Safran Defense & Space, Inc. Optronics

Safran Defense & Space, Inc. will be at Worcester Polytechnic Institute today to take part in the Fall Career Fair! Make sure to stop by our booth at the Sports & Rec Center from 12-4pm and connect with Curtis Sargent to hear about all of the exciting opportunities at Safran DSI, including full-time, part-time and internship roles! #SafranDSI #Optronics #TestingandTelemetry #SpaceSolutions #APNT #Engineering

Next up in our intern spotlight series: Trevor Blanchard As Trevor wraps up his internship with us, we want to express our gratitude for his contributions. We're excited to see where his next opportunity takes him and wish him all the best! But before he finishes on Friday, we’d love to share a few insights into his experience with us. "Throughout my internship at Safran Defense & Space, Inc. Optronics, I have enjoyed being able to interact with employees while helping them with their technology needs. This is not something I experienced with my background in Computer Science. This has lead me to want to continue to pursue a career in IT and system administration. My manager has also been supportive in recommending possible career paths and certificates I wouldn’t have otherwise considered." "My internship experience allowed me to expand many professional skills, especially communication. Prior to my time here, I was less confident in taking charge of an issue or concern that an employee had. Working with employees on a daily basis has allowed me to learn how to communicate with different people. As I continue my career in IT, these abilities will help me to be successful in collaborating with others and helping them to solve problems."

We’re excited to continue our Internship Spotlight Series! While many of our summer interns have headed back to school, we’re thrilled that some have stayed on, and are continuing to make contributions to our team. Today, we’re highlighting Madeline Davis, who is making an impact in Business Development. Now, let's hear what Maddie has to say about her experience! "During my internship, I gained several unexpected skills. My understanding of finance concepts was enhanced by utilizing advanced Excel formulas, which increased my proficiency in Excel and provided a real-world application to my academic studies. I also gained valuable insights into the products offered at Safran, such as ECOTI, TAD, PLRF and CTAM. Hands-on experience with these products enabled me to better support our customers and improve the service I can provide." "I consistently feel supported by my manager and mentor, Laurel Soucy. Her emphasis on the importance of my education makes balancing classes and work much more manageable. Laurel is committed to providing me with a well-rounded internship experience, involving me in meetings, discussions, and encouraging me to share my input on important company matters. Being able to contribute to the business helped me develop fundamental communication and collaboration skills. Laurel continuously prioritizes my learning throughout my time with Optronics and I am incredibly grateful."

It's Day 1 at Ft. Moore for the Maneuver Warfighter Conference. Stop by and visit our team of experts supporting combat missions for the US Army. #Optronics #SafranDSI #PASEO #PAVAMMS

We're incredibly impressed by the skills and contributions of our summer interns. As they head back to school, we're continuing to spotlight more of their achievements. Next up is Selena - find out what she has to say! "A specific accomplishment from my internship experience that I am proud of is when I was able to successfully set up and enable a microcontroller to interpret serial data sent by my PC. This might not be the most difficult of things to do, but this accomplishment was definitely one of my first major stepping stone moments of the internship period, as I didn't have solid experience working with serial communication nor working with this family of microcontrollers and its respective development tools prior to this. As a second year engineering student, one of my biggest goals going into this internship was to improve on and grow my technical skillset, and this was just one of many examples of how my internship experience enabled me to work towards this goal." "The Lunch and Learn sessions that I had the opportunity to attend were all engaging and memorable experiences for me. After listening to experts speak about their respective fields, I learned a lot about the overall engineering process and how so much goes beyond the engineering design bubble that I've been familiar with. They even helped to open my mind up to possibilities in regards to my own future career path, as areas that are more on the production and quality ends of engineering were all previously unfamiliar to me. Also, the free lunches were definitely a plus!"

Our Interns are starting to head back to school! We're going to miss having them around the office. Next up, let's hear from Ayeden Rios! "This internship has taught me many things about the real working world, importantly how critical it is to stay as professional as possible at all times. My team has taught me best design/testing cases across the board I never thought about before, as this is my first real experience getting feedback from more senior engineers outside the academic field." "I have also been taught about the work-life ethics in a DoD job, and how warm and welcoming the community can be if you talk to others around you. As an introvert, I have an extremely hard time coming out of my shell and breaking the ice with others. My manager (Joshua Coville) brought me in and showed me nothing but respect and has introduced me to many different members of Safran DSI. I aspire to think more critically like him and the team around me. These positive influences this summer has driven me to work harder and check anything that might not make sense to me. The connections I have made and the experience I have had this summer has been amazing."

Safran DSI Optronics was honored to take part in the summer Backpack Drive, put on by the Bedford, NH Keller Williams office. This year, our amazing staff donated more than 50 backpacks and school supplies to support the kids and families in our community. #SafranDSI #Optronics #Community #Giving #Culture

Next up in our Intern Spotlight series is Matthew, our Transition Engineering Intern. Learn more about his insights and experiences below! "The CITV project challenged me the most during my internship. The amount of components and subsequent testing that goes into it was much more than I had anticipated. But I decided to dedicate a large amount of time to reading up on the project and all of the testing procedures that it went through in order to better understand it. After doing all of that, I gained a much better understanding of the project and how to conduct the necessary tests for it." "Teamwork was very important for my internship experience. Working alongside others to make sure that the work we are doing gets completed is a huge part of internship experience. It was from working with my coworkers that I saw self-improvement in my communication skills from making sure everyone is up to date on both the progress and any potential setback that might be encountered."

Continuing our Intern Spotlight series, we're thrilled to introduce Ashley Andrews, our HR Intern, who is now in her second summer with us. We asked Ashley to share her journey and insights from her internship experience. Here’s what she had to say: "My internship experience has been a pivotal step towards my career goals of one day becoming a Human Resources Generalist and eventually taking on a leadership role as an HR Manager or Director. My time at Safran Defense & Space, Inc. provided practical experience that complemented my academic background in HR Management, allowing me to develop specific skills that I will rely on throughout my career. Through hands-on projects and mentorship, I gained insights into the functions of HR, clarified my career goals, built a professional network, and became proficient in various HR tools, all which were instrumental in preparing me to enter the workforce as an HR professional." "This experience prepared me for real-world challenges in my career by providing me with hands-on experience in a variety of HR functions. I learned to navigate complex employee relations issues, manage onboarding processes, and handle administrative tasks. The internship also helped me develop critical soft skills, such as effective communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. Additionally, working in a real-world environment exposed me to the intricacies of organizational dynamics and the importance of adaptability, which are both crucial for a successful HR career. My time at Safran Defense & Space, Inc. has prepared me to tackle HR challenges effectively and given me the knowledge to confidently enter the workforce." 

As we wrap up our 2024 summer internship program, we want to extend a sincere thank you to all of our interns for their outstanding contributions. We invited them to share their experiences with us. First up is Henry—read his insights below! "The aspect of the Optronics company culture I found most rewarding was the willingness of everybody in the building to help and lend a hand. I had many experiences throughout my internship of people from my department and other departments dropping everything to help me or a co-worker. I learned so much from people who, had the company culture been different, I would have never spoken to let alone worked along-side. This type of selfless action creates such a welcoming and empowering community, especially to an Intern who is new to the company."  "The Optronics internship program helped equip me with essential skills for my future by allowing me to try, fail, and try some more. Throughout my internship there was an emphasis placed on real job experience. By being allowed to lead real projects that had a real impact on the company, I was able to try new things and learn from my mistakes. Being able to learn and grow from your mistakes is a critical skill that I look forward to taking with me into my future career. I will certainly be able to look back on Optronics as a place that allowed me to learn and practice this skill daily."