Name: Emily Lu
Class Year: 2027
Major: Mathematics
 
Internship Organization:  Focus Technology
Internship Title:   Software Engineer Intern
Location:  Nanjing, China
 
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

At Focus Technology, I worked as a front-end intern on a real-world enterprise-level content editing platform. My tasks involved designing and debugging modular page blocks while also editing Freemarker-based templates and fine-tuning UI styles. One of the projects I contributed to was a dynamic product categorization and display component, where I helped troubleshoot layout issues and enhance user interaction. I collaborated closely with design and backend teams, participated in daily stand-ups, and learned to write cleaner, production-ready code

Why did you apply for this internship?  

I was interested in deepening my practical development skills beyond coursework. I was also drawn to their international e-commerce platform and wanted to see how enterprise-level web products are managed and scaled.
 
Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you? 

This internship strengthened both my technical and communication skills. I became more confident using developer tools, navigating complex codebases, and refactoring components for better maintainability. On the soft skills side, I learned how to ask effective questions when I was stuck and how to write progress updates that made sense to team members from non-technical backgrounds. These are essential skills for any future role I take on—especially in collaborative development environments.

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

Adjectives: Practical, Challenging, Rewarding  

Nouns: Codebase, Teamwork, Growth