Workforce Development in Action: Sands Honors 2025 Summer Intern Contribution

Sands recently held a recognition ceremony celebrating the college students and recent graduates who participated in the company’s 2025 summer intern program in Las Vegas and Dallas. The event featured presentation of a group project they worked on over the 10-week program.

Sands hosted a total of 13 interns from a variety of backgrounds and higher education institutions. Students spent their summer in areas aligned with their education and career goals, including the company’s procurement, corporate human resources, global cybersecurity, corporate treasury, corporate sustainability, client development, server development, hardware development, and game art/product design departments, as well as Sands Aviation.

For the final group project showcased at the recognition event, interns working in corporate functions contributed knowledge gained in their summer focus area to an integrated resort development project, while interns working in digital service functions focused on ideas for game creation

“Our summer intern program has been very successful, benefiting both our interns and participating teams,” Grace Chen, manager of talent acquisition for corporate human resources, said. “We offer interns a unique opportunity to build their experience and receive mentoring in a Fortune 500 company, while our departments are able to grow awareness of our company, build our reputation among emerging talent and demonstrate the broad career opportunities our industry offers.”

Interns reflected on their key learnings over the summer and how their time with Sands impacted their view of the hospitality industry:

MICAJAH DANIELS

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Procurement

“The highlight of the internship was getting to know the staff who work at Sands and the interns who were here for the summer. Through these newfound relationships, I was able to discover more about myself and how I show up for others as a leader.

“The takeaways that I have from this internship are about the need for diversity. The process of procurement happens through collaboration. I have yet to meet anyone that has a background in public health, and therefore, I found my perspective to be a great contribution to discussions across departments. Every person on the team is versatile with their experience and skills.”

LINH FOSCHI

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Corporate Human Resources

“My favorite part of the internship was the opportunity to be hands-on, assisting with daily tasks and participating in meetings. I felt empowered to contribute ideas, and my input was always welcomed and respected.

“Having already worked in hospitality, I came into this internship with a strong appreciation for the industry. However, working at the Sands corporate office enhanced my perception of hospitality by showing me the strategy, planning and cross department collaboration that goes into supporting integrated resorts on a global scale. It gave me a deeper appreciation for how a large, global company maintains consistency and innovation across all its properties.”

SAFAL GHIMIRE

Wabash College

Global Cybersecurity

“This experience gave me valuable insight inside the workings of a global company. I got to see how protecting corporate systems requires coordination across different regions, adapting to varied and strict regulatory environments and aligning security strategies with overall organizational needs. It also highlighted the challenges of maintaining a strong security posture while maintaining growth and operational efficiency at a global scale.

“This internship provided me with valuable hands-on experience on enterprise-level cybersecurity at a global scale. It also exposed me to real-world threat landscapes and compliance requirements specific to the gaming industry. Furthermore, this internship bridged the gap between my academic learning and its practical application by providing me with the hands-on experience.”

ADAM GODFREY

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Global Cybersecurity

“My highlight of the internship was not only getting true hands-on learning experience in a field I am passionate about, but more importantly having a team around me that truly wants to help me learn and succeed. It has also shown me the importance of working on a team that truly supports your goals and encourages personal development.

“This experience helped to shape my perception of the hospitality industry, as it extends much deeper than just ensuring guests feel at home. It builds into the local economy, sourcing local vendors and making a positive impact in many different countries.”

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Client Development

“My ah-ha moments were mostly technical when learning about all the different aspects within the client software. This experience showed me that there’s a lot more moving pieces in hospitality than I originally thought. This experience has helped me grow in numerous ways. I’m more confident in my abilities and had the opportunity to really develop my technical skills.”

JEAN-LUC PELOQUIN

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Server Development

“My highlight of my internship was being fully integrated within the server team. I was treated and expected to be an active participant in day-to-day operations, learning and innovating under the guidance of senior engineers, and helping to integrate new technologies directly into the team’s workflow. My key ‘ah-ha’ moment was realizing the value of my own contributions. The openness of my team demonstrated that even as an intern, my ideas could make a tangible impact. I learned that a collaborative environment empowers individuals to drive real innovation, rather than simply fitting into a pre-existing mold.

“This experience completely shifted my perspective of the gaming industry. I had previously assumed it was a more established field focused on small iterations. Instead, I discovered a high-paced environment that thrives on cutting-edge technology, constant change and the adoption of new best practices.”

JONATHAN RAPORT

Northwestern University

Hardware Development

“One of my biggest takeaways from this experience is learning how to function well and fit into a work environment. Everyone I spoke with was always eager to help and genuinely interested in my success, which was an amazing way to help my transition from school to the workplace. After working here, I now have a better understanding of all the hard work and planning that goes into all the products in gaming and entertainment. Even things that seem trivial are likely debated on and iterated on so they are perfect, which was really cool to see firsthand.

“This internship provided me with both skills and experiences I could have never learned in the classroom. Working on real projects that impacted core functionality helped me learn both technical and non-technical lessons that I will take with me to my next year of school and beyond.”

JUNIOR REYNOLDS

San Diego State University

Corporate Treasury

“The highlight of my internship was feeling like I was a part of the team while working. Being able to contribute to processes that impact multi-billion-dollar decisions was both challenging and rewarding. This experience showed me the scale, intricacy and precision required to run a huge multinational corporation. I had a better understanding of how financial strategy supports everything in the hospitality and casino industries, from property development to day-to-day operations.

“As a finance major, this internship provided me with excellent practical experience implementing financial concepts in a worldwide corporate setting. Working at corporate treasury helped me improve my abilities in cash flow management, liquidity analysis and market evaluation. It validated my desire to pursue a career in corporate finance where I can continue to contribute to making strategic decisions in large-scale organizations.”

NIC SURGIT

Ringling College of Art and Design

Game Art/Product Design

“My favorite part of the internship was hopping between all the wildly talented teams at Sands and learning all I could from such kind and accommodating professionals. I’m proud to say that I am leaving this internship as a better artist than I was before. My time here at Sands has added invaluable skills to my back pocket and shaped me into a team player and leader that future employers cannot dismiss. I always put my best foot forward and I strive to stand out as a valuable contributor to any project I work on. My portfolio has also been impacted positively, as I have now gained experience as an art director/lead artist on our collaborative intern project. Sands has been unforgettable!”

“I had no idea how vast this industry was before arriving at Sands! This was my first opportunity within a corporate setting, and it introduced a unique structure of work that I admired and enjoyed. The scale of operation here at Sands feels almost fantastical, and it’s inspiring knowing that the work I produced may be exposed to huge audiences across the globe.”

KHANG TRAN

University of Texas, Austin

Information Technology

“I didn’t realize how much precision sits behind a seamless client experience. Tiny back-end decisions ripple out to operations, compliance and service. In a global company, the rigor –

standards, reviews, security – felt less like red tape and more like guardrails for reliability.

“It confirmed that I want to build backend and platform systems at scale. I got to apply classroom ideas in databases and systems design to production problems, and I’m heading back to school with a clearer lens for courses, projects and what ‘production-ready’ means.”

SEAN USHER

Quincy University

Sands Aviation

“Through my internship with Sands, I gained a valuable insight into the day’s life of a pilot and the general operations it takes to operate a private aviation company. This internship gave me broad experience of other departments and a greater understanding of the roles of delivering an efficient, high expectation company.

“This experience gave me a deeper understanding of the complexity and coordination required in the hospitality and aviation side of the travel industry. Working with Sands Aviation showed me how much attention to detail, service and safety goes into the services for all our high-end clients. It also gave me a new perspective on working for a larger private global company. How each of our departments function together to allow all the flights and services to run smoothly across all the different time zones and the importance of communication and collaboration.”

FINN XIONG

University of Texas, Austin

Software Development

“My favorite parts were the sprint increment demo meetings and sprint retrospective sessions.

During the demo meetings, seeing our collective team efforts come to life gave me such a strong sense of accomplishment. The retrospectives were equally valuable because they allowed us to reflect on our challenges from the previous sprint and strategize improvements for the next one.

These meetings perfectly displayed the collaborative spirit and continuous improvement mindset that I love about software development.

“This internship has been a great starting point for my career. It significantly enhanced my coding abilities and provided invaluable real-world experience that complements my academic studies. Most importantly, it confirmed my passion for software engineering – I found the work both fulfilling and enjoyable. The experience has strengthened my determination to pursue a career as a software engineer and has given me the confidence and practical skills to succeed in this field.”

ERIC YE

University of Southern California

Corporate Sustainability

“I gained firsthand exposure to the full life cycle of integrated resort development through projects ranging from market research on new investments to contributing to the company’s 2025-2030 ESG strategy. My role on the global sustainability team deepened my understanding of how a company can meaningfully support its workforce, protect the environment and strengthen local communities. These lessons guide me in creating future developments that provide both financial and social impact for the people and places they serve.

“One of my biggest takeaways was recognizing the transformative impact integrated resorts have on the regions where they operate. They generate billions in revenue for local governments, create tens of thousands of jobs for international workers and strengthen tourism economies. My ‘ah-ha’ moment came when I witnessed the unveiling of Marina Bay Sands IR2 and saw firsthand its potential impact on Singapore’s economy. It shifted my perspective on how integral Sands is to the countries and governments it partners with.”

Sands’ summer intern program is one of the company’s wide-ranging workforce development initiatives and represents its commitment to cultivating talent in the hospitality industry. At the end of 2024, the company had contributed $220 million to workforce development programs since 2021, surpassing its ambition to invest $200 million in this area between 2021-2025.

To learn more about Sands’ priority on workforce development and its contributions to hospitality industry advancement, read the company’s latest ESG report: