Coding, Collaboration and Career Clarity: Meriam Ali ‘27 at John Deere

Computer engineering student Meriam Ali ‘27 spent her summer interning with John Deere, a crash course in her future in embedded systems, problem-solving and learning to lean on teamwork. 

“I’m most proud of my work on CAN bridging,” Ali said. “I developed C# code that automatically configured CAN bridging using data from an Excel spreadsheet of CAN messages. Since I had no prior exposure to the CAN network before my internship, I had to quickly learn the fundamentals and apply that knowledge directly to my coding work.”

The technical challenge of this code wasn’t the only obstacle Ali had to overcome; her code had to integrate smoothly within a larger code that the company had been using for years. 

“The biggest challenge I faced was integrating my code into my team’s existing, partially undocumented code base,” Ali said. “My work with CAN bridging had to reference a lot of pre-existing code, and figuring out how everything fit together was difficult at times. I navigated this by asking questions, staying open to feedback and maintaining consistent communication with my team lead.”

Ali mentions that the company’s collaboration and support at John Deere were factors that stood out to her during her time there. In particular, there was dedicated time for interns to sit down, ask questions and get help. 

“Another example is the weekly knowledge-sharing sessions, where engineers come together to teach each other about new tools and technologies,” Ali said. “These practices not only helped me grow technically, but also showed me how deeply the company values continuous learning.”

In a testament to the teamwork and support provided by John Deere,  Ali successfully integrated her code into the company’s existing system. She walked away with more than just technical knowledge from the experience; Ali developed a deeper understanding of teamwork, adaptability and the importance of problem-solving. Her internship reflects how collaboration drives technical progress at such a large company. 

“This internship solidified my interest in embedded systems and embedded software development,” Ali said. “Since it was my first internship directly in the field, it confirmed that I enjoy the industry and could see myself building a career here.” 

From an amazing internship experience, Ali expresses her advice to students looking for real work experience. 

“Many candidates will have the right coursework and can pass a HackerRank, but what really stands out is showing your character and being someone that teams want to work with, “ Ali said. 

Despite her internship ending with the start of the school year, Ali has continued to work part-time for John Deere, and she can definitely see herself as part of their team post-graduation. permanently a part of the team in her post-graduate career.