“It’s been an incredible ride, and were it not for Intel I wouldn’t have been able to afford my graduate education. Since joining Intel, I’ve been able to witness and be a part of a culture that aims to foster diversity of thought and reap the benefits that it brings.”
While most kids dream of becoming astronauts and doctors, Intel system validation engineer Ja’Lon Sisson’s earliest proclamation was that he’d be an electrical engineer. Ja’Lon grew up in Vegas and as a kid was enamored with technology often spending his spare time taking apart and rebuilding his mother’s Pentium-powered PC. In spite of his passion for technology, Ja’Lon dealt with a challenging period toward the end of his undergrad career at Arizona State University as he faced the daunting task of planning his future. Having little luck with securing a full-time offer and anxiously awaiting responses from graduate schools, Ja’Lon felt short on options and worried about his lack of prospects.
Fortunately, Intel hosted an information session at his school where he made a strong impression on the person who would become his first manager, landing him an internship in Intel’s Chandler location. This was just the beginning. What followed was an acceptance into Duke University for his Master’s and a fellowship with Intel as the corporate sponsor, helping to finance his degree.
During his last year of graduate school, Intel flew Ja’Lon out to Portland for a Red Carpet event. By the end, he’d secured seven interviews and a few full-time job offers from Intel. Ja’Lon decided to accept a full-time offer as an Intel systems validation engineer in Oregon. In June 2017, a month after graduating from Duke, he officially joined the Intel team. In his role, Ja’Lon helps enable the latest memory technology bridging the gap between storage and memory. Ja’Lon continues to dream big: his long-term goal is to become Intel’s CEO.
