A Unique Remote Internship Experience @ HENNGE
After reading about HENNGE’s culture on their Medium blog, I made my decision to apply for the GIP internship. According to what I’ve read, they place high importance on maintaining a healthy work-life balance and are open to diversity. And now, based on what I’ve learned about this program as a GIP intern over the past month, I will discuss how I feel about it.
At Japanese companies that I had worked for in the past as an intern, I was never given the opportunity to speak to anyone other than my manager or HR. As a result, I never received the sense that I was welcomed or that I was a part of the company.
In contrast to this, my experience as an intern at HENNGE exposed me to a surprising variety of events and activities, all of which I was able to participate in. As someone introverted, I particularly liked how the casual and relaxing atmosphere naturally made me feel included and wanted to learn more about my coworkers as well as the company itself.
🎲 Board Game Night
The board game night was perhaps one of the most memorable aspects of this internship. It was a lot of FUN indeed.
I met a group of people from different divisions, and we enjoyed a casual virtual dinner together.
Did someone say free meal?
You could claim up to 2000 yen for your dinner if you join as a full-timer XD
🎙 Monthly Talk Session
The MTS is essentially an event similar to the TED talk in which participants are free to select a topic of discussion and speak on any subject they like. I shared about my final year project, the Bushfire Evacuation System. I also got the chance to gain knowledge from the inspiring talks given by my coworkers and the other interns.
🍩 Fun Donut
A fun donut session is a time when you are paired up at random with two individuals from (probably) other divisions so that you can get to know one another and chat for 15 or 30 minutes.
I was first quite anxious since I had no idea what to talk about with total strangers. However, we naturally talked about games, food, and our experiences studying abroad since they were so kind and inviting, and we did not want it to end when the allotted time was up.
Being a GIP intern provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. During my internship, I had a lot of fun tackling the assignments and engaging in conversation with a diverse group of people. I do not doubt that the insights I have gained at HENNGE will be useful to me in the activities that lie ahead. A huge thank you to those who supported me throughout my GIP journey. Hope we could meet in Japan one day 👋
Olivia graduated from RMIT University, in Australia and works as a full-time engineer at HENNGE. She interned with the HENNGE Global Internship Program from July 11 to August 5, 2022.
