AI Intern Enjoys the Perks of Being at MITRE

Meet Tobi Ayodeji, a MITRE veteran employee at age 17. It makes sense when you learn his trajectory was high-school graduate at 15, MITRE Cyber Futures intern at 16, and—entering his third year at Bowie State University—is now so adept at the high-tech game that he’s tackling cancer research for the National Security Engineering Center (NSEC) FFRDC. Here, Tobi talks about his rapid rise, his favorite MITRE “perks,” and where he thinks a computer-science degree can take him in the future.

There are a few not-so-great things about being underage in college. Some universities I applied to won’t even let a 15-year-old live on campus. And a major problem for me was that a lot of tech companies don’t want to hire an underage intern. 

MITRE was different. They were willing to look past the numbers and focus on my experience, interests, and potential. So I’m happy to be back for my second internship—this time in a health-data capacity.

Getting a Head Start

I spent most of my life in Nigeria. When I was little, I was pretty much thrown into school early because my mother worked. I don’t think I even realized everyone else was older than me until much later. 

Before my senior year of high school, I came to the United States; my father was already established here. Because I didn’t have too many new graduation requirements to complete, I was able to enroll in computer-science classes—where I earned straight 100s and discovered my future.

At Bowie State, I chose computer science as a major because of its versatility. That’s been a huge bonus during my two years as a MITRE intern—first in web development with Cyber Futures and this year in health AI under NSEC for the Department of Defense Chief Information Office, Chief Digital and AI Office, and Defense Information Systems Agency Division.

Winding Career Paths

This summer, I’m working with an augmented reality microscope. The microscope has an overlay that predicts where cancer might occur in certain cells. I’m helping to develop the automated testing pipeline.

AI in health is an example of the different directions a computer science background can take you. When I applied to return as a MITRE intern this year, a few projects were on the table, but I didn’t know where I would land right away. I was excited to get this assignment because it was really a perfect match—during this past school year I was involved with research on breast cancer, running statistical comparisons with data from the Cancer Genome Atlas Project. 

I’m a person who’s never been sick or had to go to the hospital, but a lot of people close to me have and my mother works in healthcare. It’s meaningful to be able to contribute to helping with a topic as serious as cancer by using technology to look at patterns and solutions.

Coffee Talk, Career Talk

With two years of interning at MITRE, I can say I really appreciate working for a company that lets me diversify my resume. At this stage, I don’t want to do the same kind of work every summer. I’m open to anything—cybersecurity, government policy, even something more consumer-facing—as long as it involves computers and ultimately helps people. The more I learn now, the more choices I have going forward.

I’ve found I can walk up to anyone at MITRE and ask them what they’re working on, and they’re really happy to share it. In fact, the number of people I’ve gotten to know while getting coffee at The Percolator café in our McLean headquarters is actually insane—if they’re not busy, I just introduce myself and we go from there. 

That reminds me—here’s one more tip for future interns at MITRE. There are subsidized Starbucks drinks for purchase at Perks. You know the teenagers love that stuff!