Vedarsh Shah

In the summer of 2022, I was a Technology Development Program intern at Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group. I was part of the behavioral health division and was in a group of 5 interns. We were tasked with identifying a healthcare need and developing a minimum viable product (MVP) addressing it.

We learned that the national average wait time for behavioral health services is 48 days. We leveraged journaling as a tool to continuously engage clients during wait times and improve treatment outcomes. Our MVP was well-received by Optum management. For me, it was a challenging yet rewarding dive into the world of innovation and entrepreneurship.

In the summer of 2023, I interned at Fidelity Investments in the Voice Innovation team. I developed SlySearch, a groundbreaking project using voice commands to transform the stock screening process. I crafted the backend, creating a responsive API to process voice input and return complex financial data. I integrated AI for accurate interpretation of user queries.

Motivated by my passion for technology and design, this experience aligned perfectly with my career goals. It enriched my understanding of technology's potential and reinforced my commitment to blending technology and design to tackle real-world challenges, solidifying my dedication to this career path.