Jalen Vaughn, a senior at IU Indianapolis, is proud to share his love and interest in technology with other people. “I’d say I’m a technical student. I like tech. I’m infatuated with tech. I’m a nerd,” he says. So, when Jalen heard about TechPoint’s Xtern program from his brother, he knew had to apply to fulfill his tech crave.
Xtern is a 10-week, full-time paid internship program that places students with Indiana tech employers. Students, called Xterns, work alongside leaders at some of the fastest-growing tech companies, make friends with more than 100 other Xterns from around the country and experience why Indianapolis is a great place to live and work. “The goal of the program is to retain talent in Indiana,” says Jalen.
When selecting his internship, Jalen’s choice narrowed down to two companies, ultimately choosing to work at Sallie Mae, a student loan and financial aid company. “It came down to the overall vibe that I got from Sallie Mae. They really sold me. I’m a technical person and they said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be working with AWS, you’re going to be automating things, doing a lot of research, scripting and prototyping.’ Sallie Mae had my vote right there,” Jalen says.
Jalen works in a hybrid capacity with Sallie Mae, and there is no shortage of work to be done. “You have to be prepared for the workload. It’s high, but it’s manageable,” he says. Jalen has had an opportunity to work with the company’s Data Governance team and assist them with deploying task automation software in development, testing and production environments. He explains this work has helped him learn how compliance mixes with the development world and why certain security protocols are in place when working with data, something that he had not practiced in the classroom.
Jalen has also attended Sallie Mae board meetings that have taught him how to explain what is going on in the technical world to nontechnical people. “That is a huge skill that I have learned while being at Sallie Mae,” he notes.
The Xtern program was a positive experience, Jalen says, especially getting to know the other Xterns from his 2023 class. “I liked all the Xterns. I felt included and I liked hanging out, as well as learning about different perspectives,” he says. He adds there was a lot of collaboration and learning when mingling with his newfound friends, some from as far away as Japan and South Korea.
For those interested in becoming an Xtern in the future, Jalen advises you to remember that the other students participating in the program are your friends. “I think we all have a common goal, and that’s to do the best job we can and have fun while doing it. Meet the other Xterns and get involved.”
Jalen is still currently interning with Sallie Mae following his 2023 Xtern experience and will be graduating in 2025 from IU Indianapolis with a Bachelor of Science in Informatics.
For more information about TechPoint’s Xtern program, visit techpoint.org/xtern.
