ANSYS BLOG
July 28, 2022
Meet Our Interns: Building on the Ansys Brand with Fresh New Insights
In honor of National Intern Day, we’re taking some time out to celebrate a few of our interns at Ansys
Every day, we break boundaries, give engineers the power to predict the future, and help them see how products will stand up against different variables. Every year, we like to extend these opportunities to our interns — a select group of students chosen to work directly with our simulation software products and leading experts. It’s an exciting opportunity for them to think bigger, push further, and learn more than they ever thought possible, and for us to gain fresh, new insights about our own work. We’d like to introduce you to a few of those interns and share their insights.
“I think that for people who like to be challenged, who like to be stimulated, and who like to be open to the world, Ansys is made for them. I was able to acquire knowledge in fields that are related to mine and yet I never felt lost.”
— Leila Meksen, student at the University of Le Havre Normandie, France
Leila Meksen is a student in functional safety at the University of Le Havre Normandie, France. Originally from Algeria, she previously studied electronics and then specialized in electronics of embedded systems at the University of Algiers, before leaving in 2020. She loves music, plays the piano and the violin, and helps the elderly.
An internship at Ansys enabled Leila Meksen to apply her functional safety and electronics skills at a global company. It’s been an opportunity to see and understand the way other engineers from around the world do things. Meksen says she had to jump right in, making her internship at Ansys both challenging and rewarding.
It was also the perfect chance to explore different areas, not only those she specialized in. Thanks to her entire team, she stretched herself, acquired new skills, and built confidence in her abilities — and the encouragement just kept coming.
“I have never felt inferior to other engineers at Ansys, even though I am an intern,” says Meksen. “My opinion was always taken into consideration. I was able to apply my theoretical knowledge to certain cases. We were able to reduce the time of certain tasks by 50% thanks to the teamwork, of which I was a part.”
Meksen shares other passions apart from her technical talents. She works as an assistant for the elderly, keeping them company and stimulating their brains with games.
“We drink tea together, we chat, and talk about everything,” says Meksen. “I think it is important to be in contact with the seniors to keep a link between the two generations.”
A Great Place to Start
Niranjan Velraj is studying for his master’s degree in computer science at Northeastern University, Vancouver. He is originally from India and moved to Vancouver in 2021 to advance his studies. He enjoys hiking, playing volleyball, and board games with friends.
“It’s motivating to know the customers who are using Ansys products and what impact they are creating for them. Understanding this bigger picture helped in making better decisions when designing new features for applications. Getting exposed to these high impact development tasks is something that I feel is very valuable.”
— Niranjan Velraj, graduate student, Northeastern University, Vancouver, Canada
Where do you apply for an internship when you have a few years of experience developing web applications for semiconductor devices? Niranjan Velraj was looking for internship opportunities where he could continue to grow his skills and leverage that experience to help build complex applications. The Ansys internship program enabled him to learn new technologies and use his knowledge to develop complex applications.
For example, during his internship, Velraj independently designed a user interface prior to development as part of his master’s program, then showed a demo of his design to the team for feedback. During the demo, a number of flaws were pointed out, enabling him to fix them before starting development and saving him the trouble and time to fix them later on in the process.
“Ansys is a great company to start your professional career,” says Velraj. “The managers have high trust in the interns and give us the freedom to explore, learn, and develop our skills. They are also easily approachable and are always happy to guide and help us when needed. I would highly recommend pursuing an internship here if you are looking to work with a bunch of talented people who are looking forward to helping you succeed in your career goals.”
A Chance to Build on New Ideas
Victoria Viola graduates with a degree in communications and a minor in marketing and digital art/media this coming spring. She’s currently living in Pittsburgh, loves eating out, attending musicals with friends, and traveling — to Paris, Colorado, New York City, and more.
“I live close to Ansys headquarters and would often pass Ansys on my way to visit friends. After researching the company, I was eager to apply for an internship. I’ve heard great things about Ansys and I’m happy to learn more about marketing and event planning at such an incredible company.”
— Victoria Viola, senior at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
The payoff for Victoria Viola as an Ansys intern comes with the opportunity to build on her ideas with other team members, then see the results of her work come to life in the events she helps plan. Viola uses her creative touch to blend the company’s brand with the style and specifications of an event when looking for venues — whether it’s located in California wine country, or the Netherlands serving authentic Dutch cuisine.
Viola started her role in Strategic Events this past spring supporting the planning of Ansys global trade shows and other events. For her, it’s been a truly immersive experience working as part of the events team on numerous projects, including global event venue searches, speaker management, and photo booth assistance for Simulation World. She also received valuable training using Ansys’ virtual event platforms.
“I encourage any student looking to gain experience in their desired field to apply for an internship at Ansys,” says Viola. “Throughout my two rotations, I have learned the ins and outs of producing and promoting a successful event — experience that will inform my college studies in the future.”
An Opportunity to Learn and Grow
“The best thing about my internship at Ansys was my team members. Even though I was the youngest person around, everybody made me feel comfortable right from the beginning. I got the opportunity to take ownership of my project and work collaboratively with other members of the team.”
— Digant Rastogi, student at the Dehli Technological University, India
Digant Rastogi graduates in 2023 with a major in electrical engineering and a minor in computer science. He was born in Lucknow, grew up in Dehli, and has also spent time in Mumbai. He loves traveling, music, and good food — including cooking different delicacies himself.
The biggest impression Ansys left on Digant Rastogi was the interest of the senior members in understanding his day-to-day accomplishments on the job. Among Rastogi’s contributions were the regular sharing of relevant information, such as researching important technical topics relevant to the team’s work and courses that can help others improve their skills. Rastogi also created a list of resources that he used to ramp up in the early weeks of his internship that can be passed on to future interns for easy learning.
Learning is central to Ansys’ culture, and that is what Rastogi discovered and appreciated the most. His own growth on the job was fostered through mutual opportunities among team members. It was an immense learning curve for him over the last two months, reflected in the hands-on experience he gained with large-scale software development.
“I witnessed exponential learning but also met some of the most amazing people,” says Rastogi. “Ansys provided me the opportunity to learn about the cutting-edge technology used in the very large-scale integration (VLSI) industry and learn from some of the best engineers in the domain.”
Click here to learn more about internships at Ansys or if you're ready to accelerate your career through our internship program then browse our current openings today.