You know what's great about the summer? Interns! As a new addition to the Bump family, I quickly realized how fortunate I was to join the company while our amazing interns were still in the house. I also learned that Bump has a rich history of interns, what with a couple of our current resident geniuses having first come to Bump as interns. 

So what's so great about them Hootan, you ask? Glad you asked.

Let's just say that it's NOT their ping pong skills, because I don't enjoy being defeated by them on a regular basis. No, what's amazing is their attitude. Our interns look at the Bump world through "anything is possible" lenses and sometimes, prove the maxim. Their work ethic is beyond reproach, their creativity is impressive, and quite frankly, their intelligence is actually kind of scary. The icing on this fantastic cake is that theirs is the perfect Bump demographic. So, when they have ideas for us, we listen intently.

Nowhere were all of the above qualities on display as clearly as during our recent hackathon. At precisely 5PM on a Thursday afternoon, a corner of the Bump Global Headquarters was converted into a skunkworks, replete with a Turntable.fm room blaring everything from bluegrass to trance. This Bump dude was tasked with going around and checking out the ideas, with the aim of helping direct the ideas to possible future products for Bump. Right at the outset, I was impressed with everyone's ambitious goals, so much so that I wanted to fast-forward the next 24 hours to see the final results.

The rest of it is lost in a haze of caffeine and an eventual visit to a sleeping bag....but mostly for me! Oh yes, several of the genus Internus Energizer-Bunnyus worked into the wee hours of the morning, while four members of this remarkable species worked for the full 24-hours without stopping! And to top it all off, they wowed the entire company with coherent presentations at the end. Oh, you think that's it? After the presentations, they celebrated with - wait for it - ping pong! Where did these people come from?!

The interns were there on my first day at Bump, so it will be hard to see them leave at the end of the summer. However, we here at Bump consider them a permanent part of the family and Bump history. We're looking forward to implementing their ideas, will cheer them on when they go back to their respective academic pursuits, and look forward to permanently welcoming them back to Bump when they are done with school. 

Interns, thank you for everything you have done for Bump!