View this post on Instagram
As a computer science major, Yang said he was pleased to have the opportunity to build an application that would make it easier for company representatives to help customers.
He was also drawn to the famous Maine company, a brand known around the world for its outdoor gear, and more locally for its workplace culture. “What drew me to them was how well they treat their customers, employees, and the earth,” he said.
Yang, who grew up in Warren, New Jersey, found the paid internship opportunity through a contact listed in Bowdoin's alumni networking database, who then introduced him to a hiring manager at L.L.Bean.
Yang got involved in the video—which promotes the company's new affordable line of clothing—after another intern reached out to the full cohort of thirty interns to see if any would be willing to star in a short marketing piece.
“The promotional video was completely intern-led,” Yang said, crediting fellow student workers Matthew Solan and Fisher Hirsch for directing and editing the short, and Ruby Hill for co-starring in it with him.
While making the video was a highlight—along with all the kayaking, hiking, rafting, and other outdoor adventures he experienced with the company and other interns, often with freely borrowed L.L. Bean gear—Yang said it was helpful for him to get a “tase of being a software engineer in a professional setting.”
“Before this, my experience was limited to classroom and personal projects, but this time I got to experience software development in a chill corporate setting,” he added.
