Fourth-year Computer Science undergrad Milla Samuel knows the thrills of putting into practice what is learnt in the classroom and getting noticed at work even before she graduates. The Renaissance Engineering Programme (REP) scholar has already completed two internships and will be doing two more this year.

One of her internships was a remote internship as a software engineer with Canadian start-up Picovoice, which she landed fortuitously.

“When I was studying in University of Berkeley, California, in my third year as part of the REP programme, the vice-president of Picovoice spotted my portfolio on GitHub, a code-sharing platform. He noticed I was based in the Berkeley area, and offered me a position after an interview,” says Milla.

“I was initially supposed to go for an internship with Dell in Silicon Valley, which the NTU programme helped me secure, but I couldn’t stay on in the US because of the pandemic. I’m thankful I was allowed to do my internship remotely,” she adds.

Her multiple internships have given her lessons that are invaluable to any student, including the chance to create real impact. During her second internship with GovTech Singapore, she worked on SupplyAlly, a digital platform that had to be ready at short notice during the Circuit Breaker period to facilitate the distribution of COVID-19 essentials by volunteers.

“One of the most important things I’ve learnt at work is to be open to feedback and readily ask questions. You learn the fastest on the job, but when you’re stuck, don’t just sit there and try to figure out things on your own. You have to ask for help and take advantage of the mentorship you get,” she says.

This story was published in the Jan-Mar 2021 issue of HEY!.

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