As this summer ends, so does my time as the marketing intern at ROI Solutions. It has been an invaluable experience, and I know my fellow interns feel the same. For the last of my many meaningful assignments, I had the pleasure of speaking with the intern cohort to reflect on our time at ROI. Below, you can watch our video testimonials and read excerpts to learn about our favorite projects, our biggest takeaways, and why we recommend choosing ROI Solutions for a summer internship.
Alexandra Magnusson – Machine Learning Intern
My experience at ROI Solutions has been invaluable in terms of the amount and variety of work experience I have gained. As part of the MiLo Intelligence machine learning team, I have had the opportunity to program the finer details of solutions and take a macro perspective on analyzing the models built. One of my ongoing projects throughout the summer involved creating exploratory data analysis functions to give the machine learning team a more standardized approach to looking at data. I also learned how to use Revolution CRM with SQL, which I had no experience with. I used SQL and Revolution CRM to evaluate the differences in model builds, which was a great opportunity to apply my academic knowledge in a workplace environment.
I have learned so much during my time here at ROI, both hard and soft skills. It has been a great experience to see the direct overlap between concepts I have learned in my classes and the projects I have been working on. For example, many programming and machine learning techniques have come directly from my classes. Other parts of my academics have been less related to industry-level work. However, they have still been extremely helpful in building an applicable skill set, such as quantitative reasoning and problem-solving. Additionally, I have learned so much about the diversity in tech roles and the breadth and depth one role can entail. What impressed me the most with ROI was how talented and developed everyone’s skill set was while creating such a beneficial impact. My greatest takeaway is that there is always a way to do good in the world with your skill set. Having previously little knowledge about the nonprofit industry, contributing my own experience to the greater good has been very rewarding. Math, computer science, and nonprofits may not seem compatible, but they very much are and work in tandem with one another to produce something valuable. It has been a joy to experience such a rigorous technical internship while making a positive difference.
McKenna Couch – Sales & Marketing Intern
In the days leading up to the start of my internship, I became nervous that I was in over my head. Coming from a primarily arts and communication-focused college, I had no previous experience in technology, and I was terrified of failing or looking like a fraud. However, I persisted and put my theory to the test, saying that every industry needs creativity to thrive, and my theory was proved correct. With the steadfast guidance of my supervisor, Derek Drockelman, and the kindness and support of the ROI staff, all feelings of trepidation faded, and I was quickly thrown into the world of data. Through writing blog posts about implementations, crafting Connecticut Public’s client story, and sharing ROI Solutions’ mission through social media posts and marketing emails, I found that effective storytelling was required to make a difference. In learning more about how marketing intersects with the technology and nonprofit industry, I feel a newfound confidence in my abilities, knowledge, and skills to apply in future professional endeavors. The chance to work directly serving some of the leading nonprofit changemakers drew me to this role in the first place, and to leave this internship knowing I played a small yet impactful part in reaching these organizations feels so rewarding.
Finding and landing a good internship is hard. So, if you’re a marketing (or marketing-adjacent) student looking for a welcoming internship to gain new tangible skills, challenge you, and produce content that makes a difference, why not apply to ROI Solutions? It certainly was the right choice for me.
Zachary Martin – Software Development Intern
Interning at ROI was a great experience because of the projects I was able to work on, as well as the people who helped me in the process. The largest project I was tasked with involved using multiple coding languages, which was exciting and intricate. While I have worked on similar projects, I’ve never done it or seen it to this scale, so immersing myself in a large project was quite the learning curve but an invaluable experience overall. The great thing about interning here was if I ever had a question, big or small, I could always ask someone who would give me an answer, whether over Zoom or in person. If you want to both challenge yourself and learn more about the software development industry, I would highly recommend interning at ROI Solutions.
Gurleen Kaur – Client Services Intern
At ROI Solutions, I have learned much about how the nonprofit industry functions. As someone with little business experience, learning how ROI Solutions interacts with its nonprofit clients, our role in software, and how clients use Revolution CRM was extremely valuable. As an intern on the Client Services team, I often work with data elements called source codes, which identify features for mail campaigns that non-profits send. This is just one example of how clients use data processed at ROI. Additionally, I have learned about the importance of soft skills in the workplace, such as effective communication. I would say that ROI is a great place to work since there are very kind people with great personalities here. They respect work-life balance, the accessibility of the office via public transportation, and the dog-friendly environment in the office.
Justin Chen – Technical Services Intern
Since starting my internship at ROI, I have gained experience and learned many new things. A lot of the tasks I worked on were related to quality control. I learned a lot about databases and how to get the information you want from a database efficiently. While I had some experience with SQL from my college classes, using it in a real professional setting was invaluable, and I gained so much confidence. I also learned a lot about the nonprofit industry and heard from many ROI members about why they chose to work in this industry.
For future applicants, I would recommend ROI for a myriad of reasons. One is that I think you get a lot of real work experience at a smaller company. You aren’t just doing “summer projects” that have been created for interns. You are doing meaningful work just like a full-time employee. Another reason is that you are doing work making a real change in the world. ROI is careful only to take clients that align with its values, so you can be sure that your work is helping to make a change. And the last and most important reason is the people and the culture at ROI. Everyone at ROI is incredibly smart and passionate about the work they do. Everyone at ROI cares about your success and is always willing to help. I had so many questions throughout my internship, and in the beginning, I was apprehensive about asking because I was afraid I would be a bother. Still, no matter who I reached out to, they were always willing to take time out of their busy schedules to help me.
I’ll end this with a quote from a meeting with Sean Going that stuck out to me: he said he came to ROI because he believed in ROI’s mission, but he stayed because of the people. And after spending a summer here at ROI, I have to agree.
