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Intern Voices: Adventures in ‘Foreign’ Territory

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Note from the blog manager: Welcome back to Intern Voices! This week, our interns were asked to share how they have been exploring their new location where they are interning this summer. Intel’s campus locations have placed our interns in some of the most scenic areas in the country. Check out how these interns took advantage of their new destination!

IMG_20110612_144521-thumb-600x447The Enchanting Yosemite Valley: a view from Glacier Point


Shrish, Electrical Engineer Intern, University of Minnesota

After experiencing a seemingly epoch long winter at Minneapolis, the sunny weather in Folsom, California has been the most soothing thing for me. Boasting off a plethora of natural beauty around it, this place is rich in historical significance as well. The incredible serenity of Yosemite National Park, teeming with gigantic mountains and enthralling waterfalls, made a long lasting impression in my mind. In addition to that, the various fun events organized for new hires and interns make the Intel experience really exciting both on and off work. The entire region composed of large cities, industry giants, magnificent beaches and numerous national parks renders California into a truly golden state.


ChrisOwens-thumb-600x450Grand Canyon at Sunset


Christopher, Lithography Intern, University of Florida

The first thing anyone every told me about living in Arizona was the extreme “dry” heat. Coming from Florida, I wasn’t worried about it at all. Chandler, Arizona is hot, but at the end of the day when I walk out to my car and the temp is 110, I just look up at the sky and bask in the heat. There is so much to do around here that you can’t let a little heat wave stop you from exploring the wonders that surround us. In fact one of the great things about Arizona is the weather is always really nice, so you can spend all your time outdoors. My first real weekend here I got to see the Grand Canyon, and while I’m sure many of you look at this picture and say “Wow that’s amazing”, it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of how awe-inspiring it really is. Chandler is the same way, I’ve only been here for a month but I haven’t even begun to do all there is to do here. With Intel providing limitless possibilities for growth and progress here, there isn’t much that could make you say “Why would I ever want to live in Arizona?”Just make sure you carry sunscreen!

TiffJern-thumb-600x450Stinson Beach


Tiffany, Validation Engineer Intern, Georgia Tech

Located in the SF Bay Area, the Santa Clara, California site is surrounded by alluring scenery, both natural and man-made. There are numerous beaches and redwood forests as well as the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge. In respect to the great outdoors, the weather is incredible: sunny and warm with a cool breeze and little humidity. (Being from Washington and attending school in Georgia, I am used to both rain and excessive heat/humidity.) Even with having quite a few friends in the area working at Google, Facebook and Cisco, I was surprised as to how many corporate giants are nearby. Within a small radius of the blue and cream Intel buildings are several companies such as Yahoo!, Lockheed Martin, Altera and Nvidia. Additionally, for those who enjoy theme parks, California’s Great America is conveniently located five minutes away. The Bay Area’s extensive list of qualities and perks truly makes it a GPTW.

86380020-thumb-600x450Horsetail Trail’s Hidden Gem


Victor, Quality Reliability Engineer Intern, Georgia Tech

Last year I got to experience everything that Folsom had to offer, and this year I decided to try out the Hillsboro, Oregon site. This site has proved to be quite a playground for photography. To the north you have Seattle and Mt. Saint Helen; to the east you have Portland, to the west a vast ocean view. With so many places to go anyone can experience so many beautiful sights without having to drive too far. Interns are always planning excursions to different places around Oregon. Hiking can lead you to discover some great waterfalls and forests scattered around Oregon’s numerous trails.

DanielRhodes-thumb-600x4502nd floor balcony of the Sacramento State Capitol overlooking the Capitol Mall


Ryan, Component Design Engineer Intern, Purdue University

I can’t overstate how eager I was to leave the cornfields of Indiana behind. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice state and the people I’ve met during my time at Purdue have been wonderful, but endless cornfields are not a feature of any place I’d want to live long term. Folsom, California has been much more to my liking as a small town close to multiple large cities. Sacramento may not be nearly as large as, for example, Los Angeles, but it’s a far cry from the streets of West Lafayette, IN. I’ve already begun to explore what the area has to offer and eagerly await the opportunity to do so further. With Sacramento, San Francisco and Napa Valley within short driving distance, adventures are waiting for me to take advantage of. I get to explore with my fellow interns and new hires during Intel sponsored events makes it that much more sweet.

LianaLo-thumb-600x450Grand Canyon


Liana, Process Engineering Intern, UC Berkeley

Working at the Chandler, Arizona Intel site gives employees access to a plethora of surrounding areas for recreation. In the five weeks that I’ve been here, we interns have arranged road trips to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, San Diego/La Jolla, and the Algodones Sand Dunes. I’ve never been on the road this much in my life, and it is tons of fun bonding with fellow interns as we drive. Locally, we’ve partied while floating down Arizona’s Salt River, lived the nightlife down Mill Avenue, as well as hosted house parties. Housing options in Arizona are amazing—nearly every other home has a pool in its backyard, which makes for a perfect poolside barbeque. I’m grateful for Intel’s help in finding lodging by subscribing us to a Web site that provides resources for interns to live in spare rooms in an Intel employee’s home as well as apartment complexes willing to sign a short-term lease. Before the summer’s end, we are planning to see Sedona, go stargazing, and perhaps make second trips to Vegas and California. Of course, there is always the option of grabbing lunch and dinner together in between work hours. There is rarely a day without sun in Arizona!

PhilipHoward-thumb-600x450Watch out below!


Philip, Enabling Engineer Intern, Oregon Institute of Technology

Greetings from Hillsboro, Oregon! I collect things in my off hours and the things I collect are shiny! Figure eights, triple auto locking carabineers, stainless steel crampons, cams –yeah, I’m a climber. I started out climbing trees as a kid and later I got into rock and mountain climbing. This summer I have set to work exploring many of the local rock climbing places around the Portland, OR area. The area has some great spots to climb! There is rocky butte near the 205 and 84 interchange, Lewis and Clark out east of Gresham, and a handful of indoor gyms sprinkled around. Even though the weather has to cooperate, I like outdoor climbing the best. The satisfaction you get from reaching the top of a 60ft cliff is amazing. Your whole body is shaking, your fingers are bleeding and covered in chalk, toes smashed in your climbing shoes but it feels awesome! In two weeks, I plan on climbing 11,240 ft up Mt. Hood which is an hour or two east of Portland.

JeffJohnson-thumb-600x450


Tiny mesa in Sedona

Jeffrey, IT Intern, Illinois Institute of Technology

What’s so cool about Arizona? Well, coming from Chicago I had no idea what 110 degrees would feel like. It turns out in the desert, not so bad, and it’s a good thing too because the best Arizona has to offer is outdoors. So far I have been to the Grand Canyon, and let me tell you, it is LARGE. I’ve also been to Sedona and the two mountains in Phoenix which are awesome for hiking, something I’ve hardly done before. There are crazy people on those trails who ride mountain bikes and I hope to become one of them by the end of the summer. After purchasing several water bottles I’ve been enjoying cycling around the town. There are bike lanes just about everywhere and wonderful back roads you can ride for miles and miles. Locals say the best place to take a visitor from out of town is to the pool, and I get behind that. Everyone either has a pool or their neighbor has one so it’s a great spot to hang out and relax. With constant weekend fun with other interns, Chandler, Arizona, has really shined as an oasis in this vast desert.

Sound like an adventure you want to explore? Then, check out our U.S. Student Center and internship programs

Intel has internship programs around the world, so be sure to check out the Student Center to learn about available Intel Intern programs in your area.