I must say in life there is always a first time for everything, first school, first A in a test, first failed exam, first interview, first internship, and so on. In my case this is my first research internship experience. I was going into uncharted territory with no clue or previous experience to help me out. I never thought of asking my friends of how it was to be in a research internship and if maybe they can give me some advice.

Fast forwarding, I was finally introduced to my mentor. She explained to me the project she had been working on and how I was going to help her with her research. I was given a tour of the building where I would be doing all of my research and was introduced to the many other grad students working in the building. At first I thought I was going to be the only undergrad intern working in there. However I was wrong there are actually a decent amount of other undergrad interns working on their projects just as I am. I have already began making friends with everyone around. Were all in the same boat each us learning something new in our projects. Everyone there is very friendly and many offered to help me in my project if I had any questions. When I first was introduced to the lab I was left intimidated. There was so much equipment that I had never seen and I couldn’t even begin to think what each machine did. All that changed after the first week, my mentor explained all the functions and purpose of each of the machines in the lab which made everything less intimidating. Nowadays I have a better understanding of how to use the equipment that I will need for my research project.

Since I had never been in a research internship before I didn’t know how my mentor and I would communicate. Before arriving I thought that I would meet with my mentor only a few times a week and then would be left alone to work on the research project. Thankfully I was wrong, I actually get to be in the same office as my mentor as well as with another grad student. Both of them are very helpful when it comes to asking questions. They are both really good at explaining the concepts and purpose of the project that I am working on. Sometimes it seems that I have two mentors. What I really appreciate from them is that they understand the situation that many of us undergrads are in. They have been in our shoes and understand that sometimes we feel lost or left out because everyone around you seems to be incredibly smart. I’m greatly encouraged to ask questions whenever I don’t understand the project.

These past few weeks have been a great experience for me. I am really looking forward for the upcoming weeks to come. Each day brings a new lesson to learn and each lesson expands the knowledge we have.