The Intern Experience: All Ideas are Welcome

Technology plays a huge role in just about every job these days, which is why Comcast NBCUniversal is committed to teaching young people about technology and helping them prepare for the brightest futures possible.

That includes rising University of Pennsylvania junior Whitney Stewart, who was selected to represent 4 million children and teens as Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 2015-2016 Youth of the Year. Last summer, we sent Whitney to the Olympic Games in Rio to go behind the scenes with NBC Sports to have a close up look at the technology involved in covering the Olympics. This summer, she is interning with nearly 140 other young people at our headquarters in Philadelphia. Below Whitney shares some thoughts about her experience as an intern.

Tell us about your role at Comcast this summer.

I’m working with the XFINITY Communities team helping to deliver our services to people in multi-dwelling units like apartment complexes, universities and hospitals. We’re developing ways to help make the frontline professionals more effective at their jobs. I’m working on two main projects. First, I served as the project lead for the national rollout of the Xfinity Communities portal, and second, I’m working on property-specific websites that offer residents information about competitive Xfinity offers and services. With everything we’re doing, we’re putting the customer first.

Why did you want to intern for Comcast NBCUniversal?

It came down to two things: the company’s focus on community investment that I had personally experienced through Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which is one of Comcast NBCUniversal’s national partners, but then also the focus on innovation throughout the business. Both really resonated with me as I was looking at places to apply to.

What have you learned about Comcast NBCUniversal since starting your internship?

One thing that I learned is about how the company continues to evolve from being known primarily as a telecommunications company to becoming a global media and technology company. Through this more connected model, Comcast is adding value to customers through products like Xfinity Home and Xfinity Mobile.

What has been the most surprising experience of your internship?

Based on the community partnerships that Comcast has and in the interactions that I have had with people who are already working here, I knew that it was going to have a very familial feel –but I was surprised by how welcoming and how collaborative the culture here is. And it was a very welcome surprise and something that I have come to really love about Comcast, and it’s why I’d love to continue my journey here. I’ve noticed how invested people are in developing interns as leaders and how open people are to innovation and new ways of doing things. All ideas are welcome, and people are genuinely curious about how we can continue to improve the customer experience and develop employees and interns as leaders not just within the team, but throughout the business.

What have you enjoyed the most during your internship?

I love how open and willing people are to sit down with interns for coffee. I feel like you can reach out to just about anyone and they will find 20 to 30 minutes to sit down with you and share their experiences, share advice, and provide any sort of feedback that you’re looking for. I love that about working here. It goes back to that piece about culture that I mentioned earlier.

To learn more about what it is like to intern at Comcast NBCUniversal, click here. To explore available internship opportunities, click here.