McNeese Senior Interns With PayPal 

Computer engineering senior at McNeese State University, Brian Richard-Ikediashi spent time as a junior interning with PayPal in Chicago, Illinois.  

Richard-Ikediashi, from Lagos, Nigeria, took the time to learn from people who have more experience and understood the importance of collaboration on product creation.  

“I gained very important knowledge in building mobile apps and software development,” he said. “This will help me in the future because I have always had an interest in building apps.”  

Richard-Ikediashi discovered a lot about data structures and the software development lifecycle in classes, which helped him a great deal when faced with critical decision making during his internship.  

“I was using an entirely new programming language,” he explained. “There were multiple teams interconnected to achieve a common goal.” 

He plans to continue to pursue a career in software development following graduation.  

“I was excited to join a program at McNeese as an international student that wasn’t offered in many other colleges,” he said. “The accredited computer engineering program gave me an opportunity to pursue careers in both hardware and software.” 

Richard-Ikediashi has always been passionate about building software along with the behind the scenes of functioning systems. He took the opportunity to gain knowledge in both of these areas.  

“My advice to students seeking internships is to keep working hard, continue to hone your skills and make sure to stay persistent in pursuing your goals,” he said.