Name: Zaynab Ghazi
Class Year: 2022
Major: Computer Science and Mathematics
Hometown: Rabat, Morocco
Internship Organization: Facebook, Inc.
Job Title: Software Engineering Intern
Location: Remote – Philadelphia
What’s happening at your internship?
I am working as an Android engineer on Instagram’s remote presence team. This experience is meaningful to me, not only because of the panoply of skills I am acquiring while working on my project and the rewarding connections I am making, but also because it is an opportunity to contribute to a platform that I use frequently, and that connects me with my family and friends overseas. This is also my first real software engineering experience, and I am delighted that it has given me the confidence that I have chosen a field I am passionate about, and that I am thrilled to further explore beyond college. Working as part of a remote presence team has also been very enlightening as to the effort invested by social media apps in making the experience of remote communication ever more real and seamless, especially during the pandemic.
Why did you apply for this internship?
This internship is a continuation of my last internship with Facebook, which was a 10-week Android development bootcamp. While during my last internship, I worked on an independent mobile application, this time, I am directly contributing to Instagram’s codebase, and working on Facebook’s most popular product among people my age. It’s a priceless opportunity for me to learn more about the process of software production and the responsibilities of software engineers.
Was there anything special about how you found this internship?
What has been most surprising is the level of flexibility and the hackathon culture of Facebook, despite it being a very large corporation. As an intern, I believe that this was crucial to catalyzing my learning and progress. I am also very impressed by the social culture at the company and how frequently and gracefully people request and give feedback to each other, as well as express appreciation and gratitude.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
I believe the ultimate reward is the opportunity to work with some of the smartest and most humble engineers, designers, and product managers in the world, on a product that is used by more than a billion users. It is truly an insightful and humbling experience.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.