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(Editor’s note: This is the ninth in a series of stories highlighting College of Information Science and Technology students and their summer internships and professional development.)
University Park, PA – Ever since she was a little girl, Lauren Pearl has dreamed of one day living and working in New York City. A 10-week internship with The Estee Lauder Companies (ELC) brought her one step closer to making that dream a reality.
A senior in Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) studying Human-Centered Design and Development (HCDD), Pearl worked as an IT intern on the LC Brand Technology team. Serving as her team’s design lead, Pearl and other interns worked to solve a programmatic challenge to determine how the company could accelerate future growth by engaging its consumer base with high-touch omnichannel experiences. The team created a mobile, social media application, which they presented to company executives at the end of the training.
“My day-to-day work mostly involves designing, prototyping, and wire-drawing the app’s interfaces, screens, and flows. “I also help create character lists and personas and scenarios for testing.”
Pearl met Elsie during her first semester at Penn State, at the new HCD. When you get into college with one of the major IST entry courses. In that class, Pearl had the opportunity to work on a semester-long project with the former vice president of global technology for the clinic, an LC brand, and ultimately the LC Clinical Reality web application.
“That little bit of insight and an introduction to one of the LLC brands sparked my desire to one day work for the company, which led to an additional connection through LinkedIn,” Pearl said.
Through her research, Pearl found that the company was a unique place for Pearl to combine her interests.
“Estee Lauder allowed me to combine my different passions: technology, business and beauty,” says Pearl. “They also have a very deep history of women’s creativity and empowerment, which is reflected in their culture and people. I also enjoyed working for a large international organization that combined manufacturing, distribution and retail.
One of the first students to enroll in the HCDD program, Pearl found that almost all of the curriculum content she learned at Penn State applied directly to her internship and project. She developed a relationship with her recently hired manager to deploy more human-centered design thinking strategies in the company’s IT space. Pearl’s manager recognized her experience and passion, and eventually asked her to lead several design-thinking and wireframe workshops for both colleagues and full-time LC employees.
“I was asked to present a variety of design-thinking methods, and the feedback included how the LC team enjoyed learning about these new concepts, which are starting to gain traction across the company,” Pearl said. “This was exciting for me because I was in a space where I was leading and teaching information technology professionals. It helped me make meaningful connections with a lot of amazing people at all levels of the company, and especially with the global CIO.”
In extracurricular activities, Pearl’s experience at IST has benefited her throughout her internship.
“The leadership and project management skills I gained through both creating and running a student organization at Penn State’s User Experience Professionals Association helped me excel as an intern,” he said. “It made me feel more comfortable in meetings about project scope and budgeting.”
While Pearl’s internship provided her with valuable skills and networking opportunities that would influence her future career, it also validated her childhood dreams.
“My goal of experiencing New York City was amazingly beyond my expectations,” says Pearl. “Since senior year and my job search, I’ve enjoyed every moment of the NYC experience that has given me a sense of validation and confidence. I’m happy and excited to be back in NYC to start my career.”
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