I’ve never been good at goodbyes. As a child, I moved around many times, and the worst part of moving was always saying farewell to the people I’d met and the memories I’d made in each place – even as I got more used to it, it never got easier. Even now, endings are still extremely challenging for me; hence why, despite my pride over the work my team has accomplished and the amazing experience I’ve had, I can’t help but feel sad as I write this post and recognize that the internship is officially over. I honestly can’t believe that the six weeks went by so fast – the experience certainly exceeded my (admittedly already high) hopes, and I definitely did not expect to be so sentimental about it ending.
Reflecting back on the past six weeks, I am amazed by how many extremely important skills I have learned. I have gained experience in the engineering design process as a whole which I am sure will continue to be very applicable in future opportunities as well as my intended career as a biomedical engineer. This includes the steps of research, brainstorming, developing design criteria, and building both low and higher-fidelity prototypes. In addition, I was able to apply the electrical engineering information which I have learned in a few courses in order to work on designing and improving a real circuit.
The things I have learned from this internship also extend beyond just technical skills. I have learned how to face frustration and bounce back from numerous failures. Throughout our design process, my team and I encountered a number of obstacles, causing us to have to modify our design or even completely change direction. While this was very challenging at the time, it taught me that pivoting is often a vital part in the engineering process, and that the resulting iterations are what enable the best possible final product to be produced.
One of the most notable aspects of the internship was the interactions I had with others. This includes our clients, who taught me about designing for different contexts, as well as our peers from Malawi and Tanzania, who contributed to our project through offering their unique ideas and perspectives. Furthermore, the Rice 360 and OEDK staff were an immense help in teaching us technical skills varying from how to screw into metal to how to wire a circuit, and I can’t even begin to quantify the skills I learned from our numerous workshop presenters, all of whom were experts in their particular subjects. Lastly, my interactions with my fellow Rice 360/SEED interns have had a huge impact on me, and seeing their progress on each of their projects motivated me every day. We’ve had so many fun times and created so many memories which I know I will carry with me forever. I am so thankful to have worked with such an amazingly intelligent and inspiring group of people, and to be able to call them my friends.
