Olivia Mogaka
I joined the IBM internship community due to my admiration of the company’s culture of innovation. Working within the Human Resources department, I had two primary roles: first, I served as an intern in the Talent Management program, and second, I had a summer-long speed team project.
My main role within the Talent Management Program was to assess the employee engagement levels in IBM Kenya. I had the chance to interview twenty-five employees from all band levels, brands and years of service at IBM. The conversations exposed me to the great benefits and challenges of working for a multinational company and global leader in innovation. The project also presented me with the opportunity to network with IBM leaders such as the Talent Director for Middle East and Africa, the Human Resources Partner for IBM Kenya and the IBM Kenya Country Manager.
In my speed team project, I worked with six other interns from the UK, United States, China and Brazil. My teammates and I worked on ways of enhancing the corporate alumni network at IBM. We hoped to incorporate IBM strategy of using mobile and social tools to reconnect former employees through our product offering. I had the opportunity to leverage my networks. For instance, my teammates and I presented our project to the IBM executives, and even had the chance to meet the HR Executive and Senior Vice President at the IBM Headquarters in Armonk, New York. The presentation in New York was the highlight of my internship. Ginni Rometty, the IBM CEO and President once said, “Growth and comfort do not coexist.” In the ten weeks that I spent at IBM, I felt myself grow and reach new heights. My hope is to incorporate the lessons I learned in project management and teamwork into my last two years at Notre Dame.