Olga’s (MSIT’19) internship experience at the World Bank

Before joining CMU, Olga Mogaka (MSIT’19) graduated with a degree in Economics with a minor in IT. She has learnt to always go for what she wants even if the odds seem against her. When the internship period came around, Olga chose to come out of her comfort zone and apply for an internship outside Africa. While applying for the position, she approached her academic advisor who provided guidance throughout and wrote her a recommendation for the job.

Last summer, Olga worked as intern with the data management team at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. where her role was to ensure the right content was displayed on the intranet and that users did not encounter any errors. Olga became more conversant with data analytics through being exposed to different analytics software such as MathLogic.

She worked on projects using platforms such as PoolParty to modify, add or delete information that got displayed in the intranet. She also used Java programming language in Splunk to retrieve and analyze the bank’s internal data.  Olga was involved in the research and publishing of a guideline for the bank’s intranet, as well as working with backend developers to develop models that would improve usability of the intranet. 

 

She credits her success to the data science courses at CMU-Africa which gave her a good foundation for the tasks at hand, as well as a great team that supported her along the way. “I was not treated as an intern, instead I was assigned tasks that other staff would do, like managing my own projects. This made me learn to be accountable. I learnt that it’s okay not to know something as long as you make an effort to learn it,” Olga says about the working environment.

I learnt that it’s okay not to know something as long as you make an effort to learn it.

Olga Mogaka, Student, Carnegie Mellon University Africa

Apart from the technical skills that Olga was able to employ for the internship, she also attributes her success to the soft skills she acquired during her seminar classes. Olga improved her time management and leadership skills through tackling different tasks ranging from research, to developing models used for data management. Students at CMU-Africa benefit from professional development services which equip them with public speaking skills, help them understand team dynamics, interview preparations as well as writing scientific papers among others.

A Mastercard Foundation Scholar, Olga has taken on various leadership positions while a student at CMU-Africa. She was the MSIT class representative, VP Education for the Toastmasters club and campus representative for the Hult Prize competition.

 

She is thankful for the support she received from the CMU-Africa community that contributed to her learning experience. Olga says being a Scholar has awarded her the opportunity to concentrate on her studies and given her the ability to explore areas beyond the classroom. “I surround myself with people who always challenge me to go for what I feel is impossible and to always better myself,” says Olga, “CMU-Africa is full of such people.”