Intern Spotlight: Anna Jordan ’24 recognized with inaugural CIO Award for Excellence
Catching up with past IT interns
Internships are a critical aspect of a William & Mary education. No matter what a student is majoring in, so much can be learned by gaining real-world work experience. W&M Information Technology has a long-standing tradition of welcoming student workers and incorporating them into our overall strategy of providing a reliable, flexible and secure technological environment that enables swift and skilled solutions for rapidly changing needs.
Established in 2024, the CIO Award for Excellence is a prestigious honor that is given to a graduating student who has demonstrated exceptional performance and contribution to William & Mary Information Technology, either as a student worker or intern. The award aims to celebrate the achievements and potential of the IT students who have shown leadership, innovation and excellence in their academic and professional endeavors.
The first-ever recipient of the CIO Award for Excellence is Anna Jordan. Anna was presented with the award during the Evening for Excellence on April 18, 2024. Learn more about Anna in the Q&A below.
Anna Jordan ‘24
Major
Undergrad: Major in Geology and Computer Science
Internship Position
Student Support Technician
Internship Period
Spring ‘22 - Spring ‘24
What were your duties as an intern?
During my years at W&M IT, I worked at the IT Support Desk in Swem and in W&M’s Technology Support Center (TSC) in Jones Hall, helping both students and faculty with all things technology related. Students mainly request help for resetting passwords and using the new campus printing system. Faculty, on the other hand, came to the TSC for a more diverse range of technical inquiries. An inquiry that stood out to me was when a faculty member asked to help connect an external monitor to their laptop. The monitor was incompatible with the laptop’s high resolution, and the regular Windows settings didn’t allow the needed reduction in resolution. I had to dig into the advanced adapter settings to lower the resolution to something compatible with the monitors. On top of person-to-person support, I also refilled and repaired the lab printers around campus, replacing ink cartridges, fixing jams, and refilling paper.
Who did you work closely with during your time here?
Everyone who works in the TSC is supportive and always willing to help out if I am stuck on a problem with a client. My supervisor, Rodney Franks, and non-student colleague, Jason Dill have helped me the most in my time here. When I am in Jones, I work in the office with other non-student employees. When I am on-duty at Swem, I am typically working alone. However, even at Swem I am never really alone because I can always message Rodney or Jason on Microsoft Teams.
What were some of the takeaways from your time working in IT?
Despite being a technical role, working in IT has allowed me to significantly enhance my communication skills. I was able to speak to a wide variety of people that came up to the desk and learned how to interact with them. The most important part of the job is effective communication. It was essential that I was able to both clearly identify the issue, and then explain the reasoning as well as the step-by-step solution to the person who needed help.
What will you be doing after graduating?
This summer I will be moving to Wyoming where I will work at a natural history museum. I am pursuing paleontology as a career, and my position there will focus on museum work and public outreach. I will be doing fossil excavation and prep work, as well as conducting field tours to the active dig site where dinosaur material is being uncovered.
How did your internship experience prepare you for your career?
My experiences working in W&M IT has prepared me well for my role this summer and beyond related to public outreach and scientific education because of the strong emphasis on communication skills.
Thank you!
We can not thank you enough for all that you have contributed to W&M IT, Anna. Congratulations on your upcoming graduation - we know you have a successful future ahead of you!
