Kevin Washington interns with NuVasive in San Diego

Kevin Washington interns with NuVasive in San Diego

Kevin Washington, an ambitious senior at Alcorn State University, is preparing himself for a standout career in the world of business.

The business administration major is a student intern at NuVasive in San Diego, California. NuVasive creates medical devices used in spinal surgery and has patented a process for minimally invasive spinal surgeries. Kevin’s job is to gather business and functional requirements for projects that are critical to generating business for the company.

Although Kevin has experienced working for retail companies, he credits his experience at NuVasive as the best position he’s ever had.

“The experience has been amazing,” said Kevin. “I have learned more at this company in the last six weeks than I have in the last five years of working in retail. They truly expect me to understand everything going on around me and contribute to the business everyday. I love everything about it.”

Coding in Structured Query Language (SQL), agile development methodology and project management are some of the skills Kevin has picked up during his tenure.

“I’ve learned the basics of reading and creating queries using SQL, which creates readable spreadsheets from data within databases. I’ve had the opportunity to break large projects into smaller, manageable parts and determine which to complete within two weeks. Also, I’ve assigned individuals and managed their progress within a particular workflow.”

The knowledge and exposure Kevin has received has been his favorite part of the internship.

“Information technology plays an important role in any enterprise these days. It’s what keeps the business running. I have learned how to navigate the company’s information technology infrastructure and combine it’s capabilities with the evolving requirements of business.”

Kevin hopes to open a business that specializes in helping minority owned small businesses succeed.