Meet Pinterest’s Internship Mentors of the Yr | by Pinterest Engineering | Pinterest Engineering Weblog | Sep, 2024

Our internship program actually evokes workers to convey their finest self to work every single day. Our program has mentors throughout the enterprise that assist interns develop their expertise to create a profession they love. Our Mentors of the Yr have proven distinctive dedication in guiding and supporting our interns on their skilled journeys. Uncover how being a mentor has helped them advance their very own careers at Pinterest and discover out what evokes them.

On this weblog, we’re joined by Irena Lee, Software program Engineer I; Ricardo Casilimas, Software program Engineer II; Lily Liu, Sr. Information Scientist; Sujay Khandagale, Sr. Machine Studying Engineer; and David Xue, Sr. Machine Studying Engineer to offer you a glimpse into their time mentoring our 2024 summer time interns.

Irena Lee

Inform us about your self!

I’m Irena, an iOS engineer on the Cell Builds staff. Our staff focuses on Android and iOS construct occasions and stability each regionally and on CI. I began at Pinterest proper after faculty and have been right here for precisely one yr now. I’m primarily based out of NYC and love going to the brand new workplace but in addition love benefiting from PinFlex to journey ceaselessly.

Why did you turn out to be a mentor?

Prior to now, I truly had a couple of internship experiences at different corporations the place I didn’t really feel supported and mentored by my staff. Consequently, I typically questioned if I used to be lower out for a profession in software program engineering. Once I joined Pinterest, I had no background in iOS or builds. Nonetheless, proper from the beginning, my staff made me really feel comfy and supported by means of the educational curve. I used to be inspired to take the time to study and onboard as a substitute of feeling the speedy stress to carry out. Once we got the chance to have an intern this summer time, I needed to go alongside the unimaginable mentorship I’ve obtained in hopes that our intern would have a a lot better expertise to look again on.

As a mentor, what stands out as essentially the most unforgettable second whereas guiding our interns?

I used to be fortunate sufficient to have the possibility to fulfill our intern in particular person. Despite the fact that it was solely her second week, she joined our org in Mexico Metropolis for an onsite. We had the chance to seize dinner collectively the primary evening there, which was an ideal probability to get to know her in one thing apart from a piece setting. I feel it helped set the muse for a robust mentorship dynamic.

Ricardo Casilimas

Inform us about your self!

My identify is Ricardo, an iOS engineer engaged on the ATG Merchandise staff. Our staff does fascinating work utilizing generative AI and LLMs to construct new person experiences that delight Pinners and hold Pinterest as essentially the most constructive (and fascinating) app in the marketplace. I’m primarily based out of Miami, and considered one of my favourite hobbies is cooking, so I spend lots of time on Pinterest exploring what recipe I can create subsequent!

Why did you turn out to be a mentor?

Probably the most impactful second of my profession was my internship in 2021. I used to be fully recent to the world of software program engineering and tech. I had little or no confidence in myself. I entered the internship ready to work arduous however frightened about my capabilities. Due to my wonderful mentor, supervisor, and staff, I had essentially the most rewarding work expertise in my life and discovered a lot. However crucial factor I gained was the idea in myself that I may study, develop, and discover my very own place on this business. The primary cause I turned a mentor was to offer that very same expertise again — to offer an intern the arrogance, the abilities, and the muse to construct a cheerful and profitable profession. And naturally, to have a enjoyable summer time the entire method by means of!

As a mentor, what stands out as essentially the most unforgettable second whereas guiding our interns?

I feel for me, essentially the most rewarding and unforgettable a part of my mentorship expertise was in the direction of the tip of the internship seeing the expansion of my intern. My intern had an amazing first half of his internship, however there have been positively areas of enchancment and progress that my supervisor and I identified to him.

A particular instance was one mistake he had made throughout his first half was a minor UI bug having to do with darkish and light-weight mode on the iPhone. I keep in mind being so impressed and proud after I was reviewing considered one of his later PR’s and noticed that he had included, within the PR abstract, movies of the function he had inbuilt mild and darkish mode. He was so decided to not repeat the identical mistake once more and develop from it, and I knew that second he was/goes to be an incredible software program engineer with that degree of consideration to element and skill to study and develop from suggestions and his errors.

Lily Liu

Inform us about your self!

I’m Lily, a senior information scientist on the adverts supply staff. My staff’s scope consists of figuring out points and inefficiencies within the supply funnel, analyzing rating fashions, and enhancing adverts efficiency. In my 4 years at Pinterest, I’ve had the pleasure of working with all kinds of groups, together with adverts measurement, retrieval, rating, privateness, and many others. I not too long ago moved to San Francisco from South Bay and am now eagerly exploring the town. In my free time, I wish to play pickleball, make floral preparations, and go mountain climbing.

Why did you turn out to be a mentor?

I used to be a Pintern myself a couple of years in the past! I labored on an impactful challenge and discovered loads from my mentor. After becoming a member of Pinterest, I’ve jumped at alternatives to offer again and mentored junior members on the staff. I used to be so excited to mentor Becky and assist her to search out her personal profession path. Mentoring has at all times been a rewarding expertise for me. I discover that as I clarify evaluation methodologies and findings to my mentees, I additionally query my very own assumptions and infrequently get recent concepts on instructions to look into.

As a mentor, what stands out as essentially the most unforgettable second whereas guiding our interns?

I loved seeing my intern Becky in particular person on a regular basis within the SF workplace. We have been capable of have in depth discussions and work by means of issues collectively. Every time we labored on a tough drawback collectively, her eyes lit up when the answer began to click on. Becky rapidly discovered to navigate ambiguities and remedy issues independently. By the tip of the summer time, different colleagues began to return to Becky to ask questions. I’m so happy with how a lot she has grown.

Sujay Khandagale

Inform us about your self!

Hello, I’m Sujay, a Machine Studying Engineer on the Search staff at Pinterest. I’ve been on the firm for the final two years, constructing machine studying fashions to make Pinterest Search extra customized and related! In my day-to-day, I work on cutting-edge machine studying fashions (eg. transformers and basis fashions) to assist Pinners discover what they’re on the lookout for from lots of of billions of Pins. Along with this, I additionally work on constructing an inclusive search expertise at Pinterest to make Pinners really feel represented on the platform. A few of the issues I’ve labored on embody the pores and skin tone filters and physique kind know-how.

Why did you turn out to be a mentor?

I’ve at all times discovered mentorship to be fairly rewarding — the enjoyment of collaborating and serving to others attain their full potential is actually fulfilling for me. I consider that mentorship can be a robust instrument for private {and professional} progress — it permits me to share my data and expertise with others. At Pinterest, I’ve been lucky sufficient to have some wonderful mentors like Bhawna Juneja, Prabhat Agarwal, and Yuting Wang, who’ve vastly impressed me. Turning into a mentor provides me the chance to offer again to the group by constructing a extra supportive setting at Pinterest.

As a mentor, what stands out as essentially the most unforgettable second whereas guiding our interns?

Probably the most unforgettable half about mentoring my intern, Edoardo Botta, was how rapidly he was capable of ramp up onto the Pinterest Search stack and construct, prepare, and deploy a foundational mannequin end-to-end. This required brainstorming over numerous whiteboard classes on the workplace and navigating by means of stacks of blockers we met alongside the best way. The method of guiding him by means of these levels was immensely rewarding and the spotlight of my mentorship expertise. One other spotlight of this expertise was additionally the day by day lunches I had with Edoardo and the opposite Palo Alto interns — attending to know them and the wonderful tasks they’re engaged on!

David Xue

Inform us about your self!

My identify is David, and I’m a Machine Studying Engineer primarily based in San Francisco, engaged on the ATG Visible staff (also called the Utilized Pc Imaginative and prescient staff). Our comparatively small staff tackles a variety of utilized modeling issues, together with visible search, detection, segmentation, generative AI, and extra. Over the previous 5 years, I’ve primarily labored on 0→1 tasks on the intersection of product and machine studying. Consequently, I’ve a various full-stack expertise spanning modeling, backend, and even some frontend growth. I’ve contributed to numerous tasks reminiscent of Inclusive AI (pores and skin tone and hair sample know-how), AR/3D (magnificence and residential decor), and most not too long ago, generative AI (picture technology, visible LLMs, and multimodal embeddings). What I’ve beloved most is the creativity, empathy, and innovation required to consider how new applied sciences can improve the Pinner expertise!

Why did you turn out to be a mentor?

I truly began at Pinterest as an intern on the identical staff! Reflecting on my expertise as an intern, I keep in mind how empowered I felt by my mentor, Josh Beal, who inspired me to take possession of serious tasks that I initially doubted I may deal with. Since highschool, I’ve at all times loved schooling and tutoring, and mentorship has at all times been essentially the most rewarding side of my profession. Each week, I study one thing new from my intern, whether or not it’s questioning my very own assumptions whereas explaining a modeling idea or gaining recent concepts on how we will enhance the product. The most effective moments of mentorship for me are after I really feel like I study greater than I educate.

As a mentor, what stands out as essentially the most unforgettable second whereas guiding our interns?

Certainly one of my most memorable moments was my intern Joyce Yuan successful one of many high prizes at Makeathon! Makeathon is our annual inner hackathon at Pinterest that brings folks from throughout the corporate collectively for every week to construct new concepts. Joyce, regardless of being an intern, showcased her expertise and fervour by main a big staff of interns and full-time workers. With out Joyce, the challenge wouldn’t have even gotten off the bottom. The good moments for me are these the place an intern takes a challenge additional and in new instructions than I may have imagined.

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