Athanase Abayo ’27, a Computer Science major, began his summer internship at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and Innovation in Rwanda, expecting to learn quietly in the background, contributing where he could and observing how projects were run. Instead, he found himself entrusted with responsibilities that tested his confidence and revealed his capacity to lead. 

One day, his supervisor was suddenly called away during a meeting, and Abayo was asked to step in. The assignment involved guiding a team through the choice of a database system for the development of a website, a decision with long-term implications. “The team had a lengthy debate on whether to use a database at all,” Abayo said. “I guided them through this phase, listening as they shared ideas, and finally, I proposed the most suitable database for the task at hand.” 

This moment changed how he saw himself in the workplace. He realized that professional environments don’t necessarily limit leadership to senior staff. “Being in a very big organization like that helped me to realize that even though I am still a student, it doesn’t limit my capacity to contribute to big projects,” he said.

This internship challenged Abayo to develop technical and professional competencies that extended his learning outside the classroom. He became deeply involved with a project known as the Smart Ibiruhuko program, which provides digital literacy training to high school students during holidays. Abayo’s contribution centered on data cleaning and building dashboards to track student enrollment and completion. “At first, I didn’t know how to use Python for data cleaning, but through practice and guidance, I eventually became comfortable with it and could apply it effectively,” he admitted

Learning to communicate effectively with stakeholders turned out to be equally important as delivering on the project. “This was my first time having to engage with high-level stakeholders, and I must say I learnt a lot,” he explained.  

 “The fast-paced environment, where decisions often had to be made quickly, sharpened my sense of responsibility and adaptability,” he shared. 

The internship also widened Abayo’s career perspective. While his long-term interest is in cybersecurity, the experience opened his eyes to the potential of data analysis. “During my internship, I was happy to see how small, small codes can change a lot of things,” Abayo said. “It helped me to understand that even if I can’t do cyber security, data analysis is one of the most promising areas that I can look at.” 

Abayo’s time at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and Innovation in Rwanda taught him that his voice has value in any room. He also learned that leadership isn’t defined by age or title, but by the willingness to step up when it matters most. 

If given the chance to do things differently, he says he would not limit himself to just one project, and he would be less hesitant to offer input even on high-level documents. “I shouldn’t have considered the fact that since I’m a student, I’m not supposed to join or provide some feedback on the higher-level programs,” he admitted.