Some lessons from this summer were taught by my mentor, but many of the most meaningful ones came from the people sitting beside me.
Looking back on my three months at SCBX, what stays with me most is not only what I learned, but how generously people shared their time, experience, and perspective with me.
Learning From Experience, One Conversation at a Time
I joined the R&D team on the knowledge side, helping transform research work into content for the wider SCBX audience. Through a weekly newsletter, repurposed Outlook content, and our flagship Line OA, I saw how ideas become meaningful communication for real readers. It was real work, with real impact, guided by people who had been shaping this kind of work for years.
Having completed my freshman year of university, I entered my first month with many questions and, at times, hesitation about asking them. But no one made me feel small for not knowing. Senior colleagues took the time to explain not only what they decided, but why. Their patience turned observation into learning, and made a steep curve feel like a shared journey.
Learning From the Strengths Around Me
The Xterns around me came from leading universities, including Brown University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Manchester, and Chulalongkorn University, with backgrounds in computer science, marketing, and economics. Each person brought a different way of thinking, and I quickly realized that everyone had something valuable to teach.
One intern introduced me to VS Code, a program I had never used as a business student. A few weeks after his internship ended, I found myself teaching it to a new Xtern. That exchange happened in reverse as well. I was more confident in AI and automation, so I helped others apply those tools to design tasks that used to take hours. By the end of the summer, we had automated enough of our workflow that we could laugh about running out of things to do.
Being surrounded by people who were different from me, and better than me in different ways, reminded me that growth does not only come from seniority. Sometimes, it comes from peers who are learning beside you.
Learning the Value of Thoughtful Challenge
Working with full-time colleagues taught me in another way. The head of my team never made us feel the distance that his role might have suggested. Instead, he encouraged us to challenge his ideas because he believed better work came from honest discussion. For someone in their first internship, being invited to push back was both surprising and empowering.
I understood what he meant when a project we had been planning was carefully questioned in a meeting until we realized it no longer served our goal. We decided to let it go. That moment taught me more about teamwork than any completed project could have. At SCBX, I saw that strong ideas are not protected from challenge; they are strengthened by it.
A Roundtable With the CIO
A few weeks into the internship, SCBX invited a small group of us to meet with the Chief Innovation Officer. He shared his career journey, how he thinks about leading people, and what he values in those he works with. What stayed with me was not only the advice itself, but the reasoning behind it and the opportunity to understand how an experienced leader approaches decisions.
No one had to make that time for a group of interns, but SCBX did. That simple gesture made the experience feel intentional, generous, and deeply encouraging.
What I Take With Me
Three months may not sound long, but they were enough to change how I see learning, confidence, and growth. I left with more than new skills. I learned how to work with people at different stages of their careers, how to ask instead of guess, and how much faster you grow when others are willing to open the door for you.
I came in as the least experienced person in the room, but I left understanding that being the youngest was not a disadvantage. It gave me more reasons to listen, more courage to ask, and more opportunities to grow. I am grateful to my team and to the Xterns who shared their time, knowledge, and trust with me before I had done anything to earn it. This internship reminded me that the right environment does more than teach you skills; it helps you see the kind of person you can become.
Writer:
