Harvey Mudd Student Named to Top Intern List

Harvey Mudd College computer science and mathematics major, two-time Google intern and student leader Djassi Julien ’20 made the first WayUp Intern 100 List this summer.

Julien applied to be included on the WayUp Intern 100 list and was selected based on his work ethic, contribution to projects and application of his knowledge. His ranking was determined by public vote (30 percent) and by a judging panel, which included Society for Human Resource Management editor Roy Maurer. Liz Wessel, CEO of WayUp, a job site and mobile app for college students and recent graduates, partnered with Red Bull to recognize “some of the hardest working and most underappreciated members of the American workforce.”

Julien first learned about the opportunity at Google when doing research about internships for entry-level CS students and, later, when meeting Google representatives at a Harvey Mudd Career Fair. During his first summer, he worked with the search team in Mountain View on a product called Search Lite, and this summer he worked on an ads team in Los Angeles called Active View. He says he felt well-prepared to work at Google as an engineering practicum intern.

“Mudd taught me how to write code with sustainability in mind,” he says. “Building good habits at Mudd like writing useful comments, choosing variable names that are clear, and testing incrementally definitely helped when it came time to write code at Google. Mudd also prepared me to work collaboratively with other software engineers. I was already very used to pair programming when I got to Google, and being familiar with the ‘driver and navigator’ framework as well as knowing how to ask for help definitely made me more successful during my internships.”

When engineering practicum interns are not developing product features, building internal tools for Google engineers or conducting research about potential Google products, they get to participate in team off-sites, office events and intern activities, like weekly volleyball at Venice Beach, a day at Pacific Park in Santa Monica (with an unlimited ride wristband) and team ziplining at Big Bear Lake. “These were definitely some of my fondest Google memories,” says Julien.

One of the perks of being named to the WayUp Intern 100 List is a one-year supply of Red Bull Energy Drink. Julien, who is active on campus as a Writing Center tutor, captain of Groove Nation Dance Crew, member of Black Lives at Mudd and Society for Professional Latinxs in STEM, and as an Admission tour guide, will likely make good use of it.

More than 140 Harvey Mudd College students do summer internships each year. Other activities include Harvey Mudd’s Summer Math and Summer Research programs as well as National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REUs) and summer jobs, such as tutor and camp counselor. Harvey Mudd encourages such opportunities as part of its commitment to real-world experiences that help transform students into passionate problem solvers and professionals.