#Gradstories, Emmanuela Oluwasanya, Software Development Intern, Guidewire Software

What made you apply for the internship at guidewire?

I currently study computer science and software engineering at Maynooth university. Guidewire had introduced the company to us and I liked their warm environment. It seemed like a great place to work so I was immediately drawn to the company.

What did a typical day look like for you?

The typical day would begin with a scrum meeting for all of the interns, and we would talk about what we were doing and what we planned to do for the day. In the second half of the internship, we worked with product development with more experienced developers.

What projects and extracurricular activities did you get involved in?

In the customer-facing side of the internship office interns work together on different projects We also worked on a non-technical project by coming up with a mentoring tool.

What skills do you need to be successful in the internship?

Communication skills and teamwork are very important in any environment. Willingness to learn is also key because it helps you fill in the gaps in your knowledge.

What advice would you have for students thinking of doing an internship?

Be open to learn and broaden your knowledge of different things as there will be many things that you will not be familiar with.

Make connections and network as much as you can, make the most of your experience.

What was the biggest thing you learnt from the internship?

Teamwork. I learnt about working together and how to divide a task to play to everyone’s skills.

How did you find doing the internship remotely?

I was expecting the remote aspect because of the pandemic. It was different than what I had done in college. But guidewire did a really good job of making it easier by sending us everything we need to work from home. They also organised social activities to help us connect with our co-workers.

What did you love most about the internship?

How warm everybody was and how open everyone was to provide me with help. Whenever I needed something there were always people who were happy to help.

What excites you most about returning to Guidewire in a graduate position?

I look forward to reconnecting with people I had met during the internship and having the opportunity to learn new things on a larger scale.