I had the pleasure of interviewing Ellison Madsen, a Summer Games intern at Booz Allen Hamilton. She is a Computer Science major currently attending Manhattan College. For the past 10 weeks she’s been a part of the team working on supply chain logistics with blockchain.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you share with us the story of how you decided to pursue this career path? What lessons can others learn from your story?

I was born in San Francisco, CA and raised in Annapolis, MD. I currently attend Manhattan College (MC) in New York City. I chose MC because of its remarkable Computer Science program and its proximity to the city. Last year, I participated in the Google Games where my team and I came in 3rd place out of nearly 20 teams. I’ve always been interested in new technologies and being assigned the task of learning more about blockchain during Booz Allen’s Summer Games has been a dream come true.

Can you tell me about the most interesting projects you are working on now?

As a Summer Games intern, I was assigned to a team tasked with learning about blockchain and how it could be applied to supply chain logistics. My fellow interns and I worked on the use cases and I also created the user interface. It is incredibly interesting to take these use cases and turn them into user-friendly web pages that are both intuitive and well-designed. I have been able to take part in shaping the perception of blockchain, that is, making a friendly face out of a new and somewhat intimidating technology.

Also, read – Blockchain is playing crucial role in the lives of women

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Having family by your side makes anything doable — especially one that wants you to succeed. When I was younger, I told my parents that I wanted to change the world, and in return, they told me that I can do anything I put my mind to. I have kept that advice with me. They were the ones who encouraged me to chase my dreams and start my academic career as a Computer Science major. Since then, I’ve been able to work on blockchain, a technology that will continue to change the way people, businesses, and government stay connected. Hopefully, blockchain development will continue to be a part of my future.

What are the 5 things that most excite you about blockchain and crypto? Why?

Blockchain has a level of transparency that keeps me interested. Additionally, there are so many different use cases it can be applied to. After learning more about blockchain development this past summer, I can see the future that it has in store. There are many sectors of the government that can benefit from using this new technology, and in turn, hundreds of thousands of people that can benefit as well. That is something I’m very excited to see in the future.

What are the 5 things that worry you about blockchain and crypto? Why?

After doing my research on blockchain this summer, I can see why there are skeptics of the crypto-world. It is a new technology that can be difficult to understand. The only real thing that worries me about blockchain and the crypto world is how long it will take for the technology to be adopted. Blockchain can only be successful if there are a lot of people and industries using it. It has an enormous number of benefits that I hope people can begin to see.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share a story?

I hope that one day my success will bring goodness to the world and inspire others to do the same. By working at Booz Allen this summer I have seen that many people within the firm have the same hope as well.

What 3 things would you advise someone who wanted to emulate your career? Can you share an example for each idea?

I don’t know about three things, but one thing I will say is that being able to get this internship took a lot of hard work and persistence. I made a lot of calls, applied for a lot of jobs, and was offered several opportunities, and I’m very glad I chose Booz Allen. There are a lot of opportunities out there, but you need to really work to get the right one.

What is your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that had relevance to your own life?

As an art history minor in college, the words of Henri Matisse have stuck with me. He once said that “creativity takes courage.” It would have been easy to think inside the box, but I was encouraged to be courageous in using my creativity. This creativity pushed our group to be successful by challenging how we thought about problems and their solutions.

Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this :-)

I would love to speak with Jeff Bezos. I’d ask him, “When you started Amazon, as an online book retailer, did you have the vision of the Amazon we know today (AWS, Whole Foods, selling everything under the sun) or were there interim steps that led the company to where it is today?”

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Twitter: @ellisonmadsen

LinkedIn: Ellison Madsen https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellisonmadsen/