Jaxson Gauthier

Major(s): Computer Science BE
Interned in Milan for the Start Up Tricky Leaf

I worked at a start up in Milan, Italy called Tricky Leaf that was known to be a software consulting company. This was a part of an overarching study abroad program that also included a internship seminar and Italian class.

What did a typical day look like the company you interned at Tricky Leaf?

I would get to the office around 8am on days that I did not have class and at 12pm on days that I did. We would have an all-team meeting at the very beginning, so everyone knew what's the goals were for the day. I would work until 1pm where would all go to lunch. It was a small start-up company of only 4 full-time workers so we would all sit at the same table and eat together. I would then leave the office around 6 with the other intern on the job and we would take public transportation back to our apartment. The work I did was full-stack software engineering mixed with other small projects scattered throughout the summer. I worked with back-end databases to hold customer information while creating a scheduling system for skiing lessons. I presented this information on both a web application as well as mobile using React and JavaScript.  (Jackson is on the right, below.)

What projects have you worked on throughout your internship?

I worked on two main projects for the company and then two personal projects that they scheduled time for me to work on. I worked on a skiing lesson scheduler app that held information about the teachers as well as the users with a role-based security system that was based on the user's purpose in the application. I also worked on a IoT project that used automatic image detection to publish gate-lock status as well as a light-control system so a user could control all lights in the building through a web application. As for personal projects I created a personal website to display my journey and projects I've worked on. I also created a little Fourier Transform music game where the user has to guess songs based on an increasing number of frequencies. 

What skills did you develop or enhance during your time as an intern?

Besides gaining coding skills through experience I was also able to gain project management skills since we had a lot of control over the things we were working on. Having a whole project fit into one vscode window was stressful at first but understanding the purpose of everything and where the project was in its life cycle made it easier to focus on what was in my control. The fact we had a meeting before all workdays made it easier to grasp where in the cycle we were. I also gained skills on professional networking through the program I was an apart of. We had multiple experiences where we would talk to different companies across all industries to practice communicating in a professional setting. 

What was your favorite aspect of your internship?

My favorite aspect about the internship was that because it was a small company based in Milan, the work I did made a big difference, and I got to see that almost every day. At the beginning of the summer, the first project I got was very on the rails with directions laid out about all the steps I had to follow. At the end all they said was build this project and I got to work on it from the ground up. Being able to see that project start from nothing to being something they are currently implementing was really rewarding. It was also great to have my bosses just 4 feet away from me at all times in case I had any questions. Made it very easy to get back on the rails whenever I felt lost.

What tips do you have for current students seeking internships?

I would recommend everybody to embrace unique opportunities that may not have been your original plan. You learn the most from experiences you have no knowledge in beforehand, and those experiences come from unique opportunities. Apply for all the opportunities even if they seem they seem scary or unknown because you will learn a lot from it and gain something to take with you throughout your life. 

What you drew you to Milan? Or was the location picked for you?

As far as the location, I originally applied for the London location and got it but they eventually reached out saying it was hard to place computer science/engineering majors in the location, so they offered 3 other locations being Italy, Australia, and Chile. I chose the Italian location because of its location in Europe and the various company opportunities within the city. They then matched me with a company that I interviewed with.

Any favorite moments in Milan?

Some of my favorite moments were when we got to travel up north to the Italian alps for a weekend that the program put together for us. We traveled often but this one was great because we got to stay in the country and stay in a cabin in the alps. Attached is a picture of where we stayed. I also really enjoyed my last week when my bosses took us wakeboarding and grilling for our last day on the job. I also really enjoyed running in Milan, we stayed on the border of the city where I was 15 minutes from the duomo but also 15 minutes from the countryside. I got to run in the fields of Italy during the evening and it was always so gorgeous.

What advice would you give students who are interested in pursuing a study abroad?

My advice for students who want to go abroad is that it's a lot easier than you think. I thought it wouldn't be an opportunity for me even at the beginning of last year but a simple application and a discussion with an advisor made it very clear that it was very much an option for me. There was someone who helped me the entire process leading up to when I left so I was never lost in the process. It's also a great opportunity to try something new, grow a lot of soft skills you can't learn in a regular classroom or internship, and meet a lot of people you wouldn't otherwise.