Summer Internship at Roche Diagnostics

After the semester quickly ended, I found that I had little time to prepare for my internship this summer. Luckily for me, my internship is less than 30 minutes from my house, allowing me to live at home for the summer (and save some much needed cash!!). As I moved my last box of belongings into my kitchen the Saturday night of finals, I suddenly came to the realization that my internship started in less than 2 days! I was not only anxious but very excited to begin this next chapter of my life. As I waited nervously in the lobby of one of the buildings on Roche Diagnostic’s campus for my manager to arrive, I was quickly comforted by a friendly face and a warm welcome. They not only introduced me to everyone in our department, but gave me a tour of the building, and showed me the cube and lab where I would be spending much of my time.

I’ve started to get accustomed to the culture of the company, as this is now the start of my third week here. I’ve been given a project to complete and present at the end of the summer, as well as the opportunity to present in a poster symposium with the other interns from different departments and areas within the company. This summer I will be working in Research and Development for a company that manufactures glucose monitoring systems for diabetes patients. I will be working in a lab testing the glucose monitoring strips for drug interferences as well as performing other stability tests. It has been exciting to see all of my work in the classroom at Purdue actually develop into something that can help others in a real-life setting. In addition, the company provides ways for us to network with others as I participate in a community service day and attend an Indians game with the other interns.

As I contemplate the short two weeks I’ve already spent at Roche, I cannot only tell that I will love working here this summer, but that I will grow exponentially and learn a great deal more about myself and the science behind a product some people have to use everyday. I already feel that I have matured, getting up at 5:30am every morning in order to get to work by 7 isn’t something I’m used to. However, it is exciting to have responsibility and to get a taste of what it’s like once I graduate and enter the “real-world”.

Happy Summer,

-- Kaylie Waltz