The combination of technical depth, ownership of substantive projects, and access to executive perspective made this experience meaningfully different from typical intern work.
Name: Sidharth Sunil Menon
Major: Cybersecurity
Employer: EdgeConneX
Location: Herndon, VA
How did you find the internship/co-op? What was the interview process like? I found the EdgeConneX internship through my active job search during the spring semester, applying through the Jobright job portal. The interview process consisted of two rounds. The first was an initial screening call with the HR team where we discussed my background, prior experience at KPMG, and my interest in the role. The second was a technical interview with the Global Head of Cybersecurity and Risk Compliance, which covered a range of topics including my hands-on security experience, my approach to specific technical scenarios, and my understanding of compliance frameworks. The interview process was well-structured and gave me a clear sense of the technical depth of the role and the person I would be reporting to. I received the offer within a few hours of the technical interview, which reflected both the interviewer's decisiveness and the company's efficiency in hiring.
What have been the most interesting aspects of your internship? The most interesting aspects of my internship have been the opportunities to work on high-impact, custom projects that required me to design solutions from the ground up. Building a compliance tool that consolidated insights from AWS Security Hub and later being entrusted with developing a social media monitoring solution for identifying publicly available content exposing sensitive company facilities gave me significant creative and technical latitude. I also found the direct mentorship from a senior security executive with over two decades of experience to be particularly valuable, as it exposed me to how strategic security decisions are made at the leadership level. The combination of technical depth, ownership of substantive projects, and access to executive perspective made this experience meaningfully different from typical intern work.
What campus activities or courses do you think helped you, or would have helped you, with this internship? The courses that helped me most during this internship were Network Security and Cloud Security, both of which I completed during my first year at UMD. Network Security provided the foundation I needed for incident investigation work, particularly when analyzing network packets and tracing IP activity across logs. Cloud Security gave me the practical grounding to build the compliance tool that pulled from AWS Security Hub and also supported my work on Azure cloud security posture management. If I could recommend an additional area of preparation, I would suggest that students seeking similar internships; also, engage with hands-on labs on platforms like TryHackMe or HackTheBox to build muscle memory for practical security work beyond what coursework alone can provide.
How would you describe the company culture? What was the most helpful thing your supervisor did to make you feel comfortable at the organization? The company culture at EdgeConneX is genuinely welcoming and collaborative. Every employee I interacted with was helpful, approachable, and willing to lend support even when the request went beyond their immediate responsibilities. As a growing company, there is a strong sense of shared ownership across teams, and access to senior leadership is notably open, which is not something you always find at organizations of this scale. The most helpful thing my supervisor did to make me feel comfortable was scheduling individual conversations with each member of the cybersecurity team during my first weeks, which gave me a clear understanding of what everyone did and where I could contribute. Beyond that initial onboarding, he was consistently generous with his time throughout the internship, willing to sit on long calls to teach me concepts, walk through his reasoning on complex decisions, and provide substantive feedback on my work. This combination of a welcoming broader culture and hands-on mentorship from my direct supervisor made the environment feel supportive from the start.
How have your career or academic goals changed as a result of this internship experience? This internship has provided significant clarity around how I want to progress in the cybersecurity industry. My prior interest in cloud security has been reinforced through the work I did on compliance tooling and cloud security posture management, and I have also developed a new interest in AI security as an area I want to explore further given how quickly it is emerging as a critical domain. My longer term goal is to work toward a Chief Information Security Officer role, and the mentorship I received during this internship, particularly around thinking about business context, strategic priorities, and building programs that scale, has helped me develop the perspective I will need to eventually take on that kind of leadership responsibility. Rather than changing my academic goals, this experience has reinforced my commitment to completing my Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity with a focus on courses that will support both technical depth and strategic thinking.
What advice would you give other UMD engineering students seeking an internship or co-op position? My advice to other UMD engineering students seeking an internship or co-op position is to start the search early and treat it as an active, ongoing process rather than something to compress into a few weeks. Build a strong resume that is tailored to the specific roles you are targeting rather than sending a generic version for every application. Leverage the resources available through the Engineering Career Services office and international student resources at ISSS if applicable, as these can help significantly with the CPT and OPT processes. Network intentionally with alumni and industry professionals on LinkedIn, and do not hesitate to reach out for informational conversations. When you do get interviews, prepare thoroughly for the technical components while also being ready to discuss your genuine interests and career goals. Finally, once you secure a position, approach it with curiosity, humility, and a willingness to contribute meaningfully. The people you work with will remember how you showed up, and those relationships will support your career well beyond the specific role.
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