National Intern Day: Lessons on the power of teamwork

Safran’s summer intern program provides opportunities to learn during “Launch & Learn” workshops, behind-the-scenes tours of facilities and other events that foster networking and exchange.

With the recent launch of Safran’s new US employer brand, “Powered by Teamwork,” we have asked several interns to share their insights on the importance of teamwork and other highlights of their experience at Safran for this year’s National Intern Day. 

Name:  Zack Hayes
Company:  Safran Ventilation Systems
Department:  Engineering
Degree:  Mechanical Engineering

• What do you like the most about your internship?

Thus far, I’ve enjoyed learning from my coworkers and becoming a part of the small community that is Safran Ventilation Systems. I also enjoy meeting with customers and exploring creative solutions to engineering problems.

• What is the most important thing you have learned during your internship?

The most important thing I have learned is to be confident asking coworkers for help and advice on projects. It can be intimidating starting a new job, but I have found everyone to be very approachable and helpful at Safran.

• Why is teamwork important in your role?

Asking questions and promoting teamwork are essential to my growth and learning within this internship role. In my experience, belonging to a team that has quality work relationships and is willing to collaborate fosters a better work environment.

Name:  Christine Lee 
Company:  Safran Cabin 
Department:  Creative Services - Marketing 
Degree: B.A. Film & Media Studies and Certificate in UX Design 

• What attracted you to Safran?

I enjoy the work’s purpose! I enjoy the fact that Safran’s products are used by people every day, and they are constantly improving the passenger experience.

• What are your main responsibilities?

My main responsibilities include assisting the team with any graphic design, video production, or event production needs. In addition, my management is supportive in exploring new areas where I can take on responsibilities so that I can develop other strengths. 

• Why is teamwork important in your role?

In the creative department, we often have video shoots of events or meetings that require us to be focused and engaged. While the cameras are rolling, we often have to signal to each other with cues and work in tandem without disrupting the event that is taking place. In order to prepare ourselves for editing and post production, we need to make sure that the actual production runs smoothly. This means that we need to have our paperwork in order and our tasks are clearly planned in order to make our assets organized and ready for us to use later. It is important to communicate needs and inform everyone if there are things that need to be addressed so that we can divide and work together to accomplish tasks in a critical moment in time. 

Name: Jack Samson
Company: Greenpoint Technologies
Department: Stress Engineering
Degree: Mechanical Engineering (expected 2025)

• How did you hear about Safran’s internship program?

A Greenpoint Technologies employee who had attended my university gave a talk in one of my classes about his career. The employee who told me about the company seemed to really enjoy his job and spoke highly of his workplace culture and the work itself. I was interested in an internship and Greenpoint seemed like a very welcoming and interesting place to start. 

• What is the most important thing you have learned during your internship?

I have particularly appreciated being able to observe the process of aircraft stress analysis so closely. I think getting to read such a large number of analyses and talk to engineers about the process will be extremely valuable for building my career. Knowing how engineering stress analysis works and building the most important skills needed for doing it professionally will really be beneficial for my career.

• Can you share a project or success that highlights the importance of teamwork?

Currently I am working on reassessing some of our company’s older data, processing a large number of data sheets, which ended up taking longer than expected. However, by working together with multiple people, the project is being completed far faster and we can get the information we need from the data as soon as possible. 

Name: Ashley Andrews
Company: Safran Defense & Space Inc. 
Department: Human Resources 
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management 

• How did you hear about Safran’s internship program?

I heard about Safran Defense & Space Inc. Optronics through a family member who served in the United States military. He had used several of their products throughout his service and told me about the company. This peaked my interest and led me to look them up on LinkedIn where I saw they were looking for an HR intern.  

• What do you like the most about your internship?

I love how welcomed I feel by the entire organization, especially the people I work with daily. I am treated as a valued member of the team and trusted with responsibilities that allow me to utilize my existing skills and grow as an HR professional. I love that I am challenged on a daily basis. The support I continuously receive from our HR Generalist and HR Director has given me the confidence to take these challenges on and made me comfortable enough to ask questions when needed, making it extremely easy to learn. 

• Why is teamwork important in your role?

Human Resources has many moving parts that require all hands on deck. Working as a team allows everyone to bring their own perspectives and skills to the table, increasing accuracy, efficiency, and productivity whether it be administrative tasks or complex problem solving. 

Name: Yash Dinkar Bharambay
Company: Safran Trusted 4D
Department: R&T
Degree: Masters in Computer Science

• What attracted you to Safran?

I was drawn to Safran for a number of factors, one of which being its reputation as a world leader in Resilient PNT. The chance to collaborate on significant projects in this sector and work with cutting-edge technology. Safran's dedication to developing talent and offering all-inclusive internship programs also matched my career goals perfectly.

• What is the most important thing you have learned during your internship?

The most important lesson that I've learned is the importance of attention to detail and precision in every aspect of building a feature and solving a bug. Also, something that I learned through this internship is the significance of collaboration and teamwork in achieving project success. 

• Can you share a project or success that highlights the importance of teamwork?

I had the opportunity of developing a feature that involved team members from Spain and Rochester. Despite time zone differences, my teammate from Spain and I successfully coordinated our efforts to ensure the feature's success. Her familiarity with the feature complemented our collaboration, resulting in a seamless integration of our contributions.

Name: Rhett Schneider
Company:  Safran Landing Systems
Department:  Continuous Improvement
Degree: Aerospace Engineering

• What are your main responsibilities?

My main responsibilities include managing and participating in 5S and QRQC related activities and supporting other improvement initiatives such as greenbelt projects.

• What is the most important thing you have learned during your internship?

I have learned how to handle myself in a professional environment and how to be quick and efficient in meetings while still getting all the information I need.

• Can you share a project or success that highlights the importance of teamwork? 

A project I have worked on that highlights the importance of teamwork is implementing actions and standards relating to ROGB (an energy saving initiative for machines).  I could add ROGB reminders to end of shift checklists and place color designation stickers on all the machines, but if I don’t properly communicate the meaning of these designations with team leads and operators, then no energy will be saved.

Name:  Rasika Ravindra Kale
Company:  Safran Seats
Department:  Systems Engineering
Degree: M.S. Systems engineering (In progress), M.S. Aerospace Engineering (Graduated), B.E. Mechanical Engineering (Graduated)

• How did you hear about Safran’s internship program?

I first learned about the systems engineering program at Safran Seats while researching about the company via the official Safran website. After that, I specifically learned about the internship program through a conversation with the Safran team at a career fair arranged by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.

• What is the most important thing you have learned during your internship?

I learned the true meaning of “learning on the job”. The processes used by my team and the respective software used to carry them out were new to me. Adopting the adaptability approach has helped me to quickly catch up and even propose some ideas so that our team can add more value to the current workflow. I also learned that everything including your team, your leaders and other resources are available to help you here if you only gather the courage to ask questions. It helped me to develop networking skills and professional etiquette. 

• Can you share a project or success that highlights the importance of teamwork? 

Systems engineers capture the project requirements from multiple sources like airframe manufacturers, customer airlines, design, manufacturing and safety standards etc. This applies to each of the projects that I am currently working on. It also involves interactions with project engineers, design, manufacturing, certification teams, etc. to validate and verify the requirements as applicable to respective subparts of the seat project. This information also includes tracking and managing the schedule for activities which satisfy the requirements. This teamwork is important to get all the required project information, detect and solve the subsystem specific problems collectively in the process of seat development. 

Name: Alex Melton
Company: Safran Power Units
Department: Quality / Engineering
Degree: Aerospace Engineering

• What attracted you to Safran?

The global presence, immense opportunities, and product innovation were the major factors that first attracted me to Safran. The company also welcomed a flexible work schedule that allowed me to comfortably work and complete my degree simultaneously. I appreciated these qualities and knew that Safran would be a great start to my aerospace career.

• What do you like the most about your internship?

I enjoy the involvement with different departments on a daily basis. This has helped me understand everyone’s role in supporting a successful company. I was also able to explore and learn advanced engineering programs such as CATIA and ANSYS that I never experienced during school. This was an exciting and challenging opportunity for me.

• Why is teamwork important in your role?

Teamwork is important in my role because there are critical factors of my responsibilities that affect multiple departments. I have had the opportunity to work directly with the Quality and Engineering teams, where I can see different perspectives for the same problem. In order to keep the team aligned on the same goal, proper communication and teamwork are key in efficiently carrying out tasks and solving problems.

Name: Sydney Thomas
Company: Safran Passenger Innovations
Department: Testing Integration and Automation Software Team
Degree: Pursuing a Computer Science and Business Administration, BS Degree

• What attracted you to Safran?

As an avid traveler, I’m excited by the prospect of using my skills to enhance the flying experience. Safran’s commitment to providing “reliable, affordable, and very easy” products and services to airlines worldwide resonates with me. I particularly admire Safran’s global reach and its impact. 

• What is the most important thing you have learned during your internship?

The critical importance of communication has been my most valuable lesson. Whether it’s updating project progress, expressing my thoughts, or simply checking in, I’ve found that open communication enhances my work experience and productivity. 

• Can you share a project or success that highlights the importance of teamwork?

During my internship, I was given the new task of taking over and finishing up one of the software automation projects from another intern. The lead software engineer, initial intern, and I met to discuss the project goals, tasks, and schedule needs. After our collaboration I was able to set up a new software tool/environment on my computer, digest their shared project knowledge, and begin executing the project tasks. 

Name: Sarah Gwin
Company: Safran USA 
Department: Human Resources 
Degree: Business Administration and Leadership Studies and currently working on my Masters in Human Resources Management

• What attracted you to Safran?

I have had an interest in aviation since I was a child through my grandfather. He was stationed at Randolph Air Force base in Universal City, Texas for 16 years working in Aircraft Maintenance and Quality Control, and we bonded over the numerous airshows hosted for the community. I have also gained a passion for all things HR in the last several years, so the combination of these two made it an easy decision to apply and work with Safran! 

• What do you like the most about your internship?

I absolutely enjoy how hands-on this internship has been, as well as the people I have been able to meet and work with. I also enjoy the opportunities Safran gives to interns. From mentorship and ambassador programs to hosted site tours, interns get to experience it all. 

• Why is teamwork important in your role?

As a Human Resources Business Partner Intern working for a shared services site, we touch all functions of HR such as recruiting/onboarding, training, payroll, performance management, International mobility and more. We are also responsible for the initiation, inclusion, and retention of employees. It is not easy to achieve what I need to do and it takes a village to successfully lift the company and its employees up the way we wish to do.