Every year around this time, business units at LRS prepare for the arrival of our new summer interns who help us complete important projects while getting a taste of life inside a global software company. This year is no exception; a whole new crew of talented young IT professionals is set to arrive at LRS in the coming weeks.
Over the years, LRS has offered many of these summer interns permanent positions after completing their respective studies, helping us expand our development and support staff with some of the best and brightest new IT resources on the market. But what can LRS do to further ensure a steady pipeline of talented technical minds?
Last week, LRS helped by sponsoring the 2025 Career Spark STEAM Expo at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Now in its second year, the event attempts to spark 8th graders’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) careers. LRS and other event sponsors joined with companies like Google, Amazon Web Services, Rivian, and other technology leaders to help more than a thousand young people learn about STEAM careers during the two-day event.
LRS’ activities were aimed at helping attendees understand computing and technical concepts like programming logic, debugging, and related topics.
Our most popular activity was a coding exercise in which students learned how to describe the actions of a real-life “Wheel of Fortune,” isolating variables like spin direction and velocity so that they can be modeled in error-free computer code that can be tested and re-used in a multitude of scenarios.
Above, a former LRS summer intern and current developer on our Enterprise Output Management team teaches the basics of computer programming to CareerSpark 2025 attendees.
Like most successful technology companies, LRS believes that innovation requires an ongoing commitment to learning and a passion for continual improvement. An important part of that commitment is identifying and developing inquisitive minds that will inspire the breakthroughs of the future.
From what we saw at this recent STEAM event, the future is in good hands indeed.