Charlotte Data Science student charts path with Honeywell internship and Niner know-how

An aspiring data scientist from Waxhaw, North Carolina, Anisha Nannapaneni joined Niner Nation three years ago intrigued by the prospect of building a career in the fast-growing field. But it was her transformational summer internship experience at the Charlotte-headquartered Fortune 500 titan Honeywell that solidified her belief that data science was her calling.

“It was a really great experience,” Nannapenini said. “I learned so much, and it really confirmed that this is what I want to do.”

A triple-major in data science, business analytics and management information systems entering her third year as an undergraduate, Nannapaneni is a proud member of the School of Data Science in the College of Computing and Informatics and the Belk College of Business.

Nannapaneni had her eye on UNC Charlotte from the start of her college search in 2023. Thanks to the pioneering School of Data Science in the College of Computing and Informatics, the University had the state’s only dedicated data science undergraduate program at the time, an enticing proposition to the daughter of information technology professionals who herself was hoping to build a tech-centric career.

Year one of college was all about getting acclimated for Nannapaneni. Come year two, she was ready from the jump to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to her as a Niner. She became a regular presence at CCI professional development events, relishing the chance to network with industry professionals while picking the brains of folks whose footsteps she was keen to follow.

This past summer, Nannapaneni was a proud member of Charlotte-based Honeywell’s Future IT Leaders internship program. She earned her spot in the cohort through not just her academic record, but by applying the interview skills and the networking know-how she gained from UNC Charlotte career development programming.

Over the course of her internship, Nannapanenini worked with large datasets to uncover trends and build insights that supported ongoing Honeywell projects and tools like the ServiceNow platform. Always looking for ways to broaden her skills, she also sought out and secured the opportunity to assist one of Honeywell’s artificial intelligence teams on a large language model project over the course of her internship.

Beyond technical work, Nannapaneni took the initiative to schedule coffee chats with employees across different departments throughout the summer, learning about career paths while strengthening her professional network. The experience showed her how classroom knowledge translates into real business impact and reinforced her confidence in pursuing data science as a career.

“There’s so much data in the world, but it’s really about how you put it into context that gives it meaning. Something I really saw in my internship this year is how data can be utilized in many different ways,” Nannapaneni said. 

“Seeing how the work I was doing impacted decisions really motivated me. It helped me realize that data science isn’t just technical — it can drive real change in how companies operate.”

Her Honeywell internship wasn’t the only opportunity Nannapaneni found thanks to the University’s and CCI’s career prep programs. Another was the Truist Immersive Experience, through which a select cohort of CCI and Belk College of Business students are selected each year to work closely with Truist executives and staff over multiple days at the company’s Uptown HQ. The experience culminates with student presentations to Truist leadership on their projects, giving the Niners hands-on insights into both business problem solving and corporate communication best-practices.

Nannapaneni also credits the CCI mentorship program with helping her prepare for her post-college career. Her mentor Jared Heinz, director of technology at locally-based financial services firm TIAA, became a great sounding board and source of inspiration for the young data scientist. “He gave me a lot of great advice,” Nannapaneni said.”He’s taught me a lot about relationship building in the corporate world, and he’s given me a lot of insight into what it’s like to work in a big company.”

Outside the classroom and the office, Nannapaneni has always looked for ways to build community with her fellow Niners. That’s what led her to join Charlotte’s Girls Who Code chapter her freshman year. She’s also both president of and a guided meditation facilitator for the Sky Campus meditation club, leadership roles through which she helped hone the skills needed to network effectively and interview with confidence.

When asked for advice she’d give to other students looking to land internships of their own, Nannapaneni focused on intentional communication and careful research as two ways to get ahead.

“It’s really about networking with everybody that is around you. You never know the connections that they might have, how you might help them or they might help you,” she said. “Another piece of advice is just research the company where you’re applying and try to truly understand their goals. That will give you so much more of an edge over other people because it shows that you care.”