In life there lies a defining moment for when discovery meets epiphany, and a spark of passion finally ignites into the very flames that guide you down the road of a purpose driven life. This journey is unique and distinctive to the individual. It is filled with hills and valleys of choices testing the extent of one’s aptitude and drive for their craft’s cultivation. Meaningful careers are birth here and the soil produces innovative ideas, groundbreaking discoveries, and overwhelming success stories. A testament to the bright minds of a generation advancing the future of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). With access being an important guide, there’s no shortage of exceptional young tech trailblazers seeking the resources and professional development opportunities along the path. Through Axus NextGEN, Axus Technology is providing future industry leaders with an intern experience catapulting their careers towards achieving success.
We recently sat down with this summer’s promising electrical engineering intern, Cameron Balderrama to discuss what sparked his love and curiosity for the STEM industry. We also explored the depth of his internship experience so far, learning from some of the best industry experts at Axus Technology.
Cameron is a rising junior at the University of Arizona majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering. A passion for the field stems directly from his family’s deep-rooted integration within the industry. Early inspiration and discovery came from observing the tech careers of his grandfather and uncle. In the seventh grade, Cameron asked his father to purchase him his first computer. His father replied, “I’ll buy the parts, but you build your own.”. Those words led to a combustion of creativity for Cameron to build his first custom computer as a preteen. From there, he was engulfed in the world of hardware design and engineer development.
Fast forward to the life of a college student and its complexity, you’ll see Cameron’s dream becoming a reality as he integrates into the life and culture of Axus Technology’s engineering department. He describes the learning environment as a place that cultivates growth by allowing curiosity and creativity the freedom to bloom organically. Cameron is quickly adapting to the ins and outs of the semiconductor industry for which he thoroughly enjoys learning the how and why’s of engineering as they apply to CMP equipment production and wafer process development. The best part has most definitely been the hands-on aspect that Axus offers its interns, highlighted by the opportunity he got in testing and controlling the wafer handling robot of the new state-of-the-art Capstone® CMP system.
However, along with excitement comes hard work, dedication, and discipline. Cameron took the time to discuss some of his most challenging experiences from the vast amounts of research involved within engineering assembly to finding parts that meet exact specifications because you must know what variables are negotiable vs nonnegotiable during the improvement of tool functionality. The good news is, within all this Cameron feels that he has attained a variety of transferable skills and tools for a solid professional foundation. He states that the copious amounts of documentation involved has driven him to unlock a more organized and orderly side of himself. The importance of being ready to read and write about different issues to problem solve complex and intricate equations is knowledge gained and the very advice he would give to the next intern.
Cameron learned that each day in the semiconductor world is different which makes it important to be able to adapt and mold to the settings around you. He is very grateful to be mentored by some of the sharpest and quick-witted individuals in the field and appreciates the immense support and guidance from his mentor, Electrical Engineer Keren Miranda.
If you’re interested in interning at Axus Technology, please email us at jobs@axustech.com.
