Aksoy, Arora and Lodha aren’t done developing ismyinternshipcancelled.com. Though they’d like to keep it simple, they’re adding a more robust hiring side of the website, collaborating with recruiting companies to expand their reach, finding ways to add social and commenting features, and building up their back-end resources to be able to handle all the new data.

As the website expands, it’s also becoming a snapshot of the state of companies and internships in areas hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team added a map feature with locations of company headquarters and their internship program statuses, which can be compared to hotspot maps of COVID-19 case counts.

“We’re seeing a correlation between coronavirus cases in an area with the number of cancellations and remote internships, for example in the San Francisco Bay Area and in New York City,” Aksoy said.

The treasure trove of data they’ve collected has also caught the attention of researchers who want to study the current situation.

Arora and his team members say they believe the lack of opportunities for students this summer will have far-reaching effects for new graduates beyond 2020. When this year’s juniors graduate in 2021, they might be lacking experience on their resumes that would make them competitive candidates for prestigious jobs.

However, the trio believes ismyinternshipcancelled.com will have a life beyond the pandemic as a resource to find internship opportunities.

Aksoy and Lodha know from firsthand experience the importance of internships, and the two graduating students owe the start of their careers to internship opportunities.

Lodha will start a full-time position with American Express after he graduates in August. It’s a return offer resulting from an internship he had last year — one of three he’s had as a college student.

Aksoy had six internships before he graduated in May, starting in high school. He will begin a full-time position with the highly selective investment management company Two Sigma in New York City, likely in the fall if the COVID-19 situation in the city improves.

“I wouldn’t have received an interview with the company if I hadn’t done the internships I had,” Aksoy said. “My experience reiterates the importance of doing internships.”

Arora believes he’s one of the fortunate ones to have secured an internship with Apple that will continue online, though he’s disappointed to be missing the opportunity to be working at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.

“This is my first internship in the U.S. and it’s a big one for me,” Arora says. “It’s a door-opener for future employment options.”

The team members are proud of what they’ve accomplished in a few short months.

“The fact that we might be helping a cause is surprising because we thought it would just be a fun website,” Arora said. “We’re very happy we were able to create this resource to provide any sort of support that we can.”

Monique Clement

Lead communications specialist, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

480-727-1958