Aireon is proud to help shape the minds of future aviation leaders through our summer internship program.
The Summer 2024 cohort of interns was our largest class yet! We were joined by 7 college interns for 3 months who lent their assistance across multiple departments including Engineering, Data Modeling and Analysis, and Sales Operations. Aireon is thankful to all our interns for their invaluable contributions during their time with us and we are excited to continue our internship in the future.
Kendall Gilbert, who interned for the Modeling & Analytics team, and Joseph Wakefield, who interned for the Engineering Operations team, shared their thoughts and experience about spending the summer with us.
Kendall Gilbert
My name is Kendall and I am the data science intern working on the Modeling & Analytics team. I graduated from Elon University in 2023 where I studied media analytics with minors in statistics and business. I fell in love with working with numbers and making a meaningful impact with data in my junior year of college and stumbled upon the field of data science. I am now finishing up my master’s in data science at Georgetown University.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Aireon working on some cool projects as well as meeting others with similar interests. I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects touching the safety dashboard, aircraft tracking and looking specifically at data relating to the Paris Olympics.
Myself and the other Aireon interns have had the opportunity to attend multiple Aireon and Iridium learning and development sessions throughout the summer. Within these sessions we have learned the ins and outs of Aireon, the different departments at Aireon and the teams that keep the company engaged and always thinking of the next best idea. These sessions allowed us to explore the different departments and get a holistic view of both Aireon and Iridium.
We also had some fun get togethers including mini golfing at Porch Putt and visiting Escape Room Herndon. These excursions were fun to bond with the other interns as well as our managers. Another highlight of the summer was the Aireon Women Empowerment lunches where the women of Aireon would join and have meaningful conversations. Every month, these lunches allowed me to meet more people in different departments at Aireon that I would not have known about prior.
Being an intern here at Aireon has been a great experience and one that has taught me the importance of problem solving, critical thinking, asking for help and a preview of working in the aviation industry. I am grateful for my time here at Aireon!
Joseph Wakefield
Throughout my time here at Aireon, both this summer and last, I’ve been able to work and deliver on many projects which have made a meaningful impact throughout the company. Having come back for a second summer, I was able to jump right into several projects to support the Aireon Service Desk. In addition to working on projects within the company, I have been able to explore different departments through the intern learning and development sessions. These workshops allow interns such as myself to interact and learn from those who we may not have if not for these sessions. Activities for the interns were also a highlight of my summer here. Minigolf, bowling, and escape rooms allowed me to get to know the other interns and interact with them outside of the office. The work I have done throughout my time here has been fulfilling and there is never a moment where I find myself uninterested in projects. I truly am grateful for such an incredible opportunity working here at Aireon helping to advance aviation and hope to return in the future.
