After his marketing internship with Bradley Corporation, David Xiong was officially able to add “jet setter” to his resume. Xiong spent his time at Bradley Corporation supporting marketing efforts and helping with videography, photography and graphic design work. At the end of the internship, he was rewarded with meeting the CEO of the company and getting to fly on their private jet.

“Internships are a great way to get your foot in the door. Many interns go with the intent of gaining experience, and the experience you gain from internships will always be valuable!”

Xiong took the valuable experiences he gained from Bradley Corporation and applied them to his current internship at Hanson Dodge. At Hanson Dodge, Xiong is a go-to resource for assistance with problem solving, which he achieves by leveraging his UX analysis, research and design skills that he acquired throughout his courses at MSOE. He also updates clients’ websites using design tools and CMS tools.

Resources at MSOE helped prepared Xiong for both securing his internships and succeeding in them. “From resume reviews to mock interviews, it really helped me prepare for landing my internships. Additionally, the professors and students within the UX program are awesome and have helped me tremendously to grow as an individual and professional in this field.”

UX was the perfect field for Xiong because it combined his technical skills and passion for helping others. “UX is all about understanding others, being empathetic and building great solutions by leveraging many skill sets,” said Xiong. “I find great joy in helping others and I believe this program to be a great asset to helping me build those critical technical skills to thrive as a user experience designer and researcher.”  

After graduation, Xiong hopes to become a user experience designer and researcher. “I would love to continue building user interfaces and making connections with others!”

Xiong is a Milwaukee native and decided to attend MSOE because of the small class sizes and hands-on learning experiences. Being surrounded by close knit people made Xiong feel right at home. “My favorite part about MSOE is the inclusivity that the school provides. From the people to the events, you always feel welcomed!”