Campus at Nextdoor

Meet our Summer 2021 Interns

Written by Nicole Atkins

After navigating our first fully remote internship program last summer, we were more than ready to expand the program virtually to host 16 interns all over the world across engineering, data science, and business intelligence. 

At Nextdoor, our internship program is 12 weeks during the summer and our goal is to provide every intern with real-world experience that contributes to their professional and personal development. Each intern is paired with a mentor and manager that provides support and guidance throughout their internship as they tackle various projects which leave a lasting impact on the company. 

This summer was jam-packed with lots of programming from weekly stand-ups, paired programming, social hours, meetings with our Leadership Team, a series of intern challenges, to MC’ing our weekly company-wide All-Hands meeting. Through all of these activities,our interns became an integral part of Nextdoor’s community. We were even lucky enough to host our interns in our brand new San Francisco headquarters in August where teams were able to meet in-person after so much time spent online! 

Let’s meet this summer’s interns! 

Why did you choose to intern at Nextdoor?

“It is a fun story! My sister and I started a non-profit writing letters to isolated senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic called Letters Against Isolation. Posting on Nextdoor was a big way that we found new volunteers. They found out about us, and worked together with their marketing team to promote the KIND Challenge. I already loved the app, but every single person I met at Nextdoor was so enthusiastic, and passionate about the company’s mission. I knew I wanted to work with them!” Shreya Patel, Software Engineering Intern, Neighborhood Vitality – Moderation Team 

“From the very first interview, I could tell that the culture here was not like your typical company. My interviewers and recruiter were so generous and compassionate, and I didn’t feel stressed at all. I enjoyed the conversations I had during my interview and was struck by the kindness my interviewers displayed. After being there for 12 weeks, I can say that every employee here shares this level of kindness and compassion.” Rohan Goel, Data Science Intern

“I was drawn to Nextdoor mainly due to its mission. It is super important to remain connected with our neighbors especially during these tough times of a global pandemic and isolating lockdowns. I wanted to contribute to this cause and help build stronger and more reliable neighborhoods.” Juliet Giraso, Software Engineering Intern, Neighborhood Operations  – Tools Team

In a few sentences, describe the main project you worked on this summer.

“I primarily worked on a new feature where users can now repost on iOS. This was a very challenging yet rewarding project. Reposting will continue to be a huge part of our platform and I am excited to see our engagement metrics increase from this new feature. I learned how to go from an idea to a mockup to eventually a new feature on our platform.” Isaac Perez, Software Engineering Intern, Neighborhood Experience – Feed UX Team 

“My main project focused on improving the two-factor authentication experience. I implemented a SMS feature as an alternative besides email to receive a one-time passcode (OTP). And also implemented a deeplink in the OTP email sent, that allows users to get automatically authenticated as opposed manually typing in the passcode.” Mariamawit Jembere, Software Engineering Intern, Neighbor Experience – Growth Team 

“I worked on creating an algorithm that ensured the top popular post in the notification center was a post that most people would enjoy (and would click on to get into the popular post feed).” Yodit Getahun, Software Engineering Intern, Core Platform – Content Ranking Team 

What impact did you feel like you had at Nextdoor?

“I feel I impacted how users view the product. The idea with the landing pages I got to work on is they are the first impression many users get and the best way to convert people to regular users. By using data to influence our design decisions I am confident that the iterations I made to the landing page is contributing to signups.” Alex Barkin, Software Engineering Intern, Neighbor Experience – Finds Team

“I felt that I had a very direct impact on the choices engineering teams made on their products. My funnel analysis on the invitations pipeline helped drive new initiatives to improve the whole invitations flow. In addition, the experimentation work I did showed which new email designs were most successful, and guided the team on which designs they should implement for all Nextdoor users.” Rohan Goel, Data Science Intern

“Since the company is still relatively small, the projects I was working on were real initiatives that my team needed to prioritize, and as a result I was able to have a pretty strong impact. Many of the features I worked on are actually live in production (believe me; I’ve pushed bugs to prod on more than one occasion). I’ve also had the chance to speak in front of all of Tech, and even the whole company! From both an internal and external perspective, I’ve definitely had the chance to leave my mark.” Anitej Biradar, Core Platform – Blocks Team

What did you learn about yourself during your time at Nextdoor?

“I learned a lot about myself while at Nextdoor. One notable learning is that I want to continue in the consumer web space. I had never worked in this sector before but I appreciated the quick feedback loop and strong mission of Nextdoor.” Adam Zhu, Software Engineering Intern, Neighbor Experience – Retention Team

“I learned a lot about myself while at Nextdoor. One notable learning is that I want to continue in the consumer web space. I had never worked in this sector before but I appreciate the quick feedback loop and strong mission of Nextdoor.” Alex Barkin, Software Engineering Intern, Neighbor Experience – Finds Team

“I learned that I have what it takes to make an impact on the people around me. During my time here, I have learned so much from a technical standpoint to also a personal level. Coming to Nextdoor gave me confidence in my work and also allowed me to connect with other like minded people.” Isaac Perez, Software Engineering Intern, Neighborhood Experience – Feed UX Team 

What was the best part about your internship at Nextdoor?

“The best part about my internship at Nextdoor has certainly been experiencing the welcoming and supportive culture at this company. Every Friday, it was so energizing to see our #nextdoor channel overflowing with kudos and support for everyone’s accomplishments. On a more personal level, I felt like everyone I reached out to was always willing to make time on their calendar to make sure I felt supported and that I had the tools for not only a successful project, but a successful career as well.” Isabel Suizo, Software Engineering Intern, Core Platform – Infrastructure

“I think the best part of my internship has been discovering the sense of community here at Nextdoor. In every meeting and every coffee chat, I find myself chatting with someone friendly, driven, and eager to help. It makes working with people feel more like working with good friends who happen to also be colleagues.” Bradley Jang, Software Engineering Intern, Business Solutions – Business Experience Team

“Professionally, the mentorship has taught me so much about working for a tech company, especially in a way that makes me excited to come back and learn more. I’ve learned so much from him about pushing industry level code, as well as navigating the workforce after I graduate. I am so thankful for his guiding hand this summer, and I can say the same for my manager, my teammates, and fellow interns. The professional relationships and friendships I’ve created here are truly invaluable.” Eugenia Gavrilova, Software Engineering Intern, Neighborhood Vitality – Trust & Safety Team 

“The best part about my internship at Nextdoor was interacting with my team everyday. The standups, ideation meetings, impromptu one-on-ones with members on my team, and having full control over the code I was writing contributed to really making me feel like I was a full-time engineer here.” Aileen Pongnon, Software Engineering Intern, Neighborhood Vitality – Social Capital Team

Favorite Nextdoor memory?

“One of my best memories was definitely running the company-wide meeting, All Hands, with the interns. We put so much energy into running a great show for the company, and it was so much fun. Some runner ups also include R3 which is the Nextdoor hackathon, the intern showcase, and spending time with everyone the week we came out to SF.” Kurnal Saini, Software Engineering Intern, Core Platform – Data Engineering Team

“​​My favorite Nextdoor memory was definitely visiting the office for the first time with the other interns. And while we shared many good laughs about how we were surprised about one another’s height in person, the real joy came from the realization that this radiating sense of camaraderie was just one small glimpse of what our future as engineers may look like.” Isabel Suizo, Software Engineering Intern, Core Platform – Infrastructure

“Our weekly Internship standup meetings are always a ton of fun! It’s a nice break from our busy schedules to catch up with other interns and play a few games.” Devin Gohel, Business Intelligence Intern

“Making mochi ice cream with my entire team!” Mariamawit Jembere, Software Engineering Intern, Neighbor Experience – Growth Team 

What’s your favorite neighborhood hangout in your area?

“I definitely love going to the Orinda Park and the Moraga Commons Park, as they are some of the best places to hang out on a sunny day.”  Bradley Jang, Software Engineering Intern, Business Solutions – Business Experience Team

“There is a restaurant called ‘Juice World’ in my area, and I love hanging out there with my sister and friends.” Juliet Giraso, Software Engineering Intern, Neighborhood Operations  – Tools Team

“My favorite neighborhood hangout is Tiny’s Milk and Cookies in Houston, TX!” Devin Gohel, Business Intelligence Intern

“The neighborhood Taco Bell.It’s a super chill place where my friends and I can stay late and get good food that’s cheap. Love the vibes there, tons of memories!” Anitej Biradar, Core Platform – Blocks Team


As we reflect on this summer, we are incredibly proud of each intern for embracing the program and demonstrating such significant growth over the course of their internship. The summer was filled with lots of laughs, impactful projects, and memories that will last a lifetime. Join us in celebrating all of our interns and their incredible accomplishments!  If you’re interested in our internship program or full-time opportunities, be sure to check out our careers page for more information!

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