This summer Bio::Neos opened their office to three summer interns! We interviewed them at the beginning and end of their internship to mark their growth as Software Development and Marketing Interns. 

Ziad's expectations were centered around the practical application of his academic knowledge. While his coursework had covered languages like Java and Python, he looked forward to diving into frameworks, databases, and other software tools that Bio::Neos utilized. He ended up learning “a lot about API development, documentation, and Issue/Ticket writing” which he is excited to use moving forward in the work environment and outside of it with his own personal projects.

Speaking of projects, Madeline’s initial goal was just to get some experience in this field, which she definitely did as she “learned something new every day”. As the summer progressed, she set a new goal to contribute meaningfully to some of the client projects and their training project! She definitely accomplished her new goal as one of her proudest accomplishments was working on the Classroom Clinic application. She and Ziad had “a handy Google Sheets checklist with all the components we needed to translate over to a different language. We marked them off as we finished them, and it was really satisfying to check off the last one! Even though our work was a minor part of it, it was great to contribute to a project that positively impacts the community.”

Ziad’s greatest achievement was working on creating a base training project application within this internship. “I am proud of it because it is something that will be able to help with training future interns, so in a way, our work will live on and continue to benefit the future Bio::Neos interns!”

While Ziad and Madeline were in person at the office, Anjali was working from home in Illinois. Her major worry was balancing working from home and feeling like she was actually working. While it was a little difficult at first, she learned that getting up and ready as if you were going in person to work helps you get in that mindset. 

Anjali’s most proud of the hard skills she’s learned during her moments of downtime. “Instead of scrolling on my phone, I figured I’d work on taming the beast that is Google Analytics. It was nice being able to work on creative projects and learn the behind-the-scenes factors and how they go hand in hand. I still have a long way to go until I’ve mastered it but I’ve definitely learned a lot!”

Life-long learning at Bio::Neos is something all three interns appreciated. The entire team’s enthusiasm when it comes to personal projects and openness when it comes to asking “silly questions” made learning and working on new projects less daunting. 

To sign off, here are the interns’ advice for future Bio:: Neos interns: 

Ziad: For the future interns, be prepared to make lots of mistakes, but don't dwell on those mistakes because they are expected of you! Your internship here is meant to be a learning experience, so don't worry about not knowing something, because learning fixes that.

Anjali: Future interns, don’t be afraid to take the time to connect with your colleagues, including other interns! Building relationships can provide you with valuable insights and mentorship. Also, keep track of what you’ve worked on! It’s nice to look back and see how far you’ve come in a short amount of time. 

Madeline:  To future interns: Good luck! I hope the project we built for you doesn't give you too much grief 😉 To Steve and Bio::Neos: Thank you!