Lyft Intern Feature: Ariana Avila

This summer, we'll be featuring our Lyft interns and learning more about their experiences and how they decided to choose Lyft as a place to work, grow, and learn.

Meet Ariana Avila (she/ella) who is currently a Research Intern on the Media and Customer Care team. Ariana shares advice on how to land an internship at Lyft and her favorite parts of interning for the Product Design team.

As a social sciences graduate student working in tech, what did your journey to Lyft look like?

I began my journey into UX Research while conducting my ethnographic dissertation project. In between interviewing my research collaborators about food sovereignty, I conducted informational interviews with social scientists in the field. During walks, I enjoyed listening to podcasts like "Anthro to UX with Matt Artz, "Office Hours: Career Pathways for PhDs with Dr. Jasmin Goodman," and others, until I began to envision myself in similar career paths. Although I was deep into my dissertation project, I was also conducting a mini-ethnography of UX research.

Through listening to others stories, I learned that there were multiple ways into the field. A common tip I heard was to leverage my student status and apply for summer internships. As a PhD student in social science, our summers are often reserved for research or finding a way to get by without summer funding. Since I hadn't considered a career in tech until the summer before my fieldwork, it was going to be difficult to squeeze in a summer internship while balancing the progression of my degree.

Along the way, I found community among social scientists in UX Research and corporate settings at the Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Community (EPIC) conference. I was selected to present during EPIC's Graduate Student Colloquium in October 2023 along with other graduate students working in or pivoting into industry careers. I presented a brief case study on food and transportation, a topic that often appeared throughout my dissertation research. Two panels of experienced social scientists in the industry shared useful insights on how to translate our academic work into an industry presentation. I left the conference feeling energized about pursuing a career in tech. I also found a supportive community of folks who were open and willing to give advice on pivoting into industry. This network was incredibly helpful as I began applying to internships. Prior to my internship at Lyft, most of my job experience was in government and private research firms. Therefore, having a network of folks who could share their corporate culture insights was valuable.

Many anthropology departments in the U.S. encourage students to pursue the limited tenure-track professorships. At the same time, talking about a career that is not-academia remains taboo. However, I encourage other graduate students in the social sciences to be open to the possibility of multiple career pathways. Talk to your peers and find others who are also curious about jobs outside of academia. Listen to podcasts, read blogs, and have conversations with people who are in roles you want to pursue. Often, it will feel like additional labor on top of the PhD, so make sure you find time to rest and be confident that what you seek is seeking you!

What has been your favorite part of your internship experience?

My favorite part about my internship at Lyft has been the mentorship. I am incredibly grateful for Sabrina Papazian, Meghan Wenzel, and Anne Cormia for their ongoing support. My goal has been to absorb as much as I possibly can and they have been the perfect mentors to learn from. Other researchers, designers, and managers on the team have also been kind in providing me with feedback and support that feels like a community effort in molding me into a UX researcher/cross-functional partner.

I've also enjoyed opening my Lyft app and seeing, in real-time, the outcome of the Lyft team's efforts. It's exciting to know that our work is tangible. Last but not least, I've enjoyed bonding with the rest of the interns at the NYC office. Lyft does a great job at creating fun activities for the interns to connect with each other. While I am the only UX Research intern, I've also had the opportunity to e-meet the design interns in San Francisco. We host regular social media activities with the Lyft Design team such as "A Day in the Life of a Lyftern."

Plus, the variety of sparkling water at the NYC office is a bonus!

What made you choose Lyft for an internship opportunity over other companies?

I chose Lyft because of the people. From my first interaction with Lyft's recruitment team and throughout my interview process, I had a good feeling. I could sense that people were respectful and welcoming of one another. In addition, the people in my network who previously worked at Lyft only had positive things to say about the culture. I also aspired to be at a company that aligned with my personal values and mission to do good. And, as I began to learn more about Lyft, I was drawn to our mission to improve people's lives with the world's best transportation. The Lyft's culture and mission influenced why I wanted to be a Lyft intern and ultimately, selected Lyft to do my internship. I'm so grateful that I did!

Do you have any advice for students hoping to land an internship at Lyft?

My advice is to start early and be proactive! Take action and find a way into a career pathway that is of interest to you, including attending webinars on careers that are not in academia and asking people for informational interviews.

I suggest working on your industry resume and portfolio before the tech internship application cycle (early October thru mid spring for UXR). Tailor your resume per internship and apply as soon as you see the posting and a referral could increase your chances for consideration. As the application season approaches, revamp your LinkedIn profile. I began following tech recruiters, internship content creators, UX researchers, etc. By early October, I could open my LinkedIn and scroll through numerous internship opportunities. Sometimes, the internships were from a tech recruiter's list or a repost from a friend of a UX researcher that I followed (which was how I found the Lyft internship!)

Once you pass the resume stage, don't be afraid to reach out to one of the UX researchers you previously chatted with for guidance on industry interviews. Look for articles and videos on UX research interviews and practice. Most importantly, believe in yourself! The internship cycle is tough but not impossible.

Learn more about our internship program hereand check out current job openingsat Lyft!

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.