#17 Meet our Team — Unveiling our Summer Interns
Summer is vacation time for many but, for others, it’s an opportunity to learn and evolve. This was the summer plan for our engaged interns!
Summer is often synonymous with relaxation, but for us, it was a season of growth. In this edition of Meet our Team, we proudly present two remarkable interns who have embraced the challenge of honing their skills while making a meaningful impact on our projects. Meet Mariam Chehab, who’s delving into the world of Impact Measurement, and Marcos Salazar, a key support pillar for our Development team. As they immersed themselves in their roles, they didn’t learn just about our ecosystem — they became an integral part of it.
Stay tuned as we delve into their experiences, contributions, and aspirations. Together, let’s celebrate the synergy of youthful enthusiasm and seasoned expertise, fostering an environment where learning is a perpetual journey and evolution is a way of life.
Meet two of our recent talented interns at impactMarket and learn more about the projects they are working on to help us make a bigger impact on people’s lives, and why they chose impactMaket. Perhaps you’ll feel inspired to apply for an internship yourself.
On the Spotlight:
Mariam Chehab
I’m Mariam, 24 years old from Beirut, Lebanon. I currently live in Istanbul where I’m finishing my Bachelor in New Media and Communications.
Marcos Salazar
I’m Marcos, a 22-year-old born in Venezuela and raised in Mexico. I currently live in NYC, where I’m completing my Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background? We’re excited to learn more about you!
Mariam:
I love animals, as can be seen in one of the pictures! I take ceramics and boxing classes, and hopefully soon sailing. As a Middle Eastern, loving the kitchen comes to me naturally and I take cooking as one of my hobbies. And lastly, as a media student, I really enjoy my studies and my favorite part about it is the political and news media, perhaps because I was raised in a very politically active nation and environment.
Marcos:
I love traveling and meeting new people. It’s always interesting to see life from different angles. When I’m not on the road, you’ll often find me dancing salsa or cooking up something in the kitchen. It’s just how I like to relax and have fun. Professionally speaking, I’m driven by the desire to shape my career in a way that brings about a positive impact.
What exciting responsibilities have you been handling during your internship? We’re eager to hear about the impactful work you’ve been involved in.
Mariam:
During my internship, I was mainly either preparing reports or analyzing them. But it’s not as basic as it sounds, on the contrary, it was actually really nice and rich in a variety of tasks. It’s never the same topic repeated, always a new one arises. Research includes preparing charts and graphs, going through people’s success stories, and designing visual materials.
Marcos:
I was part of the core developer team, I mainly worked as a frontend developer, helping the team bring to life the impactMarket platform. I was also tasked with testing new features of the platform so in case there was an error I had to report it so it would be addressed immediately by the dev team.
Every experience comes with its highs and lows. What’s been the most rewarding aspect of your internship so far, and on the flip side, what challenges have you faced? We’re here to support your growth.
Mariam:
The most rewarding and fulfilling part of this internship was submitting the work with positive feedback! This part is usually undermined but to me personally, it was the best as I started with just a little knowledge of crypto and blockchain, which was challenging in the beginning, but it turned out to be a satisfying experience.
Marcos:
The highlight of my internship has been the opportunity to collaborate with an incredibly structured developer team. It was eye-opening to see what’s behind a Blockchain company and to build relationships with the brilliant minds behind it. On the other hand, initially integrating myself into their established rhythm and immersing myself in the development process was tough at the beginning, however, with the help of everyone on the team I was able to successfully integrate and contribute.
Looking back at your journey with impactMarket, what notable achievements have you celebrated? Additionally, what obstacles have you encountered and conquered? Your experiences matter to us!
Mariam:
Now completing almost two months with impactMarket is a true achievement for me, I have learned a lot about things that I expected to learn about, like how DeFi functions, and other things that I didn’t expect to know more about, like colleague communication and the nature of links between different departments.
Marcos:
One of my favorite moments at impactMarket was when I presented the development team’s update during our company-wide weekly call. This experience was invaluable as it allowed me to practice skills beyond coding.
On the other hand, a significant challenge was integrating into such a large-scale project. Navigating the complexity and understanding where to begin contributing took time.
Can you share a specific memory or experience from your time at impactMarket that has truly resonated with you? We’re all ears for the moments that have made a lasting impact.
Mariam:
The first time I attended the monthly meeting where everyone from all departments met was a big moment for me. It was my first big professional meeting where I had to present to everyone the work I had done. Although I was a little nervous, it felt really good and motivating afterward.
Marcos:
One standout memory from my time at impactMarket was during our monthly meeting. Seeing everyone involved, their dedication, and the passion they held for driving positive change truly resonated with me.
As your internship draws to a close, what plans or aspirations are you nurturing for the next steps in your journey? We’re excited to hear about the paths you’re envisioning.
Mariam:
As I’m coming closer to the end of the internship and the end of my university years, I’m very excited to start on my career journey and hopefully my master’s degree. This internship really pushed me towards a future in the departments of research and academia, as I found myself enjoying it and putting genuine effort into it.
Marcos:
Drawing from what I’ve learned at ImpactMarket, I’m eager to expand my career in the blockchain space. I would love to use everything I have learned and my skills to generate a positive change.
For individuals interested in joining blockchain companies, what expert recommendations do you have, considering your technical knowledge in this domain?
Mariam:
To those individuals who would like to join blockchain companies or markets, I would say: please be patient with it. It’s a new age for finance and technology, it’s okay to be a little confused at first but give it a chance and give yourself the time you need to properly understand it. Don’t shy away from it because it’s a major part of our contemporary reality and it’ll be even bigger in the near future. Blockchain can solve a lot of problems and the fact that it’s now being used to help disadvantaged societies says a lot on why you should give it a chance!
Marcos:
I totally get the initial intimidation of diving into a blockchain company. All that technical stuff can feel like a massive wall. But honestly, I have learned that most people in this space are super open about sharing the ropes. Just remember to be curious, shoot over your questions, and keep your eye on what you’re aiming for. It’s all about the journey and learning as you go.
As we bid farewell to the warmth of summer and welcome the crisp embrace of autumn, we look forward to witnessing Mariam and Marcos continue to thrive in the great careers they have ahead. Stay tuned for more stories of growth and innovation from our dynamic team.
impactMarket
impactMarket provides accessible financial solutions to empower underprivileged people all over the world, unlocking opportunities and human potential. Our inclusive protocol is transparent, reliable, and borderless. It operates as a DAO on top of the Celo network, using $PACT as its governance token while running autonomously through smart contracts.
You can find impactMarket also on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, GitHub, Youtube, Telegram, and Discord.
