Intern Spotlights

Celia is a senior at the University of Notre Dame studying Computer Science.  She is from Elkhart, IN and participated in the CIL Internship Program during the summer of 2022.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region? In the past, I’ve seen the South Bend/Elkhart region as a pretty unimportant place, easily overlooked with not much to do or see. However, this internship helped me realize that there is actually a lot more going on here. Businesses in this area are flourishing, and it’s impressive to see the level of activity and growth happening here.
What was the most rewarding experience in the program? I was fortunate to get to work on a project designing navigation software for THOR’s electric RV, the first electric recreational vehicle ever made. Having the opportunity to contribute to the forefront of automotive innovation was exciting. Also, I loved working with the team– not only was it fun to collaborate with peers on the project, but the project mentors themselves were also very supportive and took every opportunity to recognize all the work I had done.
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals? For most of the project, I was tasked with handling our software’s backend, connecting to various API’s (Application Programming Interface) to gather the information our software needed to run. Doing so gave me newfound respect for backend developers and a better understanding of what that sort of job can look like. Developing backend might be for me; it satisfies my perfectionist nature in a way that frontend can’t quite manage.

Bright is a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame studying Computer Science and Design (Dual Degree).  He is from Lagos, Nigeria and participated in the CIL Internship Program during the summer of 2022.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
The Civic Innovation Lab Internship program definitely transformed the way I view the South Bend area and helped me form deep connections with the community. Before my summer at CIL, my involvement with the area was limited to the University of Notre Dame campus. During the internship program, I learned a lot about the South Bend region – from its history to current plans being designed for its future. I was also exposed to many different transformational projects happening in the area to help tackle existing social issues. Through work, I had the opportunity to connect with notable community leaders who continue to help drive positive changes in the region, and I also interacted with many South Bend residents. I particularly enjoyed talking to them about the reason(s) why they decided to move to the area, their favorite aspects of being South Bend community members, and what changes they hope to see soon. I was inspired by how proud they all were, to be able to call South Bend their home. This in turn made me even more grateful to be here, as a student in the area.
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
Being able to create positive impacts on communities and transform the lives of individuals who are members of those communities, I believe, is the purpose of education. Therefore, for me, the most rewarding experience in the program was having the opportunity to work with similarly passionate change-makers from various backgrounds, to foster progress in tackling a crucial complex community challenge that exists in the South Bend region and beyond. In addition to helping me create an impact, the summer experience equipped me with invaluable skills and knowledge vital to achieving my academic and career goals. Knowing that each moment in the program was not only an opportunity to help bring an important solution to a critical problem to life, but also a window to self-improvement, was a very fulfilling experience – one that I am grateful for. 
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
The internship program provided me with a real-world experience at the intersection of my two majors – Computer Science and Design. I got to see how important it is to have skills that go beyond technical competence, in creating technological solutions. Through working with CIL, I got to see how skills like research, design thinking, rapid visualization/prototyping, feedback reception, and integration, all come together to play a vital role in strengthening solutions to identified problems. In addition, I had the opportunity to practice and develop my teamwork, collaboration, communication, and reflection skills daily, all of which are transferable and would be useful in my academic and professional endeavors.

Jennifer Leon
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
As a part of the Lead Remediation team, meeting some of the residents that our project would be directly affecting made me grow a stronger attachment to the South Bend region. There’s just something so special about personally meeting and connecting with the people your project will be directly affecting.
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
One of the most rewarding experiences in the program was definitely the connections I formed with so many people in the internship and out in the community. Also, being able to carry out a project that would address an important public health issue was extremely rewarding.
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals? Since I am still in high school, working with the Notre Dame Lead Innovation Team and learning more about lead remediation helped me gain a better perspective on public health. Ultimately, public health became a potential area of study I could see myself wanting to explore further in the future.

How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
This experience helped me understand some of the necessities that the Elkhart region has and how people can help the community. There are a lot of ways that people can get involved and help their own community. 
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
The most rewarding experience in the program was that I had the opportunity to meet new people and interact more with the community where I live. I met awesome college students that helped me and also taught me how to solve multiple problems without making a big-confusing process. 
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals? This program helped me to discover new ways to organize my time and ideas. I also was able to have a better idea for what I want for my career. It was a great opportunity to work with the CIL.

Roshni comes from Mumbai, India and is a Senior at the University of Notre Dame studying Economics and minoring in Digital Marketing and Education and School and Society.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
This experience let me see beyond ‘service’ as a way to interact and work with the South Bend/ Elkhart region, and the approaches that are being taken to counter problems in the area. I also feel more aware about the community around me. 
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
I was grateful for the opportunity to connect with community members who were working in fields such as education, healthcare, and observe how they used data and quantitative tools to form solutions to pertinent problems in the area. Working with my small group, utilizing each other’s strong suits, and working together made the experience fruitful and fun. 
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
The experience helped me come up with various approaches to a problem and learn on the go (especially the software that we were using). I have always been interested in working with the community around me and this experience provided me with an insight into how I can use my academic skills and knowledge to achieve this.

Conlan is a senior at the University of Notre Dame studying Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Biomolecular Engineering.  He comes from Washington, Missouri and participated in the CIL Summer internship program during the 2021 summer.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
I definitely connected more with the South Bend area this summer than I had the previous 3 years going to school here. I got to meet many South Bend residents and community leaders through work, and had many experiences outside of work as well: attending the Cubs game and visiting local restaurants. The region has lots to offer in terms of food, entertainment, and community. 
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
Reemphasizing the previous question, getting to know the South Bend region was extremely rewarding. That, along with implementing a temporary solution to serious health problems in the region were the most rewarding experiences. 
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
I utilized my critical thinking and experimental design skills this summer while working with the Lead Remediation team. I was also able to build relationships with community members, and fine tune my written and verbal communication skills, which is vital for any successful career. 

Lauren is a senior at the University of Notre Dame studying Environmental Engineering (Energy Studies minor).  She is from Indianapolis IN and participated in the CIL Summer internship program on the Bilingual Services team during the 2021 summer.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
This summer, my team and I worked with the CIL, Lacasa, Inc., and the Community Foundation of Elkhart to support residents of Elkhart’s South-Central neighborhood in recognizing their community’s greatest strengths and resources and ensuring that residents’ voices are valued in the community development process. Through this process, I had the privilege to meet with a great group of residents and community leaders to learn about all the people, organizations, institutions, physical spaces, and rich history/culture that they view to be their neighborhood’s greatest assets. While the South Bend/Elkhart region has a lot of great physical amenities and organizations, the “assets” that I was most inspired by are the diverse range of people I met who have so much community pride and are all passionate about improving their communities. Overall, this project has given me a much greater appreciation for the strong communities and leaders in the region and especially in the South-Central neighborhood of Elkhart. 
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
The most rewarding experience for me was meeting so many amazing people who care so much about helping their communities to thrive. Toward the end of the summer, my team attended a community picnic at a resident’s house where we presented the results of the asset-mapping surveys, ate some delicious, home-cooked Tamales, and talked with residents and Mayor Rod about future initiatives residents would like to see happen. It was inspiring to hear everyone’s stories about how much they care about the neighborhood and the visions they have for the future. This summer, I also learned so many valuable lessons about community development and empowerment. For example, I learned just how important it is to spend time studying the history of a neighborhood, building relationships with community members, learning about residents’ values, priorities, and visions for the neighborhood, and to put aside any preconceived notions of what you think might be best for residents. Ultimately, community development should be about empowering and connecting residents with a network of people and resources they can use to bring about the visions they foresee for their communities. 
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
As an Environmental Engineer, it is incredibly important that all the projects I work on, especially if they are infrastructure projects that directly affect people’s daily lives, are first and foremost made for the betterment of the communities they are in. Although it is not always possible to have a high level of community participation in engineering projects, this experience has taught me how important it is to have as much community involvement as possible as early as possible in the decision-making process. This program has also given me a much greater appreciation and passion for community development and urban planning. This experience has motivated me to want to become more involved in my community throughout my life.

Eduardo is a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame studying Computer Science.  He is from Nogales, AZ and participated in the CIL Winter Internship during the 2020-2021 academic year as well as the CIL Summer internship program during the 2021 summer.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
Prior to working with CIL, my involvement with the South Bend / Elkhart region was very limited. After a couple of months of experience, both during the winter and summer session internships, I feel that I hold a much bigger role within the community now. Working with local members, such as Elkhart Community Schools and THOR Industries, in support of causes that I am passionate about has been an excellent opportunity to learn from and develop alongside the community. The South Bend / Elkhart region has contributed to my personal and professional development in tremendous ways, and I am glad that I was able to contribute back in small yet meaningful ways.
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
Undoubtedly, the most rewarding experience in the program was working with such an outstanding group of people. My team members and I got along extremely well. We learned plenty about each other and felt comfortable working together. This dramatically increased our efficiency and ability to get things done for the project. I seriously could not have asked for a better group of people to work with. Saying that I had a lot of fun working with them in the past few weeks would be an understatement.
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
Accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy has been my passion for as long as I can remember. Working at Tesla in the electric automotive industry is my dream job, so when I found out about the opportunity to work with THOR Industries in their search for better end-of-life-cycle sustainability practices I immediately jumped at it. Thus far the experience has been wonderful. I have learned plenty about the recreational vehicle industry and about sustainability by working alongside local professionals who have helped us immensely. This aspect of the internship has especially developed my professional goals and passion for a world where the environment is a priority.

Adam is a 2020 Summer intern and worked on the dataMichiana Team.  Adam is a student at the University of Notre Dame and will graduate in 2022 with a degree in computer science.  Adam is from Latrobe Pennsylvania.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
Living on a campus as luxurious as Notre Dame’s, it’s easy to sometimes forget the issues and struggles that many people face outside the campus bubble.  Working with the Civic Innovation Lab opened my eyes to the increasing number of evictions that minority groups within the city of South Bend are facing.  My summer project on dataMichiana attempted to shine light on this subject collecting and cleaning data to put into visual graphics to make it easier for others to see and learn about this discrepancy among minority groups.
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
After completing our spatial map which correlated where evictions were most concentrated vs demographic information, we shared this map with leaders within the community.  These leaders were extremely impressed with our graphics and told us it would make their jobs much easier, as it helped prove why their work is so important to people who are unaware of these issues within the city.
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
As a computer science major, working on the computer wasn’t anything new.  However, never did I think I would be working entirely on the computer.  Going into a rigorous junior year of course work that was taught online was significantly less challenging after having a virtual internship. In addition, there were many things that I learned during my internship that simply cannot be learned in a classroom.  Our product had certain aspects that were needed, and we had to tailor it to accommodate as many of the community leaders as possible.  But not everything was given to us or available at all.  Learning to manage and compromise between what the consumer needs and what is possible is a skill that will be extremely valuable throughout my entire professional career.

Caitlyn was a 2020 Summer intern from the University of Notre Dame. As a sophomore, she studied Computer Science with minors in International Development Studies and Theology. Caitlyn is from Houston, TX.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
The virtual nature of my internship experience made bonding with other interns more difficult, but it gave me an opportunity to get creative in how I get to know people. We had to work through some awkwardness and eventually arrived at a really unique community!
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
I loved getting to talk to social service providers with the CARE Network project. My major typically funnels me into very technical work, so the work gave me an opportunity to be a part of people-oriented science. Hearing about the incredible work they do for our community was empowering, and even from afar made me feel like I was a part of the South Bend community.
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
The biggest skill I acquired was design thinking— our mentors, Professors Ann-Marie Conrado and Ron Metoyer, encouraged us to truly listen to what we heard in interviews and respond with creativity. It’s helped me be imaginative in how I solve problems. I learned to be unafraid to share my craziest ideas because they could be turned into amazing things! These skills have proved useful as interview points as well and helped me realize I wanted to be client-facing in my work (whatever path I decide to follow)!

Amanya is a 2020 Summer intern and worked on the Advanced Manufacturing team.  Amanya is a junior at Elkhart High School and was a high school intern of the year nominee. Originally from San Antonio, TX, she moved to Elkhart with her family in 2018. 
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
Often when people say they want to help save the world, they overlook their own community. However, in every community, problems are waiting to be solved. Elkhart county has provided me with countless opportunities to grow and expand my knowledge. It has given my family a home. Elkhart has given my brother the childhood I never had. Working for CIL, only strengthened my love and attachment to the community. This experience allowed me to give back what I could to the community that has given me everything. Elkhart has become my second home. I feel a strong attachment for the people that are a part of this community. This experience allowed me to work with individuals that wanted to make a positive, long-lasting impact. I feel that the culture of this community is one that I believe is welcoming and positive. If anything, my experience is something I am beyond grateful for. 
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
Making an impact was by far, the most rewarding part of this experience. I think before I was a part of CIL I didn’t realize just how many people lived here. While working for CIL, I began to realize that those numbers were actually people, and those people all had individual lives. If I could help just one of those lives wouldn’t that be a huge impact. Working for CIL gave me insight into who I wanted to become. I want to help people and what better way to that then in my everyday life? Now I don’t just see a number, but I am able to see the individuals and their lives within that number. And to me, that was the most rewarding experience.
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
Before being a part of this program, I wanted to open up my own business. I was interested in primarily entrepreneurship and anything creating to business, and with this in mind, many of my classes focused on this. When I began to work on our project my love for both sustainability and this community grew.  I found great joy in solving problems and working on a team dedicated to helping people. Toward the end of the internship program, I realized that I wanted to continue to learn and help people. I would say that the program revealed a passion of mine, and it’s one I plan on pursuing in the future.

Annalise was a 2020 intern from Bethel University and graduated in 2024 with degrees in Business Management and Marketing. She is from Buchanan, MI.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
My experience showed me just how amazing the South Bend and Elkhart region is. I had no idea of all the top-notch projects going on, such as, the sensors in the sewers and the tree projects. I also feel a part of a great community. I was so honored to serve this community and I hope I will be able to again.
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
I was on the Southeast Neighborhood Marketing Team and for our portion of this project, we created a market analysis. I would say the most rewarding part was handing that to our project mentors and community partners because it was the culmination of all my hard work, and I could finally see clearly the impact it was going to have on the community.
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
My experience led me to double major. Before my internship, I had not considered Marketing, however after creating a market analysis, I discovered my interest in the area. It also gave me some good experience in business. In addition, because of COVID-19, and the need to work virtually, I learned new technology skills, including a thorough understanding of the Google Suite and how to have effective online meetings.

Emory was a 2020 Summer intern from the University of Notre Dame, where she graduated in 2021 with a degree in Computer Engineering and a minor in Linguistics. During her internship with CIL in Elkhart, she contributed to the Advanced Manufacturing and Tolson Center Rain Garden projects. Emory hailed from Plymouth, IN.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
The Civic Innovation Lab internship deepened my connection with the South Bend and Elkhart communities. As a part of the internship program, I had the privilege of working with community members and public servants like Joe Foy and many others that generously donate their time and expertise. After meeting them, you cannot help but have a newfound appreciation for the collaboration and imagination at work in our communities. The internship experience made me proud of my community and made me feel hopeful and excited for the future of the South Bend/Elkhart region. 
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
The most rewarding part of the program is the opportunity to work with a diverse group of hardworking and driven young people. We come from different schools and different backgrounds, and we have different skills and different ways of thinking. Yet, we also have so much in common, especially our care and respect for the community. Team meetings were my favorite part of my summer. Learning about my teammates, watching them grow, collaborating with them – these were invaluable experiences that helped shape how I think. I believe I will be hard-pressed to find a better working environment or a more passionate team in the future. 
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
Because I am graduating in May 2021, one of my goals during the summer was to discern what types of full-time jobs I am interested in. This experience solidified my interest in nonprofits, governmental, and community-oriented work. Working on two-month-long projects also strengthened my project management, communication, organizational, and leadership skills. Now, I feel more comfortable defining the scope of a project and speaking with stakeholders. I am thankful that this internship allowed me to apply what I have learned in the classroom to our community in a way that furthers my professional goals and the goals of our community.

Madison was a 2020 Summer intern from Indiana University South Bend. She graduated in 2021 with a degree in Public Relations and minors in Sociology and Graphic Design. Madison is from Elkhart, Indiana.
How did this experience affect your view and attachment to the South Bend/ Elkhart region?
It was really amazing to be able to visually see all the resources available and communities working together in our area. There is so much that has been done to promote community involvement and sustainability already, and with this internship in place that will keep continuing. It really makes me feel grateful to be able to work with the people in our region to contribute all that I can.
What was the most rewarding experience in the program?
Both of my projects made me feel very accomplished in the end. My food mapping project was all very much focused on completing preliminary research, but this is extremely important information that could be used in endless other projects in the future. My dam marker sign project was a visual work that was installed and completed, which gives me a sense of closure and pride as well, knowing it will educate people on the benefits to the river’s ecosystem. Overall, I feel like we all accomplished so much this summer, even with working virtually, and the feeling of contributing and helping others just makes it all the better.
How did your experience in the program enhance your academic and professional goals?
Because of this internship experience, I have been able to do more in the community faster than I would have ever thought possible. It has not only added to my professional experience in community engaged projects and communication with local stakeholders but has also motivated me to continue working towards motivating the community towards sustainability and involvement in future career paths.