Early Mornings, Late Nights
One of my biggest adjustments this summer was living without a coffee maker. Without my usual morning cup, I switched to making oatmeal at the crack of dawn like my grandparents do. Starting the day with a full belly helped me power through long hours, especially since troubleshooting electronics can drain you faster than you’d expect.
Learning When to Work
Unlike in class, we were mostly on our own here. There’s no course outline or professor checking in if my grades slip. Opportunities and solutions didn’t just fall into our laps. I had to get comfortable communicating my needs, asking for help, and knowing when to seek out advice. Once we hit full stride in the last few weeks, it felt like nothing could stop our progress.
Learning When to Relax
Once I begin a project, it’s hard for me to let go of it. This internship taught me the value of putting work aside after hours and being present in the moment. Because of that, I made far more memories exploring the city and beyond than I would have by staying in the lab 24/7. Plus, recharging after work made me even more productive the next day.
Coming Together
We built some unexpected connections along the way. The first three weeks would have been nearly impossible without the other CDIE participants, as well as the GMI and ISEED students. In later weeks, we became close with the Rice CCL fellows stationed in Nairobi.
Working alongside KU students like Suzy and Alex (not pictured), we traded problems, brainstormed fixes, and saw how the same challenge could look completely different from another perspective. That exchange of ideas felt like the truest expression of engineering.
What's Next
Saumya, Ellena, and I will continue working on the projects we started here. This upcoming year is my final year at Rice (as an undergrad at least). So, for my senior design project, I’ll aim to continue working on global health projects like these. I’m deeply grateful for this internship, which gave me a firsthand look at what it’s like to work in the field of global health. After everything I’ve experienced this summer, I know I want to stay in this field. With any luck, I’ll get to keep traveling, collaborating, and working in bioengineering. So thank you to everyone who made this opportunity for me possible, and everyone who supported me along the way.
Thanks for sticking with me for the journey.
Signing off one last time,
