Meet our 2021 Summer Technology Interns

This summer we are excited to introduce our four Technology Team Interns. They’ll be working with our developers and designers to provide QA testing and UI/UX feedback, support the development of our user guides, and several other projects. They will also have the opportunity to learn more about social network analysis and network science and get career and development advice and mentorship from our team. Here is a brief introduction to the team!

Josh Nikander

Josh Nikander is a student at Thunder Ridge High school in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and is going to be a senior this coming fall. He is a Tech intern and is trying to get as much experience with a tech company as possible before finishing High School. When he goes to college he plans on going into Computer Information Systems. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, skateboarding, snowboarding, and yo yoing.

Krysta Szeto

Krysta Szeto joined VNL this summer as a technology intern. She supports the team by doing everyday behind-the-scenes tasks while learning the ins and outs of complex social networks. Krysta is an aspiring chemist who has always held an interest in the inner workings of the world’s many systems — from microorganisms to larger communities. She is currently a rising sophomore at Colorado School of Mines majoring in Chemical Engineering on the Biological Engineering track with a minor in Biomedical Engineering. She has always been passionate about medicine and aims to create a greater positive effect on those around her.

Matthew Michal

Matthew Michal is a student at Colorado School of Mines, where he is on the honor roll and Dean’s List, and new Tech Intern at VNL. He is working towards a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and has experience programming in Python, Java and C++. He works to support the rest of the team in technical manners and help make the platform the best that it can be. His hobbies include reading, hiking and skiing.

Isabella Spielmann

Isabella was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. She currently attends college at Colorado School of Mines as an Undergraduate Chemical Engineering student. Isabella has worked as an undergraduate researcher at the University of Kentucky Biochemistry Department under Dr. Jessica Blackburn. Isabella conducted research on utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 technology to target cancer genes. She now holds an interest in data analysis, technical design, and project planning. Isabella looks forward to learning more about network science to help her develop a multitude of skills. In her free time Isabella practices Shaolin Martial Arts as a 2nd degree black belt, watches New Girl, and complains about the weather.

About the Author: Alex Derr, M.P.A.

Director of Marketing & Communications

Alex joined VNL in 2017, originally supporting our events. He now helps manages our communications and marketing strategy and content development work. Alex creates blogs, infographics, reports, and other content while managing our web and social media presence. He also runs our email marketing campaigns, tracks analytics, and conducts market research to drive our strategy. He supports our entire team with copywriting, graphic design and research, and helps with events, webinars, demos, and other online learning. When he isn’t at work Alex spends his time climbing 14ers (24 done, 34 to go!) and blogging on his own website, The Next Summit Blog.