Some internships hand you a ticket and say "go figure it out." Others hand you real ownership and say "we'll figure it out together."

Kevin Cheng's experience at Yolando has been the latter. 

As a third-year Computer Science student at the University of Waterloo, Kevin joined as a Software Engineer Co-op expecting to contribute to parts of the product. What he got instead was the chance to own real product work end-to-end, ship features into production, and level up fast because the team treated him like an engineer, not a visitor.

On his first day, plans changed. He'd interviewed to work on BirdeyePost, but the team had a different opportunity: Yolando, a brand-new AI-powered product being built from scratch. Some interns might have been thrown off by the pivot. Kevin was energized. That shift set the tone for everything that followed,eight months of real ownership, accelerated growth, and work that actually launched.

This is what co-op experiences at Yolando looks like:

Full-Stack Ownership: Database to Deploy

When Kevin talks about his most rewarding moments, he doesn't point to individual tasks. He points to the full loop, the kind of work that teaches you how products actually function as systems.

"The most rewarding experience has been shipping a whole feature end to end, designing the database schemas, building the endpoints, developing the components, and then calling those endpoints from the frontend and seeing the whole process complete in production."

That captures what separates real engineering experience from busywork. Kevin didn't just touch one layer of the stack. He designed the data model, built the backend logic, wired up the UI, and watched it run live. For an intern, that level of ownership is rare. At Yolando, it's expected.

Learning Backend by Building in Production

Kevin was honest about where the work stretched him most: backend development was new territory.

"I've been able to dive deep into how backend works, designing resilient systems, thinking about security, and making sure the data is available when we need it."

The learning happened because Kevin was responsible for features that had to hold up in production, and because he had senior engineers: Sarth on backend and Kevin K on frontend, close enough to review his work, provide feedback, and help him build it right.

"Kevin drove the design for the brand settings API end to end. Throughout the project, I advised him on obstacles he might encounter as he integrated his work with other Yolando systems. He surpassed all of them and delivered a feature that every Yolando user will interact with!" — Sarth, Founding Engineer

That proximity matters. At larger companies, Kevin heard from friends, mentors are often stretched thin and interns get limited context. At Yolando, he described the opposite: accessible teammates and a feedback loop tight enough to turn mistakes into lessons fast.

Startup Speed Meets Real Accountability

Kevin hadn't worked in a startup environment before. The biggest surprise wasn't just the pace, it was how speed and accountability worked together.

"The speed at which we're able to work on something, take ownership over it, and ship it out surprised me… being an intern here means you take big ownership over the things you're building."

Things move quickly, but you're still expected to care deeply about quality. You can always ask for help. But the work is yours to own. That combination is what makes the work feel real.

The Day One Pivot: Building AI from the Ground Up

That first-day surprise, learning he'd be building Yolando instead of BirdseyePost, turned out to be exactly what Kevin wanted.

"Moving to Yolando was an extremely happy surprise… we got to work with newer technologies and what the current market is really hyped about, which is AI. Being able to work in that area has been extremely rewarding."

The opportunity to build something new, to design features from scratch rather than extend existing systems, gave Kevin more room to shape the product. It also gave him exposure to AI tooling that he knew would matter in the job market ahead.

But more than that, working on Yolando let him see what it's like to build a product that people might actually rely on. That sense of impact is what made him extend his co-op from four months to eight.

Why Four Months Became Eight

Halfway through his term, Kevin decided to extend. His reason was straightforward: he wanted more time building Yolando, and he wanted to be there when it launched.

"One of the big reasons why I extended my co-op was Yolando. Being able to work on such a new project and build new features for it was something that really drew me in… I really wanted to see the product until it launches."

That excitement, wanting to see what you've built go into the market, separates okay internships from great ones. Kevin wasn't just putting in time. He was invested in the outcome.

He also noted what made the stakes feel real: he sees how much his friends and family rely on AI recommendations day-to-day. 

"Talking to my friends and family who use ChatGPT daily, they really do listen to the recommendations that AI gives. So I think Yolando is something that will be of huge benefit to a lot of companies."

Close-Knit, In-Person, Fast-Moving

When asked what surprised him most about Yolando's culture, Kevin's answer was immediate: how close-knit and accessible the team is.

"Being in person, sitting right beside experienced engineers, has really boosted my learning experience. I've heard from friends who worked at bigger companies that they get less help from their mentors… being in this close-knit environment really helped me learn a lot more."

That proximity creates a high-context environment where you understand why you're building something, how it fits into the product, and what "good" looks like, because you're surrounded by people actively modeling it.

“Kevin required very little hand-holding from day one—he ramped up quickly, sought out context proactively, and consistently incorporated feedback with care. He’s a strong consensus-driven engineer who learns fast, balances independence with collaboration, and approaches reviews with the mindset of building the best possible solution for the team, not just shipping his own code.” – Kevin K., Senior Software Engineer

Kevin also called out the team's relentless curiosity,engineers constantly sharing what they're exploring, what's working, and what tools are worth adopting. That knowledge-sharing happens organically, whether it's a quick conversation at a desk or updates dropped in Slack channels.

Kevin pointed to Chris, one of the Software Engineer on the team, as someone who exemplifies this: 

"Chris is a very big adopter of using a lot of AI agents in his workflows and is able to push out amazing features really fast… he's always sharing things in the Slack channels about new and up-and-coming technologies." 

That kind of openness sparks curiosity and makes the work feel more interesting. You're constantly learning, not just from your own tasks, but from what everyone around you is discovering.

One Piece of Advice for Future Co-ops

When asked what he'd tell someone stepping into a similar role, Kevin's advice was simple:

"Talk to the engineers. They're extremely friendly. They love to bounce ideas off each other and learn about the latest and newest technologies… get to know the other engineers on the team, talk to them about things they're passionate about."

The fastest path to growth at Yolando isn't staying heads-down in your own lane. It's leaning into the team,asking what people are exploring, learning how others move quickly, and picking up the habits that make great engineers great.

What We're Building at Yolando

Kevin's story is what we want every co-op experience at Yolando to be: meaningful engineering, shipped to production, reviewed by people who care, and done in an environment where interns are treated like real builders.

When co-ops extend their internships and choose to stay through launch, it happens because the work is real, the team is generous with feedback, and the pace makes you better.

Kevin shipped real features. He learned backend systems from the ground up. He owned the stack. And he grew fast, because we expected him to, and because the team was right there to support him when he needed it.

That's the culture we're building. And we're proud to have Kevin as part of it.

Interested in joining the team? If you're looking for a co-op experience where you'll own real features, work alongside experienced engineers, and ship to production from day one, we'd love to hear from you. Reach out at info@yolando.com.