Our Autodesk Portland high school interns just started their summer internship!

Monday was their first day in the new Autodesk Portland office. They are are excited to meet everyone, get acquainted with everything, and the free snacks. The interns were selected from local FIRST Robotics Teams and will be working on Synthesis again this summer. Synthesis is an open source software to simulate FIRST FRC robots on competition field and give the drivers experience driving the robots before competition season events, but it is also a blast to just drive the provided stock robots like a wicked video game. There are 15 high school interns and 2 college interns working with them for the summer.

We held a rooftop ice cream feast to get them hopped up on sugar and off to a speedy start in their summer internship.

After the ice cream on  the rooftop deck, we herded them into the packed elevator to get to back work as they have a limited time.

Here are the interns:

Jackie Aaron is returning as the experience designer! Jackie just graduated from Team 5975, the Beta Blues, where she was the mechanical lead and co-captain. Jackie enjoys going to concerts, playing soccer, camping and hanging out with friends. Jackie will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the fall to study mechanical engineering.

Everett Buck is returning as the marketing intern! He just graduated from Team 3674, the CloverBots, and was the strategy lead. In his free time, Everett likes to play basketball, hang out with friends, and play piano. Everett will attend University of Washington in the fall to study business administration.

Nicholas Burrell is a new programming intern, and he will be working on the emulation portion this summer! Nick recently graduated from Team 1425, Error Code Xero, where he lead the scouting team. In his spare time, Nick likes to play football, program, and play video games. Nick will return to Wilsonville High School in the fall for his senior year.

Lauren Choquer is returning as a programmer! Lauren recently graduated from Team 3674, the CloverBots, where she served as the electrical lead. Lauren likes to hang out with friends, go to concerts, and quote vines. Lauren will go to University of Washington in the fall to study biomedical engineering.

Kira Corbett is returning as a programmer! Kira recently graduated from Team 2550, Skynet, where she was the team captain. Kira enjoys hiking, being outside, and training dogs. Kira will attend Oregon State University - Cascades in Bend, Oregon in the fall to study computer science and biomedical engineering.

Isabelle Cordova is returning as a programmer! Isabelle just graduated from Team 5975, the Beta Blues, from St. Mary’s Academy, where she acted as the lead programmer and co-captain. Isabelle enjoys going to concerts, hiking, and visiting new parts of Portland. Isabelle will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the fall to study computer science and interactive media and game development.

Josh Grace is coming back as a programmer! Josh recently graduated from Team 360, the Revolution, where he served as the lead programmer and team captain. Josh likes to CAD, program, hang out with friends, and play football. Josh will attend Cal Poly in the fall to study computer science.

Tyler Lucas is a new programming intern, and he will be focusing on the exporter this summer! As a junior on Team 3674, the CloverBots, he is the scouting lead and one of the team's programmers. In his free time, he likes to hang out with friends, go on hikes, and play video games. Tyler will return to CAM Academy in the fall for his senior year.

Brady McCoy is joining as the quality assurance intern! Brady just graduated from Team 3674, the CloverBots, and he was a key programmer and scout. Brady likes to play tennis, go on hikes, and play video games for fun. Brady will go to University of Washington in the fall to study computer science.

Amber Merrill is joining the programming team and will tackle the simulator engine! Amber is a student on Team 1540, Flaming Chickens, where she is the software lead and team co-president. In her free time, Amber enjoys reading and being outdoors. Amber will return to Catlin Gabel School in the fall for her senior year.

Matthew Moradi is joining the team as a programmer, and he will be helping with emulation this summer! Matthew is a member of Team 4488, Shockwave, where he helped programmed the CNC equipment. He likes to program and play video games, specifically Steam games. Matthew will return to Glencoe High School in the fall for his senior year.

Anna Nixon is returning as the project manager! Anna recently graduated from Team 1510, the Wildcats, where she served as the programming lead. Anna enjoys speaking at local events, hanging out with friends, and binge watching TV shows. Anna will attend University of Pennsylvania in the fall to study computer science.

Ajay Pai is a new programming intern, and he will be working on the unity engine this summer! Ajay is a member of Team 2976, Spartabots, where he is the president of the team. In his free time, Ajay likes to play chess, hang out with friends, and play sports. Ajay will return to Skyline High School in the fall for his senior year.

Logan Traffas is a new programming intern, and he will be tackling the emulation aspect this summer! Logan recently graduated from Team 1425, Error Code Xero, where he helped program the robot and acted as the robot integration lead. In his spare time, Logan likes to read, watch anime, and play video games. Logan will attend Oregon State University in the fall to study either computer science or chemical engineering.

Nathan Walker is a new programming intern, and he will be working on the exporter this summer! Nathan recently graduated from Team 2550, Skynet, where he was the lead programmer. Nathan likes to play Rocket League and watch YouTube videos in his free time. In the fall, Nathan will attend Brigham Young University to study computer science.

We are also excited to bring back Mackinnon Buck and Shawn Hice, two college interns who will provide guidance and support during the summer.

The interns already have positive views of Autodesk entering this internship. They all agree that Autodesk has numerous opportunities for the community, and users can do incredible things using a variety of Autodesk technology. In addition, the interns know that Autodesk is a company committed to change and bettering the community, and the company’s volunteer and mentor presence in various aspects is strongly felt by the Portland-metro area. Finally, a third shared belief is that Autodesk is welcoming and inclusive to everyone.

Stay tuned for updates on the interns projects, experiences, and potential snack reviews.