Each year, we're privileged to welcome talented students and recent graduates into our 10-week SambaSafety Summer Internship Program. Participants have the opportunity to develop practical skills, strengthen professional capabilities and connect with industry leaders, all while contributing innovative and creative solutions that improve our company as a whole. Our 2024 cohort — Bobby Vu, Marija Vujkovic, Rose Berger and Peyton Howard — represents the diverse set of talent that makes SambaSafety a great place to work. We recently sat down with them to explore what they've learned throughout their risk management internship and how it'll springboard them into the next stages of their careers.
Bobby: I am currently enrolled at CU Boulder. I'm in Computer Science, and I chose this field of study because I ended up liking coding from an elective class.
Marija: I am enrolled at the University of Denver. I had attended MSU Denver for my undergrad majoring in Restaurant Management with a minor in Human Resources. Up to this point, I had already been working in hospitality/food & beverage the last 10 years of my life and was kind of burnt out from it. In a nutshell, I was tired of being "just an employee". I enjoyed the courses I was taking in my minor more than my major, but felt like I was just skimming the surface and wanted to learn more in the field of HR. Once I graduated from MSU I decided I would in enroll at DU to continue my education in HR.
Rose: I attend Colorado State University. I wanted to work in a field that is constantly evolving and there is always more I can learn. I love solving problems and am fascinated by the world of technology.
Peyton: I am enrolled in the University of Colorado, Boulder. I chose to study Business Analytics because I like how it is a combination of data and business. I enjoy the challenge of having a mix of both disciplines.
Bobby: I like to create and sell digital art in my free time.
Marija: I am an artistic person, but I also have a highly competitive spirit. I enjoy expressing my art through food and love doing things where competition is involved, whether that be through cooking or sports.
Rose: Despite being from Illinois and going to school in Colorado, I am a hard-core Miami Dolphins fan. Fins up!
Peyton: I am an identical twin.
Bobby: It's been fun and informative!
Marija: Informative, fast, interesting, helpful, fun
Rose: Interesting, informative, educational, rewarding and supportive
Peyton: Insightful, memorable, growth, special, rewarding
Bobby: I had no idea there was such a large gap/window for employers to know when their drivers get something on their record.
Marija: The way things have been done prior to driver risk management is that if an employee receives and infraction on their record, the employer would not be notified about it until much later, meaning risky drivers are on the road and working for these companies and they don't have a clue about it. Now, continuous driver monitoring gives employers and the community some peace of mind that things are being done to keep communities safer.
Rose: [I learned] how different risk management is from state to state. When looking at data, every state applies a different risk value to everything. For example, speeding could be a much higher crime in Wyoming versus Colorado, which I find intriguing.
Peyton: Before starting this internship, I wasn't aware of how many distinct aspects of a company can be affected by driver safety/risk. I was interested to learn that driver risk management and continuous monitoring can not only help reduce costs, but also employee improve employee retention due to a proactive system that can highlight who might need some coaching.
Bobby: An important skill that I've further developed at Samba is communication. Never have I had to speak this often compared to school. It was a minimal amount with teams or group projects, and so I believe that this has been beneficial for me.
Marija: This internship is helping me build layers to my experience and knowledge of HR by applying critical thinking and working on real-world projects. This internship has been a great program for networking and getting insight from industry leaders.
Rose: I have learned how to work in a team. The Samba Engineering team is so helpful and is always there to answer my questions. I think Software Engineering is a big collaborative field and I will take those teamwork skills into my future careers.
Peyton: During my time at Samba, I have gained valuable insights about how to look at a data set and think about the most effective way it can be laid out for others to understand. I have also been able to experience firsthand how teams across a company interact with each other and how much communication goes into every position.
We'd like to extend our sincere gratitude to our 2024 Summer Interns and wish them all the best in their future endeavors!
Whether you're in school, just beginning your career or are a seasoned professional, SambaSafety has something for everyone. If you're passionate about driver risk management and community safety, we want your talent! Click the link below to explore all open positions.