Internship at MIT, Boston – Sagar from WE School
About the Author: Sagar Anand Jadhav, a student from Wellingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, takes us through his journey of grabbing an internship at MIT, Boston.
Thinking about the dream job is great, but getting your hands on opportunities that lead to it is extremely difficult. After getting into a prestigious Mumbai college, my sole intention was to grab all these chances that would eventually make my CV look significant. The foundation programme at college introduced me to MIT, Boston. I was amazed when Ramesh Raskar, a TEDx speaker and Associate Professor at the MIT Media Lab, interacted with us. I can’t speak for the rest, but my brain got working so as to how I could reach out to him. It was not long before he introduced an innovation campaign for social issues. This was the opportunity I was waiting for, but I didn’t expect it to come to me so soon.
After almost five months, I received a mail asking me to register for the campaign. Applications turned up in huge numbers, but ultimately only 10 candidates were to be selected. The selection process involved coming up with an innovative working prototype with the material provided in just one hour. It was only in the last thirty minutes that I managed to build a catapult out of a matchsticks box, rubber bands, and ice cream sticks that were given to me. I believe it was my dedication that led me to the final ten, post a short interview.
Agriculture was the social issue I chose to work for. I thought of implementing and innovating a supply chain model for farmers’ produce to reach the customers, but not without assuring them a profit. Thanks to the MIT professors who were there to guide us, the work culture was nice and comfortable. It was here that my work was recognized. Since I worked on aspects that had been overlooked in the past, I was made CEO of the project and asked to take over the team. Mrs. Beth from MIT trusted me and assigned me the responsibility of implementing the idea. In those three months, I had to ensure that the infrastructure and guidance I got was utilised efficiently. With combined efforts from my team, I implemented a platform that even though required an official inaugural, was one that understood the market and pricing system. This was beside ensuring a profit and getting customers who would order in bulk. A research was conducted; we brainstormed to ensure that we covered all problems and used research tools to eliminate intermediate situations to arrive at a solution. The situation was tricky as we were dealing with a population that was largely illiterate. My team and I were appreciated, and I am grateful for the opportunity that has influenced me to quite an extent.
Keeping my eyes open for chances was what worked for me. It helped me realise my motto in life — make use of the best you get.
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