As we head into the summer holidays, we always get very excited here at Precise and EastCoast as it means that our summer work program interns have arrived. Let’s meet this year’s cohort and hear more about what they’ll be doing…
Maxi Begic
“My name is Maximilian and I’m studying system informatics at Lund University. I’m starting my third semester after the summer, and I feel like this really is the one for me. System informatics can be looked at as a bridge between IT and Operation. In my spare time I like to divide my time between being outdoors and being on my computer/console. I love to travel both nationally and internationally – I lived and worked in Spain before starting University.”
Hanna Frederiksen
“Hi, I’m Hanna. I have currently finished my third year in Industrial Engineering and Management at LTH and after the summer will be starting my Master’s Degree in Finance and Risk. I recently participated in Lundakarnevalen, a huge student carnival in Lund which takes place every four years and was established in 1849. It’s the second biggest volunteer event, just after the Olympics. Before that I was Head of Events at my student guild. In my free time I mostly hang out with friends, and when I get the chance, I like skiing and hiking.”
Adla Jebara
“I’m Adla Jebara and I am currently in the last year of my Computer Science and Engineering Master’s Degree with a focus on software engineering at Lund University. When I’m not in front of a computer screen, my head is buried in a book. I love to read and write, and one day I hope to write a book!”
Christian Wahl
“Hello I’m Christian. I´m 25 years old and have just graduated from a 2-year UX education at Changemaker Educations in central Stockholm. I’m an all-out tech enthusiast who spends most of my spare-time keeping up with the evolution of tech and games. Since I was a child, I’ve had a love for assembling aesthetically pleasing constructions, which has taken many forms – from custom Lego builds, tinkering with and customizing computers to what I do now, creating good digital user experience for web, apps, or games.”
How did you become aware of Precise and EastCoast and what attracted you to working for us?
Adla: “A former colleague from Sony reached out to me and asked me if I would like to join Precise Biometrics last semester, and from what I have previously heard about the company, I was intrigued. I was and still am attracted by the future oriented focus the company has and it is definitely a field that is expanding even further.”
Christian: “Through the years I’ve had many smaller jobs for EastCoast, which included everything from basic IT tasks to more basic day to day work. I also conducted my 8th grade internship (PRAO) at the company. So EastCoast has been a part of my life for a long time and was an obvious choice to apply to when I prepared for my LIA internship.”
Hanna: “One of my now colleagues got in touch with my friend on LinkedIn who then referred him to me. We arranged a meeting where I was showed around the office, and talked about the position, the team and the idea behind the company. I have always wanted to experience working at a tech company, and with good working conditions and a great first impression of the team, it was an offer I could not refuse!”
Have you worked in a tech environment before?
Maxi: “I haven’t worked in tech before, but I feel like Precise is a perfect start for me in the tech world.”
Christian: “After graduating high school, I worked as an IT consultant for a consulting company. I had several different positions during this time, mainly in the public sector/government. It was during this time I first encountered UX, by going to testing and feedback sessions for games at EA Dice. With this experience, I started looking critically at the many poor solutions I came across in my IT roles and how it badly affected the user experience for colleagues, and citizens. I realized I had to do something and therefore decided to go down the path of becoming a UX/UI Designer.”
Please describe what your role involves and what you will be working on over the coming months.
Adla: “Over the past months I’ve worked mainly with installations and integrations of YOUNiQ and tech support and I’m getting more involved in software development because that is what I will be working with once I’ll graduate. The project I’m working on this summer will be creating microservices for new controllers to be integrated with our existing solutions. I’ll be working mainly in C# and Python.”
Hanna: “I am an Insides Sales Representative, which is a member of the Sales team and right now my main responsibility is to proactively generate prospects and sales leads in the Nordic region for the Precise YOUNiQ access solution by using sales tools such as CRM, sales automation, and social media tools.”
Has anything about the company surprised you?
Maxi: “I did not realize the size of company’s global reach before I started. It was only when I had an introduction about the company and what we do here, that I understood just how big a player Precise is.”
Christian: “I was quite familiar with EastCoast before I started this project, but if I were to point out one thing it must be the will to evolve the space the companies operate within, be it through integration with Precises’ biometric solutions or in general by giving me such a wide array of products to try and help improve.”
What’s been the best moment (so far) working at Precise and EastCoast?
Adla: “My colleagues! Everyone at the company has been welcoming and very helpful since I started. The environment at the office is a perfect fit for me and is what I had been looking for in a tech company.”
Maxi: “The team I work with is amazing. It’s just the right balance of relaxed and hardworking that makes me become as efficient as possible. I feel comfortable asking questions and reaching out for help, but my team makes me want to go the extra mile to try to figure it out for myself.”
Hanna: “After only working at Precise for about a month we had a big office party with a DJ. This was great because it gave me the chance to really talk to everyone, and not only the people working in my team. It was a very fun evening and a great introduction to the office.”
Christian: “So far, it must be when one of my designs for the YOUNiQ integration in the EastCoast check-in app (Check-in terminal/kiosk app for iPad) was shared at a security expo in Oslo earlier this year. Within my studies we’ve worked with many customers in shorter projects and provided them with plenty of research-based material to base their final design decisions upon, but we rarely get to see what became of these ideas. Here I experienced the opposite as I got to see my design come to fruition, which is awesome!”
What piece of tech can you not live without?
Hanna: “My milk frother!!! I use it religiously every day!”
Christian: “Although I’ve built my career around tech, I’ve sort of always also told myself I should, and can live without it – I’ve always loved spending time in nature, gardening and handicraft. So… this answer is going to be boring… My phone! The main reason for my answer is that I hold together my life with lists. I do lists for everything! Having these close by and in a compact and highly editable form is essential.”
Do you have any favourite sport?
Hanna: “Tennis. I played competitively when I was younger, and I really miss it!”
Maxi: “Football will always be the sport closest to my heart. I’ve spent my whole life playing the sport and I will continue to do it until the day I die probably. But in recent times Formula One has started growing on me and now I spend my Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays watching that too.”
Who inspires you?
Adla: “My family! My sister is a designer, and my brother became a professional football player at a very young age. They both embody dedication and hard work and I love to see them excel in their respective fields. They inspire and motivate me daily.”
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Christian: “Somewhere central, yet secluded. I’m drawn to the countryside but also the comforts of city life. I’m pretty satisfied with where I live now, but if I was to move it would probably be to a medium-sized coastal city in Italy, or perhaps Reykjavik – both for their beautiful landscapes!”
Hanna: “I really loved my time living in Chamonix during my off year, and I would love to return to the Alpes at some point in my life by living in a city not too far from the slopes.”
Maxi: “Right now, I would have to say Bali as I’d like to get away from the cold!”
Adla: “I would like to be able to split my time between Palestine and Sweden equally! I was born in Sweden but grew up in Palestine. The Mediterranean, the food and warm weather is what I miss when I’m in Sweden. I would love to be able combine both lifestyles!”