SINCE June, Saipan Southern High School alumna Mariana Castro has been a process and manufacturing engineering intern at Intel’s Gordon Moore Park campus in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Castro, who graduated from SSHS in 2021, is also a full-time student at Western Oregon University, where she studies Information Systems and Computer Science. She is a recipient of the Diversity Scholars Program Scholarship, the Presidential Scholarship, and the Woodcock Presidential Endowed Scholarship.
At Intel, her responsibilities as an intern include data testing and collecting as well as “lots and lots of equipment testing and maintenance.”
This is Castro’s second internship at Intel. Her first was with the software engineering department in 2022, where she gained experience in debugging projects, software testing, and more.
Castro has also been a full-time employee at Intel in various positions since her freshman year in college. She currently works as a technician at Intel’s Singulation Module.
“These internships helped me in all the ways you could possibly think of. They not only enhanced my skills but also provided practical experience, industry insights, and numerous networking opportunities,” she said. “I gained a significant amount of knowledge and explored various career paths, which will make it easier when it’s time to choose my long-term career.”
Castro said her parents —Maryanne and the late Manases Castro — motivated her to work hard in Oregon.
“My parents are amazing. They’re my drive, and they rarely asked for anything, but my dad had one request: to never drop out of school,” she said. “I was only 10, but he made it clear that was all he wanted. Next year, I will graduate, but I don’t plan to stop until I get my Ph.D. I’m going all the way.”
For those interested in STEM, Castro said one must “be comfortable being uncomfortable” because STEM is a “challenging” field of study.
“Since STEM is producing such a large amount of job opportunities with promising pay, there are so many people who have decided to major in it as well to secure their future,” she said. “Be prepared for competition and learn to network while you’re at it! Can’t hurt to build a couple more relationships.”
She also jokes that “unless you’re Sheldon Cooper,” the genius from the TV show “Big Bang Theory,” newcomers to tech will have a lot to learn in the field.
“Most internships don’t expect you to know everything and especially with tech, you will struggle,” she said.
She also emphasized how important it is to be collaborative.
“[My first internship] experience taught me a valuable lesson: while classes and résumés are important, building a strong network is equally crucial,” she said. “Collaboration and meetings are something you will learn to do often in corporate, and as an intern, it will be the majority of what you do and you’ll learn how to generate new ideas and stand out.”
