From Campus Lab to National Lab: NVC Student Builds a Career in Tech

For NVC student Robert Peña, a career in the tech industry has always been part of the plan. Peña, the first in his family to attend college, is pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cloud Computing. He plans to graduate in fall 2027. Since enrolling at NVC in 2024, he credits the college’s affordability, supportive instructors, IT lab, and close-knit, welcoming community with helping him excel and pursue his goals.

Peña’s career journey has recently taken him to Oak Ridge, Tenn., where he is completing an internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory while also working at the Spallation Neutron Source, one of the laboratory’s neutron-scattering user facilities.

He recently shared his experiences in both roles and offered advice to fellow NVC students seeking jobs or internships.

Q: Describe your internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory  

A: My internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been amazing. I’ve met incredible people from different disciplines who are all incredibly smart in their fields. Since the laboratory is multidisciplinary, you get to have conversations about many different subjects and learn from people with different areas of expertise.

Q: What does your job at Spallation Neutron Source entail?

A: My job involves using artificial intelligence to gather data from scientific literature, particularly in the field of polymers. What I like most about it is learning about something completely different from my field and applying my skills and knowledge to it. It has been much easier than I expected because I already learned about Linux, MCP, AI, and system architecture in school. The main focus of this project is the structure and infrastructure behind the work.

Q: What would be your ideal job and why?

A: My ideal job would be working as a high-performance engineer, interacting with scientists who need high-performance computing for their experiments or projects. I really enjoy working with infrastructure, and I like that this type of job involves so many people working in different disciplines. You get to learn and pick up something new all the time.

Q: What advice do you have for other NVC students looking for internships or jobs in their career field?

A: My advice is to be strategic in applying yourself. Applying and researching internships or jobs can get to a point where it feels like you are doing everything you can. It’s not always about who you know, but more about what you know and how you apply that knowledge to get yourself in front of the people and places you want to reach. Go to career fairs and industry fairs. Join clubs, attend events, get involved with local chapters, and email people who you aspire to be. Job searching can be exhausting, but keep going and putting in the work. Keep applying and looking for opportunities. Tomorrow might be the day it all makes sense.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I would like to continue my education and get a master’s degree.