Sophie Agbekpenou on LinkedIn: I've just completed an incredible summer filled with growth, learning, and… | 51 comments (2024)

I'm officially 1/4 of the way through my internship at Google! 🥳I am working with the Fitbit team in Mountain View. It’s been an incredible experience, and I’d like to highlight some key moments and learnings so far:🏢 Office Visits: I've visited 3 Google offices: the headquarters in Mountain View, San Francisco Spear Street, and San Francisco Market Street. While I work primarily out of the Mountain View office, my favorite so far has been the SF Spear Street location. The breakfast there is exceptional (best avocado toast ever 🥑🍞)💼 Project: I've been learning how to write quality code at Google while also immersing myself in the company's unique culture. I've stepped out of my comfort zone by learning a new programming language (Kotlin) in a short amount of time. I've also joined the Women@Google ERG to connect and learn from other interns and full-timers.☕ Inspirational Conversations: I, along with my pod-mate Calvin Andoh, had the honor of having coffee with Vernon Anderson, the Global Head of Product Planning - TV, Sound, and WiFi at Google. We learned about his journey to Google and were inspired by his honesty and humility. It was a truly motivating conversation that highlighted the importance of mentorship and learning from industry leaders.I'm excited to see how the rest of my internship unfolds and am eager to continue learning and growing with Google.

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ColorStack has connected me with amazing Black and Latinx students who share my background and aspirations. It's a community where we lift each other up, as we climb. ❤️ ColorStack Fam, please take a moment to fill out your census form in your member profile here: https://lnkd.in/gdYuswiq

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🌟 Thrilled to Share! 🌟I've completed a remote nonprofit consulting externship in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Alliance for Education! Over the past 8 weeks, I delved into real-world challenges faced by Alliance for Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering communities through education initiatives.Here's a snapshot of my externship journey:🔍 Project 1: IntroductionExplored Alliance for Education's mission, focusing on impact assessment and communication strategies.📚 Project 2: Comparative ResearchAnalyzed strategies of similar organizations to enhance Alliance for Education's approach.🎓 Project 3: Final PresentationCrafted actionable strategies to boost impact assessment and communication efforts.Grateful for the guidance from PwC professionals and the opportunity provided by Extern! This externship has truly improved my analytical and problem solving skills and reinforced my commitment to making a meaningful difference in communities. #NonprofitConsulting #PwC #AllianceForEducation #SocialImpact

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🎉 I won a Capital One Hackathon 🎉This week, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the highly selective Capital One Black and Hispanic Tech Summit, with an acceptance rate of less than 9%! From learning about tech essentials like Git and API's to merging the digital and hardware using Arduino, the week was an enriching experience.A big shoutout to Eileen Rodriguez for sharing this opportunity with me, and heartfelt gratitude to Reenie Bowers for being an exceptional guide throughout the summit. Thank you Ilene Eng for taking the time time to ask thoughtful questions about our project. It truly meant the world to me to have all these incredible people at Capital One rooting for our success. My team and I created GenOne, a platform designed to empower immigrants by translating important documents. I worked on the backend, leveraging Google Vision & Translate API to seamlessly read and translate documents. 🌍💬🔗 Check out the repo here if you're interested: https://lnkd.in/gcZQ9b3j! It was my first time working with these APIs, and the learning curve was exhilarating.Thank you to Mazin I. and Isabel Zhao for being outstanding mentors throughout the summit. And another huge thanks to my incredible team and everyone who made the summit a success. Excited to engage more with Capital One in the future! 🌟

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🎉 Thrilled to share that I've successfully completed Edlyft's CS Support program! This amazing experience has equipped me with valuable skills applicable to both my academic pursuits and future tech career. I'm so thankful for my mentor, Sigrid T. for her guidance and support. Excited about working with Edlyft in the future journey ahead!🚀

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Did you know that Kentucky is home to the largest Toyota Plant in the world? As someone who has never had much interest in cars and who held some reservations about the automotive industry, my time at Toyota has truly been an eye-opening experience. Over the past 10 weeks, I've delved into the heart of the Toyota Way, and it's been a journey that's reshaped my perspectives.I am also so grateful to have been a part of the recent changes happening in the plant. With the recent announcement of Kerry Creech as the new President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK), who will be overseeing the world's largest Toyota plant as it gears up for future Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) production, it's a testament to Toyota's commitment to driving us toward a sustainable future.I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all my mentors and colleagues who've not only challenged me to step out of my comfort zone but also provided unwavering support. This opportunity has been a tremendous gift, and I'm looking forward to embracing the Toyota spirit of "Going Places" (pun intended!) as I move forward.Here's to embracing change, to challenging assumptions, and to being part of an industry that's steering us toward innovation and sustainability! 🌎🔌

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Hi LinkedIn! I'm thrilled to share that I just wrapped up an incredible week at the RSM Excellence Academy in sunny Orlando, Florida!The experience was nothing short of amazing - a perfect blend of learning valuable skills and networking with like-minded students and industry professionals. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this enriching program, and it has undoubtedly added tremendous value to my professional growth.I can't thank RSM enough for organizing such a remarkable event and for the dedication of the entire Excellence Academy team. Special thanks to all the RSM US LLP employees and guest speakers who made this experience even more rewarding. Jonna Martin, Dennis A. Nicholson III, CPO, Joanna Just, Jason A. Alexander, Kimberly N. Ellison-Taylor, Dashaun Chester, Kasey Tran, Erika Brighi, Shirley De La Cruz and Kaplan Mobray all have taught me to lead with confidence and strive for excellence in both my personal and professional life.Thank you, RSM, for an unforgettable week of growth and learning. Looking forward to staying connected with the amazing network I've built during this program and continuing to build meaningful relationships in the professional world.

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Why is LinkedIn so cringy? Is it just me or do half the posts on here feel extremely performative?With the rise of social media — even LinkedIn — and the pressure to present an idealized version of ourselves online, it's not uncommon to come across posts that feel disconnected from genuine interactions. This is exactly why I found LinkedIn off-putting during the first 2 months. However, despite my initial reservations, I must admit that LinkedIn has been an incredible source of knowledge and growth for me this year.I recently finished my first-year at Columbia Engineering! College presented its challenges, and I must confess that I never thought I would openly admit that. However, through engaging with this community and learning from your diverse experiences, I have discovered a sense of belonging from —a “cringy”, but nonetheless, a supportive community.I am genuinely excited to embark on the rest of my journey at Columbia University, eager to see what the future holds. I am immensely grateful for the valuable lessons I have learned from all of you.Thank you for sharing your often times “weird ”insights, experiences, and expertise. It has been a privilege to be part of this community and to learn from each and every one of you.

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