My virtual internship at Nike

Name: Nazmul (Naz) Huq

Hometown: Miami, FL 

What is your major? I’m a computer science major in the College of Engineering & Computing with a certificate in Japanese through the Asian Studies Program.

Where are you interning? What do you do there? I am a global technology intern at Nike for the content management systems team. It was originally supposed to be at Nike World Headquarters but, due to COVID-19, I got the opportunity to work remotely.

How did you get your internship? The connection began during the planning of the 2019 ShellHacks event. ShellHacks is a 36-hour hackathon that happens to be Florida’s largest hackathon event and is organized by the FIU chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE). That event played an integral part. The recruiter happened to be someone all of us at UPE were familiar with, so it all started falling into place. We reached out to the recruiter and Nike to come on campus and participate at ShellHacks. FIU became the only Florida campus they visited and recruited from. After the Nike information session on campus, I had to explain why I was interested in working at Nike, do a coding assessment and have one virtual interview.

What advice do you have for those beginning the internship process? In the beginning, you have to build up your portfolio/resume. I recommend doing side projects on something that interests you, conducting research if you enjoy that and getting involved in other ways. That first internship may or may not be your dream internship, but once you nab that first one and gain experience, the door to more opportunities is wide open. It is completely fine if you get rejected the first couple of times. It adds up as valuable experience and will eventually lead to an offer.

What projects are you working on? At Nike, I have been tasked, along with another intern, to work on Nike’s internal content management system. We get to build extensions and features that make the platform extensible for other Nike platforms and non-Nike platforms.

How does your internship connect back to your coursework? A lot of the coursework I took at FIU was theory-focused. The theoretical concepts I learned allowed me to understand what was needed from a technical standpoint on the project I would be building on at Nike.

What is the coolest thing about your internship or that has happened during your internship? The coolest thing was meeting various people at Nike and hearing them talk about the company, its culture, values, etc. This past week, Trevor Noah, host of the Daily Show, spoke to us about diversity and inclusion.

What have you liked most about your experience? I am enjoying the company, its culture and learning about how technology applies to fashion.

What have you learned about yourself? I learned that I have what it takes to make an impact on a global scale while working at Nike. Every line of code or idea I think of has the potential to affect the world on a global scale.

How does the position increase your professional confidence? I learned what it was like to enter the workforce. I always wanted to work on something that would provide people with a great experience. Working at Nike allows me to work on things that directly impact the consumer in one way or another. I am able to do just that and I have a strong understanding of where and how I want to move forward after college.

How have you expanded your professional network? At the internship, I was able to meet countless engineers, directors and leaders. I got to learn the business, logistics and technology behind a world-famous brand. From there, I met people who gave me tips on how to grow professionally.

How does it help you prove yourself in the “real-world?” The internship showed me that I have what it takes to be successful in the workforce. I have always wondered how/when can I start connecting school work and real life. This internship allowed me to do that, and I feel like I can work anywhere in the field.