I was apprehensive going into this experience. I didn’t know how a virtual internship with team members and collaborators all over the world would run. And gradually, in the six weeks of this internship, I’ve been blown away by how wonderful and educational the experience was. Taking a few weeks to relax, and reflect more on what these six weeks has meant to me, I found that it really boiled down to two things: my teammates and the impact of our projects. 

Meetings with Andrew, Carolyn, and Yankho were some of the highlights of the internship. It’s really crazy to me that in just six weeks, we had already formed such close bonds. I learned more about their cultures, about their families, about our common struggles with testing and schools, and of course, about their passions. They taught me so much as we worked on our projects. It was also really special to see that even though all four of us come from vastly different backgrounds, we still had so much in common where we could relate to one another. By the end of the six weeks, I didn’t feel like I was talking to my teammates, but rather my friends. Even if we don’t talk daily now, we’ve bonded over this experience, and I know that we will stay in touch.

Another main highlight of the internship was seeing the impact of our work in the final week. I remember looking at the 100 participants in Zoom call during the final showcase, and texting our team group chat about it. We were all shocked at the number of people on the call. It gave me an immense sense of satisfaction that people cared about what we did, and that our work would benefit others and be implemented. 

Due to the virtual nature of the internship, It was hard for me to realize the importance of our work. Rather than me being in a design studio, I was sitting in my bedroom staring at a laptop screen. I never grasped the magnitude of what we did until that internship showcase. I was so excited and gratified when we finally finished our presentation, and I was even more delighted to hear the questions from the audience. Since all of our videos were off and everybody was muted, I assumed that people were only passively listening to our presentation. I was wrong. Their questions made it clear that they were truly invested in our projects and wanted to learn more about them. Knowing that the work I did could help impact how protected clinicians are against the COVID-19 virus in Malawi is something that I feel incredibly proud of and humbled by. 

Personally, too, in these few weeks after the internship, I’ve reflected on how I have grown in this short period of time. I’ve become a better teammate — more understanding of different circumstances, a more active listener and more comfortable sharing my own opinion. I’ve gained confidence in myself as an engineer — the trust and support from the faculty members and the Rice 360 Education team gave me the ability to start taking the lead and gave me more faith in myself to trust the importance and value of my own ideas. And I’ve gained a much better understanding of a culture that I had previously known little about.

I can’t thank the many, many people that made this experience possible enough. The donors, Rice 360, the amazing directors, the faculty mentors, the TAs, the immensely talented interns — the list goes on and on. I’m honored that I was part of this program, and I hope that I get to stay involved with these projects and in touch with the people involved in the internship going forward. I’m so proud of the work that my team and I have done, and I had a really amazing six weeks! 

– Bhavya 🙂