Sunny L., Franchise Success Manager I, Enterprise

For early career individuals, a company's culture is just as important as the work itself. An internship should be a chance to build skills, but also to build a network and find a sense of belonging. We recently spoke with Vincent D., a software engineering co-op from Northeastern University, about his experience at Toast and how he found a thriving community.

Here's how Vincent's story can help you find a company where you can truly thrive.

Tip #1: Look for Companies That Actively Support and Celebrate Inclusivity

Before Vincent even applied, he had a "full circle moment" with Toast's culture. He first learned about the company when a member of TAPIOCA (short for Toast Asian & Pacific Islander Opportunities, Community, and Advancement), an employee resource group for Asian and Pacific Islander-identifying Toasters and allies, reached out to his Filipino student organization at Northeastern. She invited his club to perform a traditional Filipino dance at Toast for Filipino American History Month as part of their culture programming initiatives.

This simple act of genuine outreach made a lasting impression. Vincent says, “It was something I'd never seen before, and I really respected her for her dedication in reaching out to us and trying to share our Filipino traditions”. When it was time to apply for co-ops, Toast stood out. Vincent was eager to apply because he knew the company had employee resource groups (ERGs) that celebrated cultural diversity.

Tip #2: Be open to joining an ERG, even if the concept is new to you! It's one of the best ways to meet people, build connections, and feel like you belong.

Like many new college students, Vincent wasn't familiar with ERGs before starting his co-op. But during his onboarding, Toast dedicated a whole section to introducing the communities, which he found "really nice to know that Toast had all these different ERGs with so many different backgrounds, interests, and experiences".

After onboarding, Vincent joined TAPIOCA, which gave him a platform to meet people outside his immediate team and even outside his R&D department. He met people from sales and HR, getting a wider view of all the working areas at Toast. His network quickly expanded across departments and even different countries, like Dublin and India.

Tip #3: Participate in "Stretch" Opportunities to Grow Your Network and Skills

For Vincent, his ERG wasn't just for social events, it was a way to find a meaningful project outside of his day-to-day role to grow his skills. He was looking for a hackathon to join when he saw a post in the Tapioca Slack channel. He was able to join many other members of Tapioca in a hack that used AI to help restaurateurs better serve their customers. During the week-long project, Vincent worked with senior employees and got to talk to people he wouldn't have met otherwise, learning about new things like programming languages. 

A Final Word of Advice

Vincent's advice for anyone considering joining an ERG or a new company? "Don't be afraid". He emphasizes that everyone in these groups is there for the same reason: to share interests and build connections.

He stated “participating in these different opportunities has helped build my confidence to reach out and meet people I would otherwise probably never have had a chance to meet before".

His journey from a cold email to a winning hackathon project is a testament to the power of a company culture that invests in its people and their passions.