My family have always shopped at Tesco and this is something I have continued to do throughout my time at Durham University. It’s such a big part of my life so I was really excited when the opportunity came up to apply for a Summer Internship. It seemed like the perfect way to get tangible experience of the retail world. I'm currently studying for an integrated Master’s in Physics and Chemistry and just about to start my fourth year. I’ve loved my degree but I want to move away from pure science and I’m really excited to find out where my career might go in the future. I’m open to a variety of different paths, I just always want to make the most of opportunities that come my way. I’d love to eventually lead a team of people, helping to support colleague growth and development, just like Tesco has supported mine this summer.

I chose to do this programme because I’ve always felt like you can do your best work if you’re really passionate about something! This was certainly true for me about food, I really wanted to learn more about the industry and I thought that Tesco would be the perfect company to support me.

I’ve learnt some great life lessons throughout my time here. How to lead projects, communicate more effectively and also how to act independently in the workplace. The responsibility that Tesco gives you is remarkable, you really do get to take control of a project from start to finish. Exposure in the workplace to hone practical skills is invaluable and so transferrable, not just in your future career but also in life. I can already feel how this experience is changing the way I approach things for the better, helping me to plan future projects at University and get work done even more efficiently. These are all skills that I will bring forward with me no matter where my career takes me next.

I’m really proud of the work that I’ve done, from leading the project team on the Pet Event that we hope to run in stores next year to building a new website for our team’s shared documents. I’ve visited suppliers and factories around the country. A particular highlight was seeing a fully functioning production line, it felt like being on an episode of ‘How it’s Made’ with hundreds of processes happening all at once. Experiencing the end to end process and how the products are made helped to give context to the work I was doing in the office.