Carolina Yuka Nakada (MEAM ’24)
My name is Carolina Yuka Nakada, and I am an international student from São Paulo, Brazil. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics in May 2024 and enrolled in the Robotics Accelerated Master’s program from the Penn Engineering department. I will graduate with a master’s degree in May 2025, and I hold an F-1 visa as a student at the university.
Where did you get employed after graduating (company, position, location)? If you didn’t take up a job, what did you pursue after you graduated from Penn?
After graduating, I plan to work at Microsoft as a software engineer in Redmond, Washington.
Why did you pursue this position over other options you might have had? How did your status as an international student affect your decision-making process?)
Throughout my time at Penn, I had several opportunities that helped me decide my career path. Penn has a notable pre-professional culture that encourages students to seek internships and prepare for job hunting very early on. During my first- and second-year student summers, I participated in Virtual Internships Abroad and the Global Research and Internships Program, where I developed my technical and soft skills working with people around the globe. Through the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers National Convention, I interviewed and was offered an internship at Eli Lilly and Company as a software engineer for the junior summer.
While I loved my experience in Indianapolis, I saw my extra summer before fully graduating with a master’s from Penn as an opportunity to explore my career possibilities further. Upon applying and interviewing with different companies, I secured internships as a software engineer at Microsoft in the Summer and at Amazon Robotics in the Fall of 2024 before graduating in May 2025.
As an international student, I decided to pursue a career in software engineering instead of mechanical engineering because several mechanical engineering jobs I encountered require security clearance, which is impossible for visa holders without permanent residency. On the other hand, software engineering offered more flexibility in terms of employment opportunities thanks to my minor in computer science at Penn.
How did you prepare your resume, CV, and other application documents? Were any Penn-based resources particularly helpful for you to find and pursue this position?
I consistently had my resume checked every year by Penn Career Services whenever I applied to programs or went to career fairs and conferences. Penn has drop-in and appointment-based sessions, which are helpful for live feedback. I also utilized the Resume Worded resource by making adjustments based on the input provided by AI. To prepare for technical interviews, I watched NeetCode videos to understand better data structures and algorithm problems and scheduled mock interviews through Exponent.
How did you find out about the position? How did you research it?
I first learned about software development roles through introductory classes to programming at Penn (such as CIS 1100 and CIS 1200), as I had initially been interested in programming for the robotics field. As I researched and learned more about career opportunities in tech, I talked to professionals in the field who were alumni or representatives of companies at conferences.
What administrative requirements did you have to complete to pursue this position? ISSS documents and visa requirements? How was your experience preparing your immigration and other work authorization documents? Was there anything that made this experience particularly easy or difficult?
I used my bachelor’s and master’s Curricular Practical Training (CPT) to complete my internships. CPT requires the internship to be directly related to the student’s major and integral to the student’s academic program. While software engineering roles might initially seem unrelated to my mechanical engineering program, I outlined all mechanical engineering core classes where I leveraged my programming skills, justifying that the internship would be crucial for my mechanical engineering studies. As I prepared my work authorization for my Fall internship, I learned that Penn Engineering graduate programs offer the possibility of completing an Academic Field Study, which allows students to utilize their CPT during the Fall semester. During my transition between bachelor’s and master’s programs, communication and prompt actions with the engineering academic department and ISSS were essential to completing all internships successfully. Thanks to these experiences, I was ready to manage my full-time employment work authorization promptly, submitting my OPT application precisely 90 days before commencement and receiving my EAD card only one month later.
How has your experience been working at this company/institution?
While I am not officially a full-time employee yet, I truly enjoyed my experience at Microsoft during the summer. I was assigned a challenging yet exciting project where I was able to develop my technical and soft skills further. With a large campus, the company provided me with several events and networking opportunities and truly helped me learn more about careers in tech. I am excited to return to Redmond in July and continue exploring the possibilities in software engineering.
What advice, if any, do you have for international Penn students who are currently, or will soon be, looking for jobs?
For international Penn students who are currently or will soon be seeking jobs, my best advice is not to be afraid to rely on resources and ask for help. For a long time, I was too nervous about contacting alums, professionals, or panelists to ask questions. Still, I soon realized that people are usually more willing to connect with students and help them than we think!
Please connect with me on LinkedIn, and feel free to contact me with any questions!
Words of Wisdom:
Don’t be afraid to reach out to professionals who happen to be from the same school or country as you are, or stick around after a career panel is over. You might get invaluable mentorship or connections from those interactions.