My name is Nelly Wambui. A friend of mine encouraged me to apply for the internship as it was quite helpful to her growth as an upcoming scientist. The moment I became a bioinformatics intern I felt like a fish in new waters, capable to swim, but we do feel a bit lost in new places, right? The mentors gave us so much guidance and in the end I not only grew in my bioinformatics skills but also in finding a clear career path. The internship was engaging through the various mini-projects and trainings that helped us know what bioinformatics really entails.

In the four months I interned at ICIPE, I gained bioinformatics, planning, presentation and communication skills. The bioinformatics skills made me confident in making applications for bioinformatics job opportunities and scholarships. The planning skills helped me know the importance of having a good schedule for my work to ensure I complete my tasks in good time and in a well done manner. The presentation and communication skills I got from each code review and journal club meeting built my courage in speaking in front of people and I learnt how to make my presentations clear and to the point.

I developed more love for bioinformatics as part of the internship and was therefore sure I would love to do a Masters in Bioinformatics. I have been well mentored by our internship supervisors, even after the four months. Whenever I required a mock interview for a job opportunity they have been available to guide me and I am grateful for having them. It was a wholesome experience that did more than encourage me to be a better person in science. Apart from that, it opened me up to a world of endless opportunities in coding to earn.

I am grateful to have been part of the cohort 4 interns. I do hope that more and more people get to pass through the great team of bioinformaticians at ICIPE and afterwards find themselves in great bioinformatics and genomic science roles in the scientific community.