Emma Kwasnoski '20 | Adobe
Major | IDEAS: Mechanical Engineering & Product Design Minor | Entrepreneurship
What can you gain from a 3-day externship?
What can you give to a 3-day externship?
At Adobe? More than I ever could have anticipated. “Often we work on a project for so long and we get too focused, and someone like you can bring fresh eyes and a new perspective.” I heard this sentiment echoed from Product Manager all the way to the VP of Digital Imaging. Adobe truly values diversity of thought. For my “sprint” externship project, I was tasked with conducting customer and competitor research and presented my findings and recommendations to the team. Some of my discoveries were contrary to the teams’ current approach, and this was celebrated. Even though I was new, still a student, and only around for a short period, I felt valued, listened to, and that my ideas could have impact. Every person I worked with took a personal interest in me. For example, Jasper, my mentor for my two days at the Hooper Office, could have simply let me shadow him. But instead, he designed my externship to be what he wished he had back when he was an intern. Tom, the Director of Product and an Adobe “rockstar” took time out of his day to meet with me, share his story, and also expressed genuine interest in my experiences. I was able to meet and have honest, wonderful conversations with nearly the entire team. Finally, my last day, I visited the Headquarters and meet a variety of incredible people including leaders I looked up to through LSV, Maria Yap and Ann Lewnes. The day ended with an impromptu photoshoot! It is difficult to summarize my feelings from this experience, but I can assure you they are all positive. Adobe empowers creativity not only in its users but also in its three-day externs.
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