I Learned to be a Member of a Team... and a Leader

By Tatum DiOro ’22

This past summer I completed a marketing and sales internship at Cidersoft, a software development firm. I worked directly with Menlo alum and CEO, Ilya Lipovich ’99.

Lipovich and I connected on Linkedin through POWERWALK (now BUILT), the personal training business I started. When I entered Menlo’s internship program, I asked Lipovich if Cidersoft was hiring.

In my three months at the firm, I learned how Cidersoft builds software projects with fully managed teams, following the Agile development method. Those teams included experts like project managers, highly-vetted developers, and designers.

I had major preconceptions before I began my internship. I thought I’d perform monotonous sales calls and write social media posts on software trends, for three long months at Cidersoft. Or maybe I’d have strict deadlines with big repercussions if I missed one. From what I’d heard, the software industry is pretty cut-throat. I was also worried about being micromanaged on my projects.

In reality, all my higher-ups encouraged me to speak up and proactively manage my internship and workload. The intense and enjoyable days at Cidersoft developed my understanding of marketing and business writing. I wrote a high-level audio course content script for a top-rated iPhone/Android app. I also drafted and delivered social media posts, blog posts, and articles for Forbes. T

he rebranding content work I completed at Cidersoft built up my career portfolio. More importantly, I learned how to be both a supportive member and a leader within the team environment. I appreciate everyone at Cidersoft’s feedback, daily conversations, and hanging at the office. It was a wonderful and life-changing summer.