since I was already familiar with the company—I used to donate part of my paycheck to them every week.
How did USCB help you get this internship?
I scheduled an appointment with Teagan O’Connor (Director of Career Services) to get help updating my resume and to ask if she knew of any internships in my field. She mentioned that Dr. Ronald Erdei (Associate Professor of Computational Science) had told her about this internship, and I applied immediately!
Why do you think an internship is important?
Internships are the first step toward getting real job experience. They push you out of your comfort zone and force you to learn—and possibly discover something you love. Not only do you gain the major skills that pertain to your field, but you also develop soft skills that stay with you no matter where you go. Skills like networking with others, sticking to a schedule, and creating opportunities for yourself will take you far.
What was the weirdest and/or most fun thing that has happened to you on the job?
While I was working on my Python script for the transformation portion of the project, the CEO came into my office with a contact card for the founder of 1=3 Consulting, a company that provides consulting for law firms. He said to me, “Hey, I was speaking with my wife, and I was telling her about you. She does what you are doing for us but for law firms. So, I gave her your resume, and she wants to talk to you.” I was filled with both joy and shock at the same time. To make it even stranger, the night before I had been watching Suits, a show about a commercial law firm. It felt so weird but awesome at the same time. That opportunity eventually led to me becoming an Automation Solutions Specialist at 1=3 Consulting.
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JJ10/10/25