Wow, it's amazing how quickly summer has flown by so far! It's hard to believe that it's already July and that late next month I'll be on my way back to NYC.
So far, my internship has been an amazing experience. It's truly fantastic to be back at Genentech, a company that has long held a special place in my heart. When I worked at Genentech the first time, I was a newly minted grad with a science degree and only a dream of where I wanted to develop professionally. Now, 5 years later, I'm in exactly the role that I wanted way back when and it is even more cool than I thought it would be. H commented on something kind of funny this morning that made me smile - normally I have the hardest time waking up for work, but these past 5 weeks, I wake up on my own excited to start the day and am happy to be outside waiting for the shuttle at 6-something in the morning. For old Vi, that would NOT fly so that's saying something!
Everyday I go to work, and I get even more fascinated with the biotech industry and all the moving pieces that have to work in synchrony in order to bring a drug to market. I honestly feel like Genentech lives and breathes it's mission statement and it's commitment to its patients and its people is not just theory, but something that people really do talk about every day at work. It is very motivating and the more I intern, the more in love I fall with the company, its people and its mission.
I am at the start of week 5 for my internship, which is totally insane because I really feel like I just started. The first few weeks were spent scoping out my projects, talking to a whole bunch of people (both project stakeholders and not), and getting to know my fellow interns. After meeting with and talking to all the other interns, I feel really lucky to be considered their peer. There are former bankers, consultants and even a former pro-athlete! The next couple weeks will be filled with travel and a whole bunch of data collection. Once I get back from my travels, the pedal will really hit the metal and it will be serious "go" time on my project. I'm excited and a little nervous at the same time, so wish me luck!
Aside from that, it's been great to be back home in the Bay Area. I really love being able to spend all this time with H and I feel like things couldn't be better. I do want to try to see my family more while I'm home, so that's something I want to prioritize more. Other than that, I'm still (slowly) training for my half marathon in late July. It's been a little tricky since I started working, but H and I have been squeezing in gym time when we can.
I'll try to make more of an effort to keep this updated! Until then --
Cheers,
Vi
