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Tovin McVay

Internship: Information Technology Intern, Abbott Laboratories (Chicago)

Ask questions and be engaged! It’s a great way to show people that you are interested in the work you are doing and want to really gain skill and experience in that field.

Through his Information Technology (IT) internship with Abbott Laboratories in Chicago, Emerging Media and Technology (EMAT) student Tovin McVay, '22, has learned how large companies strategize and develop solutions to problems while working on large projects. Tovin said his EMAT coursework specifically prepared him to understand how IT projects are produced.

Courses such as Project Management, Team Dynamics and Data in Emerging Media and Technology helped him learn various technical tools, creative coding, web development and one of the most important skills, working in an interdisciplinary environment.

“I have learned a ton since the start of this internship. The biggest items I have learned are how to plan a project from beginning to end by gathering information, and requirements, such as the necessary tools that need to be used and knowing how the work is delegated before starting any work on the project.”

For his internship, Tovin is working on two projects and on two different teams. First, he is working with the back-end team for Abbott’s NAVICA app that allows users to upload their COVID-19 test result to the platform. His second project is working as a full stack developer for Abbott’s new e-commerce website that will be rolled out in the future. From this experience, he is now interested in pursuing software engineering roles and DevOps engineer roles.

Advice for interns:  “Ask questions and be engaged! It’s a great way to show people that you are interested in the work you are doing and want to really gain skill and experience in that field. When it comes to networking, try and find people that are in positions you are interested (in) and would pursue, and ask questions about their position. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people; reaching out to other people in other positions and even executives shows initiative and interest!”