The QBI Internship Program introduces students and young learners to the world of science and research. Participants gain hands-on exposure to projects that support our research community, in media production, event support, and design, helping them explore career paths and develop practical skills. By engaging directly with QBI’s collaborative environment, interns build connections and gain insight into how their interests could translate into future scientific pursuits.
In this feature, Martina Mongillo, a 10th grader at Abraham Lincoln High School at the time, shares her experience exploring the intersection of science and media during her first summer internship with QBI’s Media & Events team.
This was my very first internship, and I worked with the QBI media team at UCSF. My goals going into the experience were to understand what it’s like to be in a professional work environment and to grow my media and interviewing skills.
During the internship, I created digital media designs, helped advertise events, and recorded and photographed interns working in the lab. I used that content to create videos for social media that showcased the research we’re doing at UCSF.
Communication plays an important role in every aspect of life, and I’ve learned that when you’re clear and transparent in how you communicate, everything else tends to fall into place. Getting to use media in a professional setting showed me how powerful communication can be in sharing scientific research with a broader audience.
Because social media is such a constant presence in my life, this experience opened my eyes to potential career paths and showed me how I might use these skills in the future. I’m especially interested in public health, which I study at school. Learning about the social, economic, and environmental factors that affect health, as well as how we can make it equal for everyone, made this internship at UCSF feel even more meaningful.
I would definitely recommend this experience to other high school students. It’s so valuable to gain real-world perspective on what a job is actually like and to explore different career possibilities early on.