The empowering benefits of the OU's internship programme

Hi, my name is Chiedza Maenzanise (she/her). I am currently studying towards a BSc in Cybersecurity and have been a Student Engagement Coordinator intern for eSTEeM for the past 6 months. This is a blog about my experiences and journey.

But first, a little about me, I was born abroad and moved to the UK over a decade ago. During a particularly challenging period in my life, studying with The Open University became a turning point and it gave me a sense of direction and purpose. Through my first TMA, I began to rebuild my confidence, especially after receiving positive feedback on my writing despite years of self-doubt. Continuing my studies, even in difficult circumstances, provided a sense of stability and reminded me of my resilience and potential. In hindsight, I recognise the importance of seeking support, but my journey has shown me how education can be a powerful tool for personal growth and transformation. As a single parent, it is important to show my children resilience, and The Open University has allowed me to foster that.

Image 1: Chiedza Maenzanise

A year later, as I was looking through my Open University emails, I found an opportunity for a student internship as a Student Engagement Coordinator for eSTEeM. I had never heard of eSTEeM but at that time I was looking to better myself and improve my employability skills. Hesitantly, I applied for the post. I had been a member of the student representative panel where I would occasionally participate in surveys which were meant to improve the learning process of students. This internship appealed to me as it was an opportunity to be involved in a meaningful way. The role promised to be flexible, would fit into my studies and family life and would be a stepping stone in my career.

I thoroughly researched about eSTEeM in preparation for the interview and learnt that eSTEeM is the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Centre for Scholarship and Innovation based at The Open University.

When the email arrived confirming I had been appointed to the internship, my immediate reaction was a rush of pure happiness, swiftly followed by a familiar creeping fear of failure, looking back. It made me realise that by keeping my expectations low, I was trying to protect myself. For a long time, I had let outside doubts dictate how much space I allowed myself to take up, but getting this position was the moment the script flipped. Navigating a part-time degree is a marathon. As I prepare to enter my fourth year of my university journey, wrapping up this internship has proved that those old doubts were entirely wrong - I am exactly where I belong.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the 15th eSTEeM Annual Conference themed Stepping Back and Stepping Up - 15 Years of eSTEeM as a student ambassador, providing technical support and assistance to the parallel/plenary sessions. This was a great opportunity to see first-hand the diverse projects eSTEeM is involved in and to understand how impactful their scholarship and innovation are to our collective academic performance.

Image 2: Celebration of the 15th anniversary of eSTEeM - the management team and some of the former Directors.

Through attending some of the presentations and later reviewing them, I found the discussions and interactions amongst academics quite heart warming. The academics endeavoured to find out how best to help students achieve their outcomes and would put themselves in the position of students. Many eSTEeM projects were in part aided by Associate Lecturers who know in-depth how students would react in given situations. Students were also part of project teams, providing wholesome representation. It was also interesting to find that project leaders were open to criticism and suggestions, which instils confidence that at the core of eSTEeM there is always room to improve student learning.

Image 3: The 15th eSTEeM Annual Conference - presentations on various projects, ranging from interactive oral presentations, teaching innovation talk and poster presentations.

Since embarking on this journey as an intern for student engagement, my work has primarily been focused on researching ways to encourage more students to engage with scholarship. Having researched projects that have directly impacted modules I have studied and will study, I know the benefits of having students participate in projects or surveys that directly shape our learning. Student voices and experiences matter in helping module teams to better understand how well we learn and consider different circumstances and pathways that have led us into distance learning.

This internship has been deeply meaningful to me; I found myself in a position where I could help design and coordinate initiatives to engage more students with eSTEeM. Over the last six months I have gained invaluable professional skills in research, conference coordination, communication and taking initiative.

Reflecting on my time at eSTEeM, I think the greatest value I gained has been learning how to use my own journey to empower others. This year’s conference theme “Stepping Back and Stepping Up” is exactly what this role has allowed me to do. It forced me to step back and realise how much resilience I possess but more importantly gave me the confidence to step up as a coordinator and advocate for our STEM community.

Beyond the practical skills, the defining highlight of this experience has been the incredible mentorship I received from the Directors of eSTEeM Daphne Chang and Fiona Aiken, and the Senior Manager of eSTEeM, Diane Ford. Stepping into a role with senior leaders was initially intimidating; however, their guidance completely transformed my perspective. They didn’t just supervise my work, they truly listened to my ideas, treated me as a valued colleague, and trusted me with real responsibility. Their encouragement gave me the validation I needed, proving to me that I belonged in this professional space and that my voice has genuine weight.

I am deeply grateful for the patience, insights, and encouragement my mentors offered me.

Chiedza Maenzanise, Student Engagement Coordinator (January-June 2026)