Evan Kagawa ’14

Major(s): INBM
Internship Site: July Systems - New York, NY

The Internship:   
I heard about the internship position at July Systems from another Dickinson student, who recently interned there for 6 months.  After receiving more information from him, I looked up the internship on the DickinsonConnect website. I applied through DickinsonConnect by submitting my resume and a cover letter written specifically for the posted position. I then had two interviews with the Senior Director of Sales and Engineering, via phone and Skype. Within two days of my second interview I was accepted for the position. 

Due to the release of July Systems new product, July 4.0, there was a need for market research and new marketing leads. My first project was to create a marketing list of leads from all the major companies in the retail, travel, media, and hospitality sectors. My second project was focused on extensive mobile market research of the current uses of mobile devices by businesses. This project involved giving PowerPoint presentations to my supervisors, visiting retail stores, conducting research reports, and taking part in brainstorming ideation meetings at the Toys R Us headquarters. The next project was to create product functionality tutorials. For this project I would record and narrate the process of using July Systems product, to teach customers how to create their own mobile sites and applications.

The Challenges:   
The most challenging aspect of working at July Systems was the fast pace office environment. Many times I was given assignments that were due the next morning, with very few instructions ending with the phrase “just figure it out.” I overcame this challenge of working under deadlines and little direction by becoming very independent with my work and communicating my progress with my supervisor to stay on track. From this experience I learned to be more creative and trust my abilities to do tasks independently.

The Future:  
I love technology and a career in the mobile technology sector has become my main focus for the future. Working at July Systems has brought me up to speed on the uses of mobile technology along with the current capabilities of the technology we have today. I got a clear look into the technology sector, seeing that it is still in its infancy and many companies like July Systems are pioneers in this sector. 

Tips from Evan: 
Work closely with your supervisors, because there are many important things you will learn just from being in the same room and observing you mentor. My other recommendation is to ask questions. I found many times that if I did not ask questions my supervisors would give me little to no information as they were busying doing their job and weren’t always thinking about what I didn’t know. 


*To find out more about how to get an internship, make an appointment with a career counselor. Just call the Career Center at 717-245-1740 or stop by Biddle House.