A College Internship in Washington DC: Our Experience at Citian

Going into your senior year without a clear career path is more common than anyone admits. That was exactly where Ledetom Kidane and Will Miller found themselves, two college seniors still figuring out what they wanted, open to taking a chance on something unexpected. What they found was a college internship opportunity that would reshape how they think about sales, data, and their careers.

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That opportunity was at Citian, a transportation operating system company based in Washington DC that uses advanced digital twin technology to help government agencies like state DOTs and local municipalities make smarter decisions about roadway safety. In simple terms, they help communities figure out where people are most at risk on the road and what to do about it.

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The two found their way to this BDR internship differently. Ledetom met Citian staff at the UMD career fair, shared his passion for the intersection of data and business, and stayed persistent until the opportunity came through. Will found the role and applied online. Different paths, but both ended up as part of Citian's very first intern cohort.

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Neither came in with identical experience. Ledetom had no sales background at all, while Will came in having already completed a previous sales internship. Together, they learned to build prospect accounts in Salesforce, run outreach cadences in Salesloft, and contact local governments across the country. Before getting on the phone, they worked on tone and call scripts, preparing for conversations with government officials who had little patience for anything that didn't feel genuine. Citian's collaborative and inclusive culture made it easy to ask questions, take initiative, and grow quickly from day one.

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"I didn't expect sales to be this complex and calculated. What I found was a whole system built around timing, signals, and strategy."
— Ledetom Kidane

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More than outreach: the capstone projects

Alongside their sales work, both Ledetom and Will completed individual capstone projects. Each project was rooted in the same goal: identify a real problem the sales team was facing and build something to solve it. The process of researching, analyzing, and presenting those solutions to the Citian team gave them a ground-level understanding of how the entire sales operation works, from prospecting all the way through to strategy.

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Will Miller on what the internship meant

For Will, the experience was equally impactful. Working in a fast-paced environment where learning happens by doing, he built confidence on the phone quickly and contributed tools the team continues to use today.

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"My time at Citian has helped me tremendously in developing my sales skills and beyond. Citian is a high paced environment where you learn by doing. I built my confidence over the phone quickly and got to build tools that our team actually uses and benefits from. It's great to work in an environment where the whole team gets more effective seemingly daily."
— Will Miller

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If you're a rising senior looking for an internship opportunity in tech, sales, or transportation and you're still figuring out your path, that's not a weakness. It's an opening. Show up curious, stay persistent, and be willing to learn something you didn't expect. That's how both of them got here and that's exactly the kind of intern Citian is looking for next.