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The corporate technology team at Citizens Bank know talent when they see it. Roughly halfway through her summer internship with the banking leader, Brittany Soares '21 was offered a full-time offer to join the team officially after she graduates next spring.
"It's exciting to have a full-time offer well before graduation, and I know it is a direct result of the hard work and dedication I've put in at Curry and throughout my internships,” says Soares.
The Software Development major will start in May as a Software Engineer and join more than 3,000 colleagues at the company's corporate headquarters in Johnston, R.I, for the new role, which helps to serve technology needs across the company's organizational business units. During her internship, Soares contributed to the HR Technology Engineering team to help configure HR applications and develop application program interfaces (API), as well as create a handout to inform employees on how to best work with the new technology, all while working remotely full-time at home in Lakeville, Mass. this summer.
"The most enjoyable aspect of my work is collaborating with the team. My team is wonderful to work with and very helpful," says Soares. "I love the new ideas they present and how we can each have our unique ways to help solve each problem."
Software Development is one of three technology majors offered at the College, which recently introduced Computer Science as a new major this year. Students studying in any of Curry's technology programs gain technical knowledge and skills vital to the field with ample opportunities for practice in collaborative class projects. In a recent capstone project, Information Technology and Software Development students partnered with a local children's hospital to help optimize its IT operation.
"Not only do the courses taught within the Applied Technology department allow students to learn what they need to know on current technology, but the professors are great teachers and mentors," says Soares. "I know that all of my technology courses helped me develop the necessary skills needed to be successful in my internships."
In addition to Citizens Bank, Soares also served as an IT Project Coordinator intern at Hasbro, a leading toymaker headquartered in Rhode Island. But for the next nine months, she will focus on her studies in her senior year at Curry. In addition to working at Citizens Bank in the spring, she hopes to complete a few technological certifications in AWS and Scrum, and is also considering a graduate degree to further her success as a software engineer.