Lissette Mitzi Mendez was taking a coding class in high school when she discovered her love of technology. The class was challenging but fun, and she was hooked.
Since then, she has continued on a technology track at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, where she is studying to earn a bachelor’s degree in Information Management and Technology. She is also minoring in finance and plans to graduate in 2026.
“While the coding class was not easy for me, I enjoyed the challenge and realized this would be something I want to do in the future,” she said.
Mitzi Mendez’s love for technology has continued to grow at the iSchool. One of her favorite projects so far was a final project for IST 263 (Introduction to Front End Web Development), where she got to build her own website from start to finish.
“It was meaningful to me,” she said. “I was able to realize that I also really enjoy the design aspect of technology! This also played a role in my internship the past summer as I accounted for elements like interactivity and accessibility.”
This past summer, Mitzi Mendez worked as an IT intern in the finance department at PSEG (Public Service Enterprise Group), in Newark, N.J. Working as part of the data visualization team, she helped develop visualizations using PowerBI and Tableau.
She was able to highlight key company analytics, such as capital spend and customer satisfaction rates. The reports were used company-wide but were most essential to the board of directors.
“I had the most supportive team around me,” she said. “As this was my first internship, I was really nervous to begin, but my manager and mentor helped me every step of the way, and I was able to build a genuine connection with them!”
Mitzi Mendez discovered the internship through a Linkedin post and interviewed with a manager and team member, who asked her technical and behavioral questions.
“I was prepared for this through the resources of Career Services at the iSchool!” she said. “During my time at PSEG, I was able to see how amazing their internship program was as I got to interact face-to-face with the CEO and meet so many amazing people. Not only that, but during my time there they were able to immerse me in both the fields of tech and finance.”
Mitzi Mendez is currently studying abroad in Florence and has taken a break from her major specific courses so she can fulfill her arts and sciences requirements.
“Taking history of art classes and learning more about Italian culture has been amazing so far!” she said.
Once she returns, Mitzi Mendez hopes to obtain her Project Management certification and try out different sectors of technology throughout her career. If she could offer any advice to fellow iSchool students, she would encourage them to build relationships with everyone around them, especially professors.
“I have had some of the most amazing professors and they have really shaped my time at the iSchool so far!” she said.