PayIt summer ‘23 intern spotlight

Interns help drive innovation in the workplace with new ideas and fresh perspectives. And at PayIt, we give our interns a warm welcome and real, high-value projects to contribute to. 

Get to know our Summer 2023 interns: 

Adam Berry: Software Engineering Intern

Education: I’ve been programming for roughly 6 years now and I’m currently studying Comp Sci at KU

Hobbies: I enjoy rock climbing, reading, playing video games, going to the gym, walking, and playing guitar 

Dream vacation: The Moon

What is special about interning at PayIt?

Definitely the people — everyone I’ve met has been very friendly and welcoming.

What projects have you worked on so far?

I’ve been working on improving the accessibility of our ProSight admin tool.

What important lesson(s) have you learned during your internship?

The main one I’ve learned so far is to be better about asking for help. I usually work on my own and I’m fine spending 20 hours ramming my head into the wall trying to get something to work but it just doesn’t make sense in a collaborative environment.

Why did you choose PayIt?

I chose PayIt because I am excited to have the opportunity to do actual software development in a professional environment.

How would you describe PayIt in three words? 

Impactful, dynamic, collaborative.

Aly Meyer: Graphic Design Intern

Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design

Hobbies: exercising (yoga, HIIT, pilates), reading, photography (film and digital)

Dream vacation: Vienna, Austria

What is special about interning at PayIt?

The extremely welcoming culture. Everyone I have met so far has been genuinely happy to see me join the team.

What projects have you worked on so far?

Updating icons and, graphics for blog posts, and cleaning up the orientation slide deck.

What important lesson(s) have you learned during your internship?

Communicate early and often.

Why did you choose PayIt?

From my initial interview, I had the feeling that PayIt had a great culture and team of people.

How would you describe PayIt in three words? 

Groundbreaking, enthusiastic, quirky.

Matt Thomas: Information Security Intern

Education: Working towards B.S. in Cyber Security at Park University

Hobbies: Hiking, camping, gaming, volunteering with theatre

Dream vacation: Rome

What is special about interning at PayIt?

PayIt interns are treated as full employees.

What projects have you worked on so far?

Administration level user management, security audit compliance, hardware ordering and management, vendor communications, and documentation writing.

What important lesson(s) have you learned during your internship?

• Communication with management at all levels is important.
• Insight into the IT side of two technology companies merging.
• Background into how software and hardware is distributed to all parts of the company.

Why did you choose PayIt?

I knew some of the people on my team previously and I liked the company mission.

Ruthvik Jonna: Business Analyst Intern

Education: Canfield Business Honors & Management Information Systems at the University of Texas at Austin

Hobbies: Playing sports (basketball, football, soccer, pickleball, tennis, volleyball, etc.), going to the gym, traveling, spending time with family and friends

Dream vacation: St. Lucia

What is special about interning at PayIt?

Interning at PayIt has been a special experience for me because of the positive and collaborative work environment. I believe the Agile process that the data team utilizes allows us to all communicate effectively with each other, especially in a small group setting. Also, I have really gotten to know my team on a personal level, understanding their backgrounds. The community my team has fostered for me is so helpful, I know they would drop whatever they would currently be doing to help me!

What projects have you worked on so far?

The main project that I have been tasked with and have been working on is the PayIt Analytics Warehouse. Specifically, my job is to help define staging models for various features and data.

What important lesson(s) have you learned during your internship?Throughout my internship at PayIt, I have learned several valuable lessons. I have learned the importance of effective communication, adaptability to changing situations, the significance of attention to detail, and the ability to work well in a team. Additionally, I have gained insights into business operations, problem-solving skills, and the application of theoretical knowledge and data science in a real-world setting.

Why did you choose PayIt?

Heading into summer 2023, I chose to intern for PayIt because I believed that working at a scale-up company would allow me to take on a larger role as an intern and contribute more meaningfully compared to anywhere else. Additionally, I genuinely believed that PayIt was a leading company in the GovTech space and in its industry, which is an additional reason why I believe PayIt is a very strong company and the ideal workplace for me.

How would you describe PayIt in three words? 

Productive, Collaborative, Relaxed.

Sam Christensen: Software Engineer Intern

Education: Entering Senior Year at the University of Utah majoring in Computer Science with a minor in general business

Hobbies: skiing, traveling, grilling

Dream vacation: Borneo, Malaysia

What is special about interning at PayIt?

I think one of the best things about PayIt, especially as an intern, was how fast I was assigned my first coding tasks. After a brief onboarding, I was getting assigned stories like every other member of my team. Jumping right in helped me feel productive and taught me a lot about PayIt development.

What projects have you worked on so far?

Added checks and alerts if someone is making a transaction with an invalid merchantID, removed the secrets out of one of our services into AWS and am currently working on a new page during the cart process. I’ve been working on both the back end and the front end and moving information between both sides of development.

What important lesson(s) have you learned during your internship?

I think one of the best lessons I’ve learned while interning is that everyone is here to help. There have been times where I’ve been stuck on a problem or just want to throw an idea out and get some feedback. Everyone on my team is happy to share what they think and how to best go about the job I’m doing. This advice has been really helpful and it’s great to receive multiple opinions on the same task.

How would you describe PayIt in three words? 

Dedicated, Cooperative, Joyful.

Simone Priebe: Marketing Intern

Education: International MBA with a focus on Marketing and Business Analytics at the University of South Carolina

Hobbies: Spending time outside (kayaking, going to the beach, hiking, swimming), embroidering, reading

Dream vacation: Bocas del Toro, Panama

What is special about interning at PayIt?While I’m just an intern and don’t have extensive professional experience, I can tell that PayIt has a special workplace environment. Everyone I have met is so supportive and genuinely kind. PayIt has it going on!

What projects have you worked on so far?Research project and survey for a large, annual industry report, marketing content, explainer animation videos, and competitive analysis, to list a few.

What important lesson(s) have you learned during your internship?I have learned how to represent PayIt to external organizations, write for marketing purposes, and what kind of culture to look for when I apply for full-time positions.

Why did you choose PayIt?I chose PayIt because I could tell from our conversations that I would have hands-on experience and contribute to real work. My experience has reflected just this.

How would you describe PayIt in three words? Trailblazing, fresh, human-centric.

Sophia Amstalden: Marketing Operations Intern

Education: Pursuing a Marketing and Business Analytics BBA at the University of Texas

Hobbies: Crochet, reading, yoga, sewing, seeing live music, napping with my cat

Dream vacation: Tokyo, Japan

What is special about interning at PayIt?

The company culture at PayIt is amazing. I have been able to feel like I am supported and like I can actually make an impact at the company even as an intern. It has also been an amazing learning opportunity, broadening my understanding of marketing and analytics in a real-world setting.

What projects have you worked on so far?

I have worked on the PayIt Savings Calculator, an online advertising and website metrics analysis project, intent data analysis, creating display ads, and lots of list processing.

Why did you choose PayIt?

I chose PayIt because I felt that I would be able to have hands-on experience, amazing mentors, and actually make an impact with helping the company’s goals — and it has been exactly that.

How would you describe PayIt in three words? 

Joyful, Passionate, Collaborative.