An undergraduate in electrical engineering at the University of Costa Rica, Stuart Leal talks about his role as an intern on the campus switching team in Aruba’s San José office. Sylvia Ruiz, Aruba’s university and HR program manager, chats with Stuart about his fascination with engineering and his love of cars.
Sylvia: Why did you choose to apply for the internship at Aruba?
Stuart: This internship offered me the opportunity to finish my studies while gaining important work experience in networking embedded systems. Aruba is one of the most competitive and reputable companies in networking. Among possible internships, the one at Aruba provided opportunities in developing projects and also allowed me to have more impact as an individual contributor than others.
Sylvia: How did you prepare before you arrived?
Stuart: I did my research and discovered that in this internship, the technical aspects of the theory of the field are very important. Leading up to my start date, I refreshed my knowledge of networking embedded systems.
Sylvia: What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
Stuart: I work for the Aruba Campus switching team, specifically in developing software for the embedded switching systems. I’m learning about the daily processes and risks the switching team engineers undertake. On a more technical aspect, I write code for several features and participate in software design.
I’m also developing a tool that will allow my coworkers to debug issues related to our product line implementation faster. The long-term vision of this project is to expand this tool to other teams, too.
Sylvia: What intern event are you most excited about?
Stuart: I’m looking forward to the Intern Get Together at my local site. It’s a great opportunity for the interns to get to know each other and provide visibility for our work and contributions to Aruba. It’s also a place to meet people from different areas of the company.
Sylvia: Who has been the most inspiring mentor?
Stuart: My team has had a huge impact on my development on a daily basis. They all have similar backgrounds as me, so it’s refreshing to see the progress they have already made in their careers.
Sylvia: What advice would you give to someone thinking about applying for an internship at Aruba or who has just accepted a job?
Stuart: Be aware of your responsibilities and don’t be afraid to ask questions about your specific role. It’s important to be proactive. Try to find information that you need from the tools that the organization provides first. Also, don’t underestimate your skills. Sometimes you may think you are not fit for your position, but keep in mind that every intern once felt that way when they started.
Sylvia: What is one thing you learned about yourself during the internship that surprised you?
Stuart: Someone pointed out to me that I’m a fast learner, which definitely surprised me. I really like to see my progress, learn from my mistakes, and look back to what I was and where I am now.
Sylvia: What was your first day/week like?
Stuart: My first day at work was great because it was very exciting for me to learn about the business and my role at Aruba. Getting used to the dynamic work environment, where I am the owner of my own time, was definitely hard. But I got used to it quickly and found that it works with our business needs.
Sylvia: How would you describe the corporate culture at Aruba and what do you enjoy most?
Stuart: The culture here is very horizontal, meaning no matter your position, you are always able to give your opinion. This allows the organization to change quickly according to business needs, and it encourages decision making.
The learning process has been amazing! My knowledge of the field--and my personal career--has increased a lot. My favorite takeaways are staff meetings and team events. Getting to know my coworkers helped me develop more confidence to reach out to them.
Sylvia: What is your ideal future career path?
Stuart: I would like to become an impactful engineer within my organization. I hope to have the right skills to provide input in system development. I would love to become one of those go-to engineers on a team.
Sylvia: What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
Stuart: They definitely don’t know that I’m a petrol head. I love cars.
Sylvia: To get to know each of the interns, we let each one ask the following interviewee a question. So your question is, what is your favorite breakfast food?
Stuart: In Costa Rica, we have a special food that’s called pinto, which is a breakfast dish with rice and beans. That’s my favorite.
Check out our previous intern interview, and look out for more blogs on our 2019 Meet the Intern blog series!
