MINERVA VOICES

Applied Learning: Summer Internships

Introducing Abdullah, a Class of 2024 undergraduate student, sharing his professional journey.
August 26, 2022

Quick Facts

Name
Muhammad Abdullah Khan

Hometown
Pakistan

Class
2024

Intended Major & Concentrations
Computational Sciences — Data Science and Statistics


Conversation


When I joined Minerva, it was a step into the unknown. Yet, it came with the promise of an experience like no other, an inspiring ideology of active learning, and the possibility of being a global citizen at the end of the four years.

After my first year, I joined Minerva’s Outreach Team as an intern over the summer. That same summer, the team underwent staffing changes which would have scared some people at the start of their professional experience, but Minerva had shown me that facing challenges head-on was the best way of growing. I took this as an opportunity to have more creative freedom with my internship and, working under the guidance of the Global Director of Outreach, I worked on multiple projects for the team. For example, I contacted schools and spoke to potential applicants about the admission process and other aspects of Minerva, sharing my own experience. I enjoyed outreach so much that I ended up extending my period of work to continue over the next academic year as well as the next summer.

During my second summer, my coach from the Coaching and Talent Development (CTD) Team referred me for an internship offer as a bioinformatics intern at Metagenomi Inc. With his help, I aced my interviews and was offered the position for the summer.

As a bioinformatics intern, I was able to grow in the field of data science and statistics while gaining valuable experience working in a professional setting. My previous experience with outreach proved to be valuable as it enabled me to easily connect with my colleagues at work. Moreover, I developed leadership skills that allowed me to excel when I was assigned a project on my own.

Both of these summer experiences led me to grow in many different ways that I could not have imagined. While sometimes I felt like I might get overwhelmed, it was a unique chance to prepare myself for not only the academic challenges I would face over the coming academic years but also for unknown professional challenges later on in life. For example, I was able to implement the knowledge I learned in class in a real-world context, such as using the statistical tools I learned from my statistics class and programming skills gained from the computational sciences classes.

After going through these professional experiences, I feel ready to face the challenges that the new academic year brings. I am going to take some of the hardest courses that I have ever taken but these internships have taught me that venturing into the unknown can offer the sweetest rewards. I have come to realize that change is something that will be a constant in my life from now on.

Not only has Minerva helped me prepare myself for the challenges that come with having a summer internship but it has also helped me realize that growth is a constant process. While learning a skill is one thing, honing the skill is a long-term process done over time. Working in diverse summer internships has helped me see how Minerva’s educational approach prepares students to be successful professionally.


If you were inspired by Abdullah's story and are seeking a college experience that will teach you valuable pragmatic skills that will enable you to change the world,
apply to join Minerva today.

Quick Facts

Name
Country
Class
Major
Business and Computational Sciences
Business and Social Sciences
Arts and Humanities
Business, Social Sciences
Business & Arts and Humanities
Computational Sciences
Natural Sciences, Computer Science
Computational Sciences
Arts & Humanities
Computational Sciences, Social Sciences
Computational Sciences
Computational Sciences
Natural Sciences, Social Sciences
Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
Data Science, Statistics
Computational Sciences
Business
Computational Sciences, Data Science
Social Sciences
Natural Sciences
Business, Natural Sciences
Business, Social Sciences
Computational Sciences
Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences
Social Sciences
Computational Sciences, Natural Sciences
Natural Sciences
Computational Sciences, Social Sciences
Business, Social Sciences
Computational Sciences
Natural Sciences, Social Sciences
Social Sciences
Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences
Arts & Humanities, Social Science
Social Sciences, Business
Arts & Humanities
Computational Sciences, Social Science
Natural Sciences, Computer Science
Computational Science, Statistic Natural Sciences
Business & Social Sciences
Computational Science, Social Sciences
Social Sciences and Business
Business
Arts and Humanities
Computational Sciences
Social Sciences
Social Sciences and Computational Sciences
Social Sciences & Computational Sciences
Social Sciences & Arts and Humanities
Computational Science
Minor
Economics
Social Sciences
Concentration
Machine Learning
Cells, Organisms, Data Science, Statistics
Arts & Literature and Historical Forces
Artificial Intelligence & Computer Science
Cells and Organisms, Mind and Emotion
Economics, Physics
Managing Operational Complexity and Strategic Finance
Global Development Studies and Brain, Cognition, and Behavior
Scalable Growth, Designing Societies
Business
Drug Discovery Research, Designing and Implementing Policies
Historical Forces, Cognition, Brain, and Behavior
Artificial Intelligence, Psychology
Designing Solutions, Data Science and Statistics
Data Science and Statistic, Theoretical Foundations of Natural Science
Strategic Finance, Politics, Government, and Society
Data Analysis, Cognition
Brand Management
Data Science and Statistics & Economics
Cognitive Science & Economics
Data Science and Statistics and Contemporary Knowledge Discovery
Internship
Higia Technologies
Project Development and Marketing Analyst Intern at VIVITA, a Mistletoe company
Business Development Intern, DoSomething.org
Business Analyst, Clean Energy Associates (CEA)

Conversation

Quick Facts

Name
Muhammad Abdullah Khan

Hometown
Pakistan

Class
2024

Intended Major & Concentrations
Computational Sciences — Data Science and Statistics


Conversation


When I joined Minerva, it was a step into the unknown. Yet, it came with the promise of an experience like no other, an inspiring ideology of active learning, and the possibility of being a global citizen at the end of the four years.

After my first year, I joined Minerva’s Outreach Team as an intern over the summer. That same summer, the team underwent staffing changes which would have scared some people at the start of their professional experience, but Minerva had shown me that facing challenges head-on was the best way of growing. I took this as an opportunity to have more creative freedom with my internship and, working under the guidance of the Global Director of Outreach, I worked on multiple projects for the team. For example, I contacted schools and spoke to potential applicants about the admission process and other aspects of Minerva, sharing my own experience. I enjoyed outreach so much that I ended up extending my period of work to continue over the next academic year as well as the next summer.

During my second summer, my coach from the Coaching and Talent Development (CTD) Team referred me for an internship offer as a bioinformatics intern at Metagenomi Inc. With his help, I aced my interviews and was offered the position for the summer.

As a bioinformatics intern, I was able to grow in the field of data science and statistics while gaining valuable experience working in a professional setting. My previous experience with outreach proved to be valuable as it enabled me to easily connect with my colleagues at work. Moreover, I developed leadership skills that allowed me to excel when I was assigned a project on my own.

Both of these summer experiences led me to grow in many different ways that I could not have imagined. While sometimes I felt like I might get overwhelmed, it was a unique chance to prepare myself for not only the academic challenges I would face over the coming academic years but also for unknown professional challenges later on in life. For example, I was able to implement the knowledge I learned in class in a real-world context, such as using the statistical tools I learned from my statistics class and programming skills gained from the computational sciences classes.

After going through these professional experiences, I feel ready to face the challenges that the new academic year brings. I am going to take some of the hardest courses that I have ever taken but these internships have taught me that venturing into the unknown can offer the sweetest rewards. I have come to realize that change is something that will be a constant in my life from now on.

Not only has Minerva helped me prepare myself for the challenges that come with having a summer internship but it has also helped me realize that growth is a constant process. While learning a skill is one thing, honing the skill is a long-term process done over time. Working in diverse summer internships has helped me see how Minerva’s educational approach prepares students to be successful professionally.


If you were inspired by Abdullah's story and are seeking a college experience that will teach you valuable pragmatic skills that will enable you to change the world,
apply to join Minerva today.