Collin Freeland ’26: Jackpine Technologies

By the end of my sophomore year at Rivers, I was recommended to take the introductory computer science course with Mr. Schlenker. I had long been interested 

in games and computers, so I decided to give it a shot. Although mostly unaware of what the course entailed, I found myself quickly gripped by it.  Each new unit expanded what I could do, and the growth in difficulty of the different challenges I encountered was rewarding. What started as simple problem solving and syntax quickly became in-depth projects that truly challenged me. The course thoroughly deepened my interest in technology and encouraged me to pursue this interest outside of the classroom.

I was selected to be an intern at Jackpine Technologies this summer, and I was excited to take the concepts I had learned in class and see how they applied in a real-world, professional setting. My first few weeks were primarily focused on training, where I learned how to properly deal with insider threats and sensitive information. Then I learned how Jackpine’s main product, CONS3RT, lets users set up and manage virtual machines in the cloud. For reference, a virtual machine is exactly like a normal computer, but it exists entirely online, and is able to be easily created, edited, or shut down. One of Jackpine’s customers, the United States Department of Defense, relies on it to create safe machines where they can test software without risking sensitive data, while also saving time and money by not building physical machines.

CONS3RT Homepage

One of my first responsibilities was to run “test cases” on updated software that my colleagues created.  I ran through all the possible scenarios of what a user can do in the updated software and confirmed that it worked as intended. While doing this, I often found bugs, which I then worked with a developer to analyze the issue and problem-solve how to fix it. This experience allowed me to directly contribute and apply what I practice in class while also learning from a professional. 

After getting comfortable with CONS3RT, I moved on to my first major project of the internship, an IoT box. IoT stands for “Internet of Things” and is essentially a small physical device that connects to the internet and can communicate with other devices on the same IP address. On the box, there were many small computers called “Raspberry Pis” and “BeagleBones” which are exactly like regular computers.  These small computers can connect to the internet and run programs, but are about the size of a credit card. Using SSH, or Secure Shell, I could connect to these devices from my laptop, which allowed me to program them and run tests.

IoT Box

The BeagleBone on the top right of the box had a buzzer that wouldn’t stop going off when plugged in. Troubleshooting this issue took about a week and involved looking at various documentation for the devices and old posts on online forums. I worked closely with a coworker to test different solutions until we finally got it to work. Even though it was a small component, the process taught me a lot about real-world problem-solving and how the answer can take a lot of digging. 

While working on this project, I learned that the company was going through a merger. Jackpine was merging with a much larger company, which meant there was potential for shifts in roles and workflow, creating a sense of uncertainty. I could feel the people around me grow nervous about the new work environment.  I saw that businesses and employees need to navigate these transitions carefully, and continue to communicate clearly and stay flexible.  Experiencing this as part of my internship helped me understand that work is often about more than just projects and technical skills; it is also about adapting and finding ways to contribute in a changing environment.

For the tail end of my internship, I collaborated with another intern who is also a Rivers alumnus to learn how to use the Rivers Git repository, which is used in the Honors Seminar Computer Science course at Rivers that I will be taking next year.  The repository is a place that tracks changes made to code between multiple people, so that they can easily collaborate on a project. Together, we looked at a past election website and made visual edits, improving the layout and flow of the site. This practice helped to develop my skills for the course this upcoming school year, and taught me how to coordinate with someone while working on the same project.

My internship at Jackpine was a great experience where I got to apply what I learned in class to tackle real-world problems while collaborating with professionals and navigating the workplace. The skills I developed will stay with me this year at Rivers and beyond. Thank you to all of the Jackpine employees for helping me throughout the internship, to Mr. Walsh for offering the opportunity to join his company, and to Mr. Schlenker for putting me in touch with the company in the first place.