More Than Data Entry: The Summer Intern Class of 2016

Summer in San Francisco may not always be sunny (we see you, Karl the Fog and highs in the 60s). However, we don’t mind so much--at Okta we look forward to the wave of new faces around the office--notably our awesome summer interns.

The summer intern class of 2016 is a unique group of 21 students at 17 different universities from all over the U.S., Canada, and Italy. We recently caught up with our interns to see how their summers are going, particularly their time at Okta.

How did you hear about Okta and why did you choose to do your internship here?

I found Okta while researching internships at tech companies. There were several reasons why I chose to do my internship here, but working in a setting with supportive co-workers was a big factor. I also admired Okta’s high level of customer service, and wanted to contribute to this standard. - James Daniel, site reliability intern, DePaul University

My mom is an Okta Admin, and she really enjoys the company and its product. Last summer during my freshman year, I came across a job posting on Linkedin and decided to apply for the internship. It was a great experience -- so as a sophomore, I decided to come back for my second summer with Okta. - Neal Vasan, IT intern, Pennsylvania State University

I heard about Okta when I was applying to tech companies in San Francisco, and I chose to do my internship here after being really impressed during my interview; everyone is really passionate about what they're working on here at Okta, and I felt that I could learn a lot from that passion. - Sean Wang, tools engineering intern, University of California, San Diego

I heard about Okta from a USF alum, who forwarded the Okta internship opportunity to a USF mailing list. I decided to intern at Okta because I strongly believe in Okta's mission, and also feel that Okta will provide me the best learning opportunity possible. The rigorous interview process told me that Okta has high expectations for their interns, and I felt that a place with high expectations is also a place where I can learn and grow the most. - Helen Chen, software engineering intern, University of San Francisco

What are you most excited to be working on this summer?

I am the most excited about planning the Partner Summit that is happening during Oktane16! - Jessica Tam, partner marketing intern, University of Waterloo

I really enjoy working with my team and the wide variety of projects I’ve had the chance to work on. I love to try new things, and my time at Okta has challenged me to grow. - Nate Loura, corporate marketing intern, The Ohio State University

I am excited to work on Okta’s core product user interface and to interact with the UX team when design choices are needed. - Manuel Tanzi, software engineering intern - UI, Politecnico di Milano - University of Illinois

One of my duties is to prospect for new partners and reach out to them directly. My manager gives me the freedom to form and nurture the relationships myself, something not a lot of interns get to do at other companies. - Aditya Patil, business development intern, University of Waterloo

I'm excited to be working on creating an application that will have a real impact on a large subset of Okta's customers. With a product like Okta's, there are so many unique challenges that I face everyday on this internship that I know I'll be able to learn from. - Joseph Wei, software engineering intern, University of California, Berkeley

I am most excited to assist in the planning of Oktane16 and then actually be able to attend the event to see all the hard work pay off. - Alison Kozel, customer marketing intern, Elon University

In one sentence, tell us why you love Okta.

Okta strikes the perfect balance between challenging and enjoyable work. - Sagar Jajoo, technical marketing and product intern, University of California, Berkeley

I love that everyone here is friendly, humble, and willing to help! - Jasleen Nuno, software engineering intern, Columbia University

I love working at Okta because everyone works toward one common goal and supports one another along the way. - Kenton Smith, software engineering intern, University of Minnesota

People are Always On! - Michael Peng, software engineering intern, University of California, Berkeley

Tell us a fun or interesting fact about yourself.

I’m nerdy for the cloud. - Saurabh Phaltane, site reliability engineering intern, San Jose State University

I speak 5 different languages (and a few different dialects of some of those languages). - Nigina Pulatova, IT support intern, University of California, Irvine

I've been learning Indian classical dance since I was 5 years old! - Neha Nayak, email marketing intern, University of California, Santa Barbara

I love robots! - Jasleen Nuno, software engineering intern, Columbia University

If you’re interested in joining our team or applying to an internship at Okta, check out our openings at the career page.