Summer Internship: A Day in the Life of Andrew da Cunha

July 22, 2022
Andrew da Cunha

Summer Internship: A Day in the Life of Andrew da Cunha (he/him), a Mechanical Engineering major at SDSU. Andrew is interning this summer as a test engineering intern at Rivian, an electric vehicle automaker and automotive technology company focusing on electric sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks.

Andrew Rivian

What was the process of getting this internship?
Rivian caught my attention when I learned of their four independently driven wheels for their powertrain. I knew innovation like that was something I needed to be part of. I networked with Rivian employees to learn more specifics on what they do. I heavily researched the R1 production line to learn about the vehicle's features and how the production line might look. Regarding my skills and qualifications, my background in FSAE as the Chief Engineer of Aztec Racing gave me an understanding of the challenges of manufacturing and testing a car that the team at Rivian was looking for. 

This is what a day in my life looks like:

6:45 am: I get ready for the day, make breakfast, and carpool with one of my coworkers to the office. 

7:30 am: I'm at my desk reviewing my project list and sending messages to the team members I require information from. 

8am: I then take some time and work on some of the deliverables for long-term projects I have been assigned to complete over the duration of the summer.

From 9:00 am until noon: At this time, I could be doing a variety of things. From walking the line to note points of improvement in production to taking an R1T on our vehicle testing machine to validate that safety and design specifications are met. My team breaks for lunch at noon and I take this time to relax and chat with other interns to see what else is happening in the plant. 

1 pm: Returning from lunch I usually have a set of meetings outlining the manufacturing problems production working on fixing. We work collaboratively to isolate variables and test to see what the source of the issue is. 

3 pm: After the last meeting of the day, I usually spend half an hour wrapping up any pending tasks I have as well as documenting the tasks that will need to be completed the next day. 

What has been a highlight for you in the internship so far? 
I would say that getting to drive the R1T and R1S is a unique experience. Something that most people won’t get the chance to do. Additionally, the team here is incredibly high energy and eager to share their knowledge and ideas. That energy is extremely infectious and it makes me excited to work on my projects and get them done in a timely manner. 

How does the internship connect to your other experiences as an SDSU student in and outside of the classroom?
In the classroom a large focus is placed on the theory behind how the world around us works and the governing laws and equations that they follow. In reality, the world works differently, optimal conditions can’t be assumed. As an intern I take the theory of the classroom and bridge the gap understanding the complete engineering process from the early design stages through an early prototype and into mass production. 

How do you see this internship influencing the next steps in your career?
My experiences at Rivian have been absolutely fantastic and the work I have been able to do has been incredibly rewarding. My goal would be to enter the TRAIL Program at Rivian where I would be exposed to a variety of teams and further develop as an engineer and an individual. 

Lightly edited for clarity.