Araba Aidoo (CDS‘26)

Internship

Data Science Intern, Givelify

Tell us about your internship.

Since Givelify is a financial technology company I have the ability to do a lot of tasks. I work a lot in Excel, create dashboards, run tests, and run real-life experiments. I also get the chance to work with the fraud team as well as API and PCI.

What are you enjoying most about this experience?

Although my internship is remote, I really enjoy being able to connect with so many people who have incredible knowledge and a background in the tech field. I often schedule coffee chats with my mentor and managers to learn about their paths, including the many startups and software projects that they have created.

What CDS courses prepared you for the internship role? Please explain.

DS110 "Introduction to Data Science with Python" with Professor Kevin Gold has helped me incredibly for this role. Being proficient in not only Python but also SQL is extremely helpful for the workplace. Additionally, our final was a group project using machine learning, which directly translated into working with the data science team at Givelify.

How did you find and obtain this internship?

I applied to many internships over my winter break and had interviews during my spring semester. After many callbacks and a few coding assessments, Givelify offered me a position.

What tips would you offer other CDS majors to help with the internship search? 

Definitely prepare for coding assessments. Most data science jobs will require you to take a test as part of the interview process. Some websites I found helpful were LeetCode and Topcoder for practice questions. As long as you prepare, you will be fine!

Any other comments about the internship and your experiences?

Don’t be afraid to try new things! The data science world is vast and there are many different directions you could go.