Across NCDIT this spring and summer, interns built hands-on skills while shaping their career paths in fields ranging from data analysis and UX design to AI support and cybersecurity.
Collaboration Over Perfection
For some interns, the biggest lesson wasn't a technical skill but a mindset shift.
Holiness Mhlanga, a data analyst intern with the Strategy and Governance Division's Strategy and Procurement Team, said that she can focus too much on perfection, but her internship taught her that teamwork produces better success on projects.
"Here at NCDIT, I learned that you don't have to be perfect – you just have to do your best and have that zeal and willpower to want to learn,” Holiness said. “Collaboration is more important than perfection."
Carla Rojas, an intern with the Security Operations Center, described a similar team dynamic.
"Everyone is willing to help each other, share knowledge, and make sure that everyone has what they need to succeed," she said.
Real-World Experience the Classroom Can't Teach
Interns pointed to hands-on, real-world experience as their most valuable takeaway.
"I've learned what it's really like to respond to real cybersecurity incidents and how different processes and tools work together during investigation," Carla said. "That's something you can study in school, but you don't truly understand it until you work through it."
Andrew Rose, a User Experience and Process Improvement intern with the Innovation team, said he learned from collaborating with different teams to solve problems for state agencies.
"It's given me the opportunity to work on enterprise level products and push it to the public and see the benefits of my work," he said.
Kobi Narcisse discovered a deep interest while serving with the Office of AI and Policy.
"I’ve been able to work on making AI solutions that will eventually be beneficial for the government and the different organizations within it," he said.
A Culture That Feels Like Family
Interns felt welcomed and supported by teams across NCDIT even while tackling serious, high-stakes work.
"They teach me about the things that I don't know, and they give me space to continue growing,” Holiness said. “I feel included, and to me, that's the most amazing feeling I could feel being an intern just so early in my career. So NCDIT is the place for me."
Andrew said the Innovation team has been consistently encouraging: "Every conversation I've had here has been nothing but smiles and people going out of their way to help me succeed.”
“It is truly a family culture,” Kobi said.
Shaping What's Next
Their experience at NCDIT is already influencing the next steps for many interns.
Carla wants to continue growing in the cybersecurity field.
“This internship has helped me become more confident in a fast-paced environment and trust my ability to analyze information and make decisions,” she said.
“This internship has influenced my career goals because it's giving me experience at a place that I've really enjoyed working and helped me learn to be more collaborative and innovate,” Andrew said.
Visit it.nc.gov/intern to learn more about our paid internship programs.