1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three

sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.

• This summer, I worked as a product management intern at Olo. During my time, I was able to work alongside some of the greatest tech talent in the nation. My responsibilities were centered around building product pipelines in the B2C space and prioritizing roadmaps. 

2. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the

world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or

two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.

• During my time at Olo, my mind was opened up to all the possibilities in the tech industry. I have often been siloed into very niche fields in tech, like product management and product design, but working at Olo showed me the diversity of roles and how interconnected they are in creating impactful solutions. Olo emphasizes team collaboration across the organization. I learned about new positions like quality assurance and their role in ensuring the whole team quality structure. This exposure broadened my understanding of how essential it is for each department to work together toward a high level common goal. I used to think that success in tech was defined by individual contributors, but it truly is the team that makes the difference. I also have had a transformational impact on how the tech industry can work to make an immediate positive impact. At Olo, they would devote developer and team time to tech for good projects, this showed how you can truly make a profound impact at scale, especially in the non-profit space. 

3. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature

Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those

affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences

completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.

• An assumption I had going into the internship program was that I would be doing busy work, especially since the company is going through rapid growth. I felt that I would not be a priority for the company and that they would have me focused on less-important work. This was a wrong assumption as I had the opportunity to take part in live projects alongside actual teams. My manager was proactive in ensuring I was able to get access to everything I needed so I can start contributing to projects. 
•  Olo’s professional development programming allowed me to learn from leaders across the organization. We would have the opportunity to join weekly meetings with someone every week where they would talk about career topics. One week that stood out to me was when a higher-up person in the technology suite talked to us about the scale at which Olo operates. I never knew how many transactions and orders they process, and it was hard to understand at first. This executive explained in depth how this scale pushes them to prioritize projects, allowing me to reflect in my own life. As I start to balance more tasks, I need to learn how to be more efficient with my time, similar to how Olo works to prioritize their backlog.  
• One other pivotal experiences during my STEP Signature Project was having coffee chats with interns and employees from different teams. This allowed me to learn about a diverse set of backgrounds. I had the opportunity to meet students from across the nation from some of the best schools like MIT and UIUC. This allowed me to express my ideas and learn about their experiences at their respective schools. These interactions taught me that there is much more to interactions outside of the professional environment.

4. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or

two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your

academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.

• As a student that is passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation, I was truly inspired by corporate innovation. I never thought a larger company would be able to operate as lean as a startup, but Olo truly blew me away. I never saw myself working for a big company because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to make a direct impact, but Olo showed me that it is possible to operate at scale while building lean. Olo moves very quick, but ensures that the work being produced is high quality. I want to take this lesson and apply it to my academic career as I seek to join and expand my network in more students organizations. 
• This internship also opened my eyes to what it is like working on cross-functional teams. Being able to effectively communicate is such a crucial skill and is one that I was able to polish during my time at Olo. This experience has not only strengthened my communication skills but also deepened my understanding of how different parts of an organization work together to achieve common goals. These insights will be invaluable as I go through my professional aspirations, particularly in leadership and project management roles.