Introducing our buuteeq interns

Here at buuteeq headquarters, we have been lucky enough to acquire four wonderful interns to help out our team, while learning about the hospitality industry and gaining valuable work experience. We are sincerely grateful for all of their hard work and effort. (We’ll pretend that their decision to spend their time at buuteeq was based purely on our awesome team and product, rather than the ping pong table, Xbox, Wii and kegerator that those of age have access to.)

So, without further adieu, meet our wonderful, amazing, magnificent, buuteeq interns!

Erika Kaneko
My name is Erika Kaneko and I am very excited to be part of Buuteeq’s team this summer. I am currently pursuing a BA in Economics at Stanford University (’13). I recently studied abroad in Beijing, China in the fall of 2011. Living in China was an exciting cultural experience where I learned Mandarin for my first time, constantly ate delicious street food, and traveled more times in 3 months than I ever have in 3 years. However, in addition to my travels to China, my favorite places I’ve traveled to so far in my life are Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Tokyo where my extended relatives live, and driving through Big Sur along the breathtaking Pacific coastline on Highway 1. As a Bay Area native, I consider myself a foodie and love to eat, read food blogs, and educate myself about food sustainability issues. So in my free time, I enjoy reading up on new restaurants as well as swimming and soaking in some sun, watching a lot of TV on Hulu, and going to the movies with friends (let the summer movie season begin!).

Jasmine Foruzani
Hi! My name is Jasmine, and I’m a summer intern working with the customer success team. I’m currently a junior at UC Berkeley studying Business Administration and am from Kenmore, Washington. My favorite place I’ve traveled to so far has to be Beijing, and I hope that I can return to China sometime in the future.
Interning at buuteeq has been an insightful and exciting experience. In just my first couple of weeks at buuteeq I had the opportunity to experience the potential of easy to use technology to make a huge impact on a firm’s marketing tools and branding. I’ve also learned that an open office environment conducive to collaboration as well as the fast paced nature of a start-up contributes to a motivating work setting that is never monotonous. And just as important, I now know that orange is probably the best office color ever. When I’m not studying or working I’m likely playing tennis or searching yelp for new restaurants to try with friends. I have a lot of respect for my Macroeconomics professor Todd Fitch and have come to admire as well as envy Anthony Bourdain.

Katie Ruiz
My name is Katie Ruiz and I’m a junior studying Communications at the University of Washington. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I have always been pretty outdoorsy. The summer after my freshman year at college, I was able to spend a few weeks traveling throughout Peru. Visiting Cusco and exploring Machu Picchu have definitely made Peru my favorite place to visit. Since I’m not often thousands of miles away, I usually pass my time hanging out with friends, playing games, or watching movies. When the sun comes out, I love hiking local trails, camping, and wake surfing. I’m really excited to be interning at Buuteeq this summer. With its fun atmosphere, friendly people, and fast paced nature, I believe it has been and will continue to be a great experience!

Josh Twaddle
My name is Josh Twaddle and I am current going into my senior year at the University of Washington, Foster School of Business. I will be majoring in HR Management with a concentration in International Business. I originally was born in Madrid, Spain and lived there for a total of 12 years. Among all the countries I have traveled to, Switzerland would have to be one of my favorites. Interlaken, is the city where I had the chance to experience canyon jumping as well as canyoning. If you have no idea about what these activities might be, I recommend that you watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7jDxUk1g7k

I consider myself as an adrenaline junkie who enjoys traveling to new places. On my free time I like to hangout with friends and family. Some of the sports I enjoy playing are soccer, tennis, ping-pong, swimming, wakeboarding and snowboarding. This summer, my goal is to knock off at least 5 things off my bucket list!

Here is a link to some of current list:
http://pinterest.com/jrtwaddle/things-to-do-before-i-die/

Terence Tang
Hometown: Shoreline, WA
Year and Major in School: Senior (going on fifth), Finance and International Business
Favorite Place you have Traveled to: Koh Chang, Thailand was beautiful. But I have loved every place I’ve been, so this is a really hard question.
Individuals you Admire: Richard Branson, commercialized space flight is such an awesome idea! =D

Whenever I’m not busy you can usually find me on a basketball court. I also like to eat a lot, which happily incorporates with my enjoyment for sleep as well. Aside from those, I would like to consider myself a rather avid gamer. I recently bid my social life farewell with my purchase of Diablo III; and as a Diablo II player, I can’t wait to get into it. On the grander scheme of things, whenever time, financials, and the stars align, I like to travel. My Disneyland/Hawaii vacation deprived childhood may just be the reason for my current addiction. On a lighter note, I enjoy music; more recently. I’ve become a blues and jazz fan, and I attempt to play the guitar every once in a while. I also try to read whenever I find an interesting novel, and in light of my major, I try to keep up with international news as much as possible. That pretty much sums up my recreational activities in a nut shell.

I think the rate at which buuteeq grows and gets things done is ridiculous. As a part time intern, I only come in several times a week, as I swear it feels like a new product or a new theme goes live every time I’m here. Learning that start-ups need to be agile and flexible in school is one thing, but actually experiencing it in person is a totally different type of educational experience. It was also very cool to have some visibility and ownership on projects that mattered. I definitely wish my stay here was longer, or that I was here more than just a few times a week. Working with the product team at buuteeq has been amazing. The quality of leadership, innovation, and enthusiasm here is not only inspiration, but also contagious.

I’d like to say thank you once again to our interns for their time, dedication, and kind words about their experience at buuteeq.