Skip to main content
Student Spotlights

Badí Quinteros: Bioinformatics

Badí interned for Stanford as a research assistant during spring/summer 2022 semester.

Describe a day in your life as an intern.

My work was remote so I was able to work from home. I usually started by checking my email for any updates about what I should be doing during the day. I was working on two projects. One was creating an app to help clinicians and the other was a cancer research project. I usually worked in the app during the morning and in the afternoon I looked at the cancer data and analyzed that data.

What industry/job specific skills did you learn?

I learned how to work remotely effectively. I increased my knowledge of Shiny R. I improved my communication skills. I learned about statistical tools.

What is one thing you learned from this internship experience that could be applied to other settings?

Importance of communication. Working remotely was a challenge in some ways because I needed to email my supervisor about all my questions, and then I needed to wait for them to answer. Sometimes I had to wait for hours to get an answer to a small question. While waiting I tried to work on other stuff, but I felt that my progress was sometimes limited by how long I needed to wait. So, communicating openly and clearly about what I need will help me to get the answer I am looking for.

How did this internship experience affect your future goals?

I decided that I want to do a PhD instead of going into the industry.

How did you find your internship?

I applied for the pre-medical internship program

How did this internship experience contribute to your growth?

It allowed me to meet great mentors who helped me figure out what would be best for me.

Badí Quinteros
Photo by Badí Quinteros
Even though my internship was remote, I had the opportunity to visit Stanford campus and meet my coworkers for a week. I took a picture at one of the gardens on campus.