Stephanie - Almaden 2004

Stephanie Sun worked as a business intern on the Webographer project at the Almaden Research Lab. After receiving her Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Goucher College in Baltimore, Md., she decided to pursue an MBA at the UCLA Anderson School of Management with a concentration in High Technology Management. Stephanie took a short break from her busy schedule to share her experience with the Extreme Blue program.

Stephanie, what was life like as an Extreme Blue intern?

Well, for the first two weeks, I spent a lot of time with my team to explore different project ideas. We had many opportunities to discuss our ideas with our mentors and IBM researchers. For each feasible prototype idea, I researched the market potential, built a business case, and shared my results with the team. Once we decided on a direction for the project, I developed a marketing plan and presentation so could effectively articulate our project's value proposition. I also created a project plan outlining milestones and delivery dates. We had regular discussions about project requirements, solution architecture, and business value and achieved 100% buy-in on every major decision.
Over the last few weeks, I started to work on several components of the business plan. I conducted extensive research on industry background, potential markets, competitive landscape, and partnership opportunities. I also developed value proposition, project success criteria, financial projections, and marketing strategies for our final product. Another important part of my job was communicating with our project sponsor to understand his vision and to get his buy-in on our major project decisions.

What new things did you learn about yourself and your Extreme Blue project team?

I learned a lot of new ideas and possibilities. We had a very creative and dynamic team-many of their ideas carried strong business value, and I learned to be very open-minded and to always encourage my team to innovate and stay goal oriented. I also learned to effectively lead a team.

Did the internship program live up to your expectations?

Yes. I truly believe this was an ideal internship for me. I was actually surprised how much IBM valued our contribution. Our sponsoring organizations treat these summer projects very seriously and actively seek ways to roll it into an IBM product line. We had access to world-renowned researchers in various fields to discuss our ideas. And we were provided with outstanding mentorship to help us with every stage of the project. At the conclusion of the internship, we had the opportunity to showcase our accomplishments to the most senior executives of IBM.

What made you decide to apply to this internship?

The Extreme Blue program was ideal for my passion in technology and my career interest in developing business strategies for technology products. Before business school, I worked at IBM Silicon Valley Lab as a software engineer on the DB2 Everyplace product. Earlier in my career, I worked at IBM Global Services as a consultant, building custom e-commerce applications for various clients. So it really helped that I worked at IBM and enjoyed my experiences here-I already knew this was the kind of company I wanted to work for.

What would you say is one of your favorite experiences with IBM?

Playing softball as a proud member of the IBM Softball Fun League. My team was formed by IBMers from various sites coming to the same field every Friday to play a game. The great thing is that they always cheered for each other--whether it was for a big hit or a good effort. Win or lose, we always gathered for some pizza and beer afterward and laugh about the funny moments from the game. We started each season as strangers, but always become a tight-knit team as the season went on.