Jul 11 2016
First Impressions: Facebook University Summer Interns Share Their Story
By Meta Careers
Facebook University (FBU) is an immersive, hands-on training program, which exposes interns to Facebook culture, people, products and services. The internship offers experience across engineering, business, and analytics roles to college students of color and those who are historically underrepresented in the tech industry. In just 8 short weeks, FBU interns are exposed to opportunities that can redefine the way the world connects. Interns are mentored and encouraged to develop their strengths as they contribute to making meaningful impact with their teams.
Learn first-hand from FBU interns who shared their initial internship impressions for this special series.
Summer interns share an inside view of the FBU training program at Facebook.
Since you've started the internship, what are your first impressions? How has it made an impact on you?
Vivian R., Global Marketing Intern: "My first week of FBU training was everything that I expected it to be. The excitement of putting a face to everyone's name, the anticipation of meeting my manager for the first time, and the happiness of receiving my official employee badge made me feel like I was on an exciting roller coaster.
As I walked through Facebook headquarters, I was overwhelmed with love from our recruiters, employee speakers, and fellow FBU interns. I simply cannot put into words how united our class has started off and how supportive Facebook employees have been with our transitions. Being surrounded by such amazing individuals while walking around campus was one thing, but being accepted into the company as something deeper than a labeled intern was the cherry on top! Each day at work that first week I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be, but as soon as I would head home and step off of my commuter bus shuttle, I felt as if reality would catch up to me.
During my first week at Facebook, I had the worst case of impostor syndrome because I had never imagined or trusted that I would be treated so kindly by any company or new group of people. I felt as if during my first week I had received all of these beautiful moments and felt uncomfortable because I hadn't proved myself yet to deserve it. This is when the wise words of one of our diversity panelists really became clear to me. When asked how she dealt with the feeling of impostor syndrome, she portrayed the strength that I knew I held in myself. She confirmed that the reason we were in the FBU program was because we belonged and that our next task was to accept and excel in the opportunity at hand.
FBU is a program that connects students from underrepresented communities with Facebook internship opportunities. Like me, these students worked their tails off to be here. I’m inspired by the fact that the purposeful steps I take by being a part of this program also paves the way for others who come after me.
What has been your experience in regard to Facebook's values and culture so far?
Kristen S., Instagram, Product Marketing Intern: Facebook has five core values: Be Bold, Focus on Impact, Move Fast, Be Open, and Build Social Value. These five core values shape Facebook’s culture and community. In my first week as a Facebook intern, I saw all of these values at play in my training, on Facebook’s campus, and with the people here. One I’d like to highlight is:
#FocusOnImpact - All of the presenters in our FBU training sessions emphasized the positive impact they made on people through their work with Facebook. They talked about Facebook’s mission-driven work and how each one of us will help contribute to making the world more open and connected. For example, one person shared her passion for helping to connect people in developing countries through her work on Internet.org. Another talked about developing long-term diversity strategies to create a pipeline for talent by engaging people of all ages and backgrounds. Other people shared how Facebook has made a difference in their lives both personally and professionally.
These values align with my own personal goals and it's why I’m excited to work with the Instagram team during my FBU internship, channeling these values into my experience! I'm happy to have a project that is meaningful and impactful, and look forward to sharing my research with my team in order to help us create a better experience for everyone. I also hope to help contribute to creating a more diverse and inclusive comunity at Facebook.
Take a visual tour of marketing and business intern Laura M.'s first week in FBU.
What is the work environment at Facebook like?
Dimitris S., Infrastructure Data Science Intern: My first week was filled with fun and excitement. Upon meeting my manager and team, I was welcomed with big smiles and positive attitudes. Both the FBU program leaders and my team have worked hard to ensure that I feel supported throughout the process. From the supportive community to the great food, I feel at home. One of the top highlights was attending a live Q&A with Mark Zuckerberg. Mark holds these employee sessions every Friday and answers all kinds of questions from employees around the world, including interns. To me, this shows the open and transparent culture that makes Facebook unique and it reinforces the company’s mission to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. I think it was a pretty cool way to start my FBU internship!
As you look ahead to the rest of your FBU internship, what is one thing that you'll take with you?
Nathaniel M., Global Business Marketing Intern: There is a poster near my desk that reads, What would you do if you weren’t afraid? This question motivates me to challenge the status quo each day. Every time I see the poster, I muster a little courage to confidently try new things that my fear would normally prevent me from doing. If an action I want to take is honorable, I’ve realized that there’s nothing I will lose if I fail. My goal this summer, and especially at Facebook, is to take risk without being afraid of making mistakes — to do what I would do if I wasn’t afraid.
I’m currently working with the Partner Center at Facebook. I enjoy learning how different teams operate, and I take as many opportunities as I can to participate in meetings with my team members. Not surprising, the fast-paced culture at Facebook is well represented in these meetings. It amazes me how effortlessly my team works on big projects and make it seem easy, when in fact what they do is vast and complex. I hope to learn as much as I can from my team members and from participating in these meetings.
It’s just the beginning and I look forward to making an impact with my projects and connecting with Facebook employees to learn as much as I can. Above all, I want to get outside my comfort zone. I hope to follow the message on the poster and embrace each learning experience presented to me.
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