“What’s it like?”: Coffee with The Interns

What is it like to be an Intern at SkillLab? And who are these bright people who contribute to SkillLab’s success, and its vibrant & friendly company culture? Keisha, our HR intern, talked with a few of them: Vajk, our product management intern, Divabelle, our former data analyst intern-turned-full time data scientist, Lorenzo, our UI design intern, and Jason, our python engineering intern.

Vajk, Product Management Intern

Vajk, SkillLab’s Product Management intern, comes from Hungary. He came to the Netherlands a year ago initially to do his Master’s in ICT in Business at Leiden University. His program’s focus on the fundamentals of technology in a business environment, and system-building sparked his curiosity. Midway through his studies, he found the perfect opportunity to apply his knowledge in a real-world setting - joining SkillLab as a Product Management intern. 

In this position, he works closely with his supervisor, Hadeel, who is SkillLab’s Product Manager. His daily work focuses mainly on  aligning with relevant stakeholders to roll out features together. It is a role that requires constant collaboration, effective communication, strategizing, and conflict resolution. Vajk values this role as developing his soft skills in effective communication and team management are his core goals for the internship, and he uses these skills a lot throughout his time at SkillLab. He admits that collaborating with and managing different stakeholders in guiding feature development has proven more complex than he has anticipated, but he enjoys and embraces this challenge.

He speaks warmly of his supervisor, Hadeel: “I couldn’t ask for a better supervisor”. He appreciates how supportive and encouraging she is. As the internship progresses, she encourages Vajk to take on more responsibilities and ownership of his projects, which is a smooth and enjoyable experience.

Finally, when asked about organizational culture at SkillLab, he says he feels very comfortable and welcome at SkillLab from day one. He appreciates that everyone is friendly and everyone is always trying to get to know one another. Furthermore, he appreciates the diversity of people at SkillLab.

Divabelle, SkillLab’s Data Analyst Intern turned Data scientist

Divabelle is SkillLab’s Data Scientist who started her journey as a Data Analyst Intern. She comes from Indonesia, and moved to Amsterdam initially to pursue her Bachelor’s in Artificial Intelligence at the Vrije University. She started her journey with SkillLab in early 2024. 

After graduating from her Bachelor’s, she was looking for a Data Analyst position that is business-oriented. She started working  within SkillLab’s data science team, which she found to be quite dynamic and interesting. “It fits perfectly because my background in AI is quite aligned with data science,” she mentions. Her internship work involved a lot of external and internal reporting, and working on metrics that anyone needs from the team’s database.

Now a Data Scientist, she is also involved in some Data Engineering work. For Divabelle, it has been quite exciting to transition from a Data Analyst intern to a Junior Data Scientist because she learns a lot from collaborating with other teams, such as the engineering team and the business team. Transitioning into a full timer, she was excited to continue what she was already doing, and to learn more from the role.

When asked about supervision as an intern, she liked the balance of having consistent support, as well as being encouraged to take more ownership on her projects as the internship progressed. She has been working with Rihab, SkillLab’s Data Scientist, from the beginning of her internship until now, and she appreciated the daily check-ins they had. Now, she is required to be way more independent in her responsibilities, but still has the support from Rihab and the rest of the team: “I am still building confidence to take ownership of my responsibilities, as I have just started my full time position, but the support and care from the team has really helped me excel in this role.” 

When asked about the organizational culture at SkillLab, she said she was pleasantly surprised to see how friendly everyone was: “People are so kind, friendly, very proactive to get to know you, and welcoming.” She said that this positive environment helped her to build more confidence in her role. She loves socializing with everyone, either over lunch, or company events and retreats.

Lorenzo, UI Design Intern

Lorenzo, SkillLab’s UI Design intern, comes from Italy. He came to the Netherlands to pursue an internship with SkillLab. After graduating from his Master’s in Visual & Innovation Design in Rome, he yearned for a new career and life experience in another country. After following the recruitment process, he moved from Italy to the Netherlands within a few weeks, and started his new adventure with SkillLab in Amsterdam. 

As a visual artist himself, he is very creative, and finds value in expressing himself through his artworks, whether it is via designing manually or digitally. On top of this, he finds it even more valuable when his work is useful for people and society. That’s why SkillLab’s social mission of ensuring everyone has equal access to employment resonated with him:  “If I can use my creativity for the benefit of the collective, that’s already awesome.” Outside of SkillLab, Lorenzo channels his artistic talent into designing zines that serve different communities. As an example, his artistic work spreads awareness on critical issues like the ongoing genocide in Palestine, aiming to raise awareness and inspire people to take action.

Lorenzo is fond of the organizational culture at SkillLab. In his daily work, he appreciates the clear structure and open communication from the team. There are strict deadlines that require him to be consistent and constantly challenged, but the support from his supervisor and the rest of the team helps him prioritize the work he needs to get done. 

As a UI Design intern, he works closely with Giulia, SkillLab’s UI designer. When asked about his working relationship with Giulia, he spoke very enthusiastically of her: “Top! She’s just great in every way.” He explains that she is really caring, sensitive to his needs as an intern, and always gives Lorenzo clear expectations in what to accomplish and how to accomplish them.

Jason, Python Engineering Intern

Last but not the least, Jason, SkillLab’s Python Engineering Intern, is from Greece and is currently finishing his Bachelor’s in Artificial Intelligence at the Vrije University. He is specializing in Intelligent systems, and doing a minor in Deep Programming. Bringing his passion for programming that started when he was quite young, Jason balances his academic work with his part-time internship at SkillLab, working two days per week as he is wrapping up his studies. 

Jason enjoys bridging his theoretical knowledge he’s gained from university with the practical work at SkillLab. On top of that, he appreciates gaining a holistic understanding of managing tech stack and understanding organizational dynamics. He values the collaborative environment at SkillLab, particularly his collaboration with his supervisor, Aaron: “Despite his busy schedule, Aaron always finds time to support me when I need it. I really appreciate that.” While he mostly works with Aaron, Jason also appreciates the openness and supportiveness of the rest of the data science team. 

Reflecting on SkillLab’s culture, Jason describes it as exceptionally friendly and tight-knit: “The work atmosphere here is uplifting. It’s rare to find a place where everyone knows each other quite well and genuinely enjoys working together.” 

Lastly, he mentions that his internship has left him with three key takeaways. First, he cherishes the opportunity to apply his academic knowledge in real-world settings. Second, he’s learned the essential role of collaboration in keeping a company running smoothly. Lastly, he’s discovered that work doesn’t have to feel like work when you’re genuinely passionate about what you do - a sentiment he resonates deeply with at SkillLab.

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At SkillLab, internships are more than an opportunity to gain experiences in one’s field of interest - they are opportunities to be creative, grow, and make an impact, all while working in a vibrant and friendly company culture. Whether it’s Vajk building his communication and collaboration skills in product management, Lorenzo bridging his artistic talent with social impact, Divabelle swiftly moving from a curious and driven Data Analyst Intern to Data Scientist, or Jason, putting his lifelong passion of programming into practice while learning about organizational dynamics, each journey centers around a similar theme: a supportive team, exciting challenges to tackle, and constant learning.