RapidSOS Summer 2021 Intern Spotlight

This summer, RapidSOS welcomed 13 new interns to our team! Joining us virtually from all over the world, our class of interns is working closely with every department in RapidSOS to transform emergency response for hundreds of millions of people globally. They are bringing in their unique perspectives to RapidSOS. Continue reading to learn more about our incredible 2021 class of summer interns. Keep reading to hear more about their experiences at RapidSOS. 

Louis Choicer (Engineering) 

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
There’s no denying that the work we do helps save lives. Every day, hundreds of lives are lost because the information was unavailable or not transferred fast enough. We live at the peak of technological innovation yet we are bottlenecked by the data flow. Knowing that the systems we work on every day could potentially save a loved one or even ourselves sets the standard that our work should be excellent.

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
I’ve always heard about company culture and how it could make or break a company. As a remote intern, it was hard to grasp RapidSOS culture until I attended the Back to Office Event. Immediately, I picked up on the way everyone interacted with each other, the values they hold, and the enthusiastic energy. Even though that may not have been the most productive day in RapidSOS history, it certainly reminded everyone how meaningful our work is. Now that I’ve had a taste of thriving company culture, it’s hard to imagine working for a company whose mission and team values are unaligned.

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
My latest project improving the Webhooks system has been my proudest achievement. I’m excited about this project because it changes how our partners receive information and increases the scalability of our systems. It feels good knowing that my code will be running on production someday and not just stored away.

Mariya Balakirskaya (Operations)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
Coming from a smart home security background, I wanted to apply my MBA skillset to a company that helps make people safer. RapidSOS is an incredible social enterprise that develops cutting edge technology that saves lives and I’m grateful to have been a part of that mission this summer.

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
Learning from the brilliant people that work at this company and diving even deeper into the security and emergency space. It has been exciting to see the inner workings of a high growth startup and see firsthand how the team is scaling up operations.

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
Working with subject matter experts in the commercial security side of RapidSOS’s business; it has been enlightening and exciting and I look forward to seeing the application of my work even after my internship ends.

Samir Alazzam (Engineering)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
The team members I met during the interview process seemed very driven by the work they were doing!

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
The culture around learning and self improvement

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
Working on integrating our Spatial Layers feature with our Midas service, to make dynamic tracking location more effective.

Nirit Gilboa (Strategy)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
The company is mission-driven and the CEO and all the people I have met before joining the company were extremely inspiring

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
The people! Everyone is so welcoming and have all the patience needed to guide you on everything you ask for, even if they are super busy

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
Assisting in a pricing strategy for a strategic bid!

Brandon Whitney (Operations)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
I was really attracted to working in an innovative technology startup with a strong mission.

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
Definitely the people!

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
Developing strategies to help more ECCS understand and adopt our product.

Sam Koch (International Expansion)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
I wanted to work at a place that makes a difference in the world. 

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
The people! Everyone here is amazing and it has been a blast working with the team.

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
Building a new integration between Gong and Slack which promotes communication between the sales team and other functions.

Katya Tymchenko (Marketing)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
Like most people that join RapidSOS, I was drawn to the company’s mission and genuine interest to directly impact human life. Throughout the recruitment process, I could tell people were excited about the work they were doing (yes, this translates even through a computer screen :)) and I knew that I’d have the opportunity to be both challenged and rewarded in as little as ten weeks. 

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
I’ve really enjoyed the team meetings when the entire company comes together. They’ve created a sense of community despite the fact that most of us have been working remotely.  The transparency and consistent reminders of business goals have us, interns, feeling like full-time employees that have the potential to make a real difference. 

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
I was thrilled to have been given the opportunity to work on the SimpliSafe partnership announcement and the RapidSOS Partner Network. It’s exciting (and a little terrifying) to know that my work has this level of impact; thankfully, my talented marketing team keeps me in check. 

Edris Samadi (Revenue Operations)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
I believe in the mission and I wanted to gain experience in a startup environment.

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
How the team has trusted me to do my work as I see fit. I’m given a lot of responsibility and freedom to think through a solution.

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
I’ve enjoyed assessing the costs behind running the service and helping with sales team efficiencies.

Jake Greenstein (Legal)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
RapidSOS presented an incredible opportunity to work for a technology startup and develop my in-house legal skills while leveraging my background in software engineering.

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
Collaborating with a highly skilled mission-driven team utilizing technology to better the world, and in the case of RapidSOS, literally save lives. Also, helping RapidSOS develop an ever-expanding list of impressive partnerships has been a unique privilege.

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
Supporting the deal flow by reviewing and providing comments to master service, service integration, reseller, and non-disclosure agreements. 

Alyssa Ponzo (Operations)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
Opportunity to work in a strategic function at a mission driven company that had just raised money and was looking to plan for growth near and long term. Also, I really liked all the people I met during my initial conversations and knew I could learn from them. 

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
Getting to work closely with so many smart people across different teams. 

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
Being named Product Manager for the RapidSOS Connect 24/7 Monitoring feature.

Dana Hwu (Operations)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
I was looking for a mission-driven startup where I could make a meaningful impact. RapidSOS saves lives everyday, and I’m privileged to get to use my strengths and skills to contribute to this work.   

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
the people and company culture. Everyone is very welcoming, driven, and scrappy to get things done.  

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
a project I am working on to operationalize and streamline the post-sale and customer relationship management process. This process is highly cross-functional and will allow everyone to work together in a more efficient and organized way to reach company goals and ultimately, ensure our partners and emergency call centers have the best experience possible with RapidSOS products.  

Daniel Duran (Operations)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
I thought the mission of the company is very clear and can have a huge impact on the lives of millions of people. I also wanted to try out the startup scene to see if this is the environment I would like to be a part of in the future.

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
The people that I have been able to work with. Everyone is bright and fully brought into the culture and the work that they do every day.

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
Being able to contribute to the team from early on.

Elijah Conniff (Operations)

I chose to work at RapidSOS because…
I chose to work at RapidSOS because of the mission. Technology has the potential to solve large scale problems, and RapidSOS is a great example of that. Empowering emergency response teams with tools to save lives is a mission anyone can get behind. It’s inspiring to work for a company that is making the world a better place. 

So far, my favorite thing about RapidSOS has been…
I’ve loved the people at RapidSOS. From my first day, everyone has been really helpful – always willing to lend a few minutes to chat and offer advice. It’s a great group of mission driven people who make coming to work each day exciting. 

My proudest achievement at RapidSOS has been…
I’m proud of the work that I have gotten to do on the monitoring product –it’s been really great to work on a product that will make the world a safer place. 

 

 

Interested in joining the RapidSOS team? See our open roles on our careers page here.