Layla Mathews

Describe the steps you took to obtain your internship.

I had previously applied for the internship in Spring 2022, I had a good friend whose mother worked at the company and she highly recommended their internship program. I submitted my resume and application and went through a series of interviews with various members of L3Harris before I landed my internship in the Contracts Department. After I completed my Summer 2022 internship term, I reached out to my boss to see if they would be willing for me to come back during the Spring of 2023 part-time. She enjoyed my work in the department so luckily she agreed.

How far in advance did you prepare and begin applying for your experiential learning opportunity?

I held a summer internship in the Summer of 2021, so I had insight into what the interview and application process was like. I began looking in the Fall of 2022 for the internship to begin with. After my Summer 2022 term, I decided to take a chance on asking to come back earlier than the following year.

If you used any Career Center services, resources, or events to obtain your internship, what were they? How did they support your application process?

As a member of the COSSPP Student Leadership Council, we are fortunate enough to maintain a close relationship with the Career Center, especially TJ Johnson. Through the SLC we held resume workshops with members of the Career Center to prepare us for applying to internships.

Describe some of your responsibilities or duties during your experiential learning opportunity.

I am responsible for organizing the database that holds all of the companies' contracts and subcontracts. These can be with anyone, from the government to educational institutions, to even other defense companies. I also am responsible for sending out and looking over Non Disclosure Agreements between such companies.

What was a typical day like "on the job?"

I typically log on to the company computer and look at my schedule for the day. Sometimes I'll have meetings with our team member Michael, who's in charge of NDAs, so we can go over what has come in and what needs to be done. Then I go through our database and continue to sort through and restructure our folder system.

What are some major takeaways from your experience? How will these help prepare you for the next step after graduation?

I have realized throughout the experience what exactly are Program and Contracts Managers and what it takes to do their job at L3Harris. I have learned much about the defense industry and more legal jargon that goes into the NDA and contract negotiations. This has all helped me decide what exactly I want to continue doing and even continue studying in law school.

Did this experience help clarify your career path? If yes, how so?

Yes, I came in with little to no knowledge of this industry, but now I have so much more insight. I'm not sure if this is exactly what I will be doing in the future, but I can see it as a viable option.

*Update: Layla Mathews has accepted a full-time role as a Contracts Manager with L3Harris starting July 1, 2024.