This was a perfect summer experience to have, and it’s a valuable learning experience. During this internship, I picked up a lot of hard skills and gained a better understanding of what the bioinformatics field is like in practice. Since it was my first time doing this type of research, a good deal of time was spent learning familiarity with different tools and datasets. As the internship progressed, I began working more independently on parts of the project on things like overlapping gene analysis, protein interaction networks, survival analysis, machine learning classifications, and feature selection for identifying biomarkers. Along the way, I also spent a lot of time reading scientific literature, learning how to structure and communicate scientific research through writing. I’m grateful for the experience, as it not only helped me build on technical skills, but also gave me a clearer sense of what I enjoy and a direction going forward.