‘Here’s your opportunity. Go take it.’

Computer science major Nathan Fairweather talks about his internship experience with Reynolds and Reynolds as part of Wright State’s Work Forward Internship Program.

During his first year at Wright State, Nathan Fairweather thought an internship was out of reach.

“I’m in computer science,” said Fairweather, now a sophomore. “You don’t get a computer science internship your freshman year. That’s just not how STEM works.”

At least, that’s what he thought.

But then a series of events started happening thanks to the Work Forward Internship Program and Wright State determination. If you’re a Raider, you know the signs. How things start lining up and falling into place when you’re doing all the right things.

Fairweather had two excellent mentors in his corner before arriving on campus. His parents are Wright State alums and sent him to campus with advice: get out of your comfort zone so your professors get to know you.

And, in a first-year course taught by Kayleigh Duncan ’08, ’19, instructor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, he got the extra nudge he needed.

“One day in class she said no one was coming to her office hours and let us know we could stop by to talk about course materials or anything,” Fairweather said. “I was doing great in class and wasn’t looking for help, but I fully credit stopping by her office and meeting with her leading to a bunch of opportunities that happened later in the semester.”

As part of the Work Forward program, Duncan set up a tour of the world headquarters of Reynolds and Reynolds, located about five miles from Wright State’s Dayton Campus. Fairweather had earned a scholarship from the company and, as one of the recipients, was invited to participate.

“It was a crazy cool tour,” he said. “They have this big innovation center where they showed us products they’re designing.”

One representative even mentioned that students on the tour already had a foot in the door. Fairweather was very interested but was stuck in the mindset that first-year students don’t qualify for STEM internships and was prepared to apply after his sophomore year.

But he had opened the first door; he had talked to Duncan. So, the next week he asked her what she thought he should do. He said her answer was clear: “Here’s your opportunity. Go take it.”

He submitted his application that day and, although he was convinced that he would need to wait another year, he eventually won that internship. At 19, Fairweather was able to say, “I’m a software engineer!” And engineer he did. The company provided real problems and demanded serious solutions.

Fairweather has a lot of highlights from the experience, but two stand out. The first was seeing his initials in dark blue in the computer code he was working on.

“I was working, and I looked up and thought, ‘Hey, that’s me in this real script that is a part of their real product that people are using,’” Fairweather said. “I made a change that mattered to them as a company.”

And the second? He was invited back to intern with Reynolds and Reynolds after his sophomore year.

Stopping by Duncan’s office hours led to opportunities on campus, too. Before he knew it, Fairweather found himself talking about his internship experience with Wright State’s Board of Trustees, President Sue Edwards and Darryl Ahner, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Some serious connections to make no matter where you are in your college career.

When he met with these Wright State leaders, he had a clear message for them.

“Having this experience proves I’m capable of being a software engineer — that I’m capable of making a mark on a company,” Fairweather said. “That’s why I’m a huge supporter of the Work Forward program that helps students find real-world experience opportunities — maybe even earlier than they might think they can.

“This program shows me that Wright State isn’t just here to give me a piece of paper. This university makes that very clear. Wright State is setting me up for life.”