Christine Scheepers

AT work

I was privileged enough to be part of the first ever B360 virtual internship, during which I interned at the Jobs for Africa Foundation – this was a foreign setup to me and I feel that it has truly impacted my understanding of what it is to be a young professional and surely better prepared me for any future job opportunities, regardless of whether they are in person or remotely. I would also like to extend my gratitude to my company mentor, Frederick Muia. I found it amazing how much knowledge and insight can be shared through bi-weekly Zoom calls and emails – the fact that I could understand my tasks and execute them to such a high level is astounding to me and is something I am very proud of.

I am grateful for this opportunity as it has allowed me to better understand both the professional working world and myself – learning what my boundaries are and what self-discipline truly is.

I am thankful that the Jobs for Africa Foundation has afforded me this opportunity and that I was able to produce content that was well-received and to gain experience by doing (as my mentor always said) in a wide range of communication-related fields. I am grateful that I was afforded this opportunity and I am looking forward to the impact this job experience will have on my future endeavours.

Cultural Exchange

I had the privilege of being hosted by a fun, adventurous virtual host family - Jeannette and Martin took me on the most beautiful trip through Switzerland (twice!). They put so much effort into making sure I was also up to date on all the beautiful places they visited – and the language spoken in the prospective regions.

I truly enjoyed every photograph and every minute of our calls – I appreciated our conversations and learning more about Swiss-culture and cuisine. I liked discussing travel with them and hearing more about their experiences of travelling through Namibia, as well as sharing stories and having a laugh!

I also appreciate that they always offered to help me, most of our calls even ended with, “If there is anything we can help with, please let us know!”

I really enjoyed getting to know them and would count myself very privileged if I am afforded the opportunity to meet them in person.

Highlights and Lowlights

I enjoyed all the different elements of the virtual internship and appreciated having a Swiss-experience from Namibia! The training courses were dynamic and offered me extremely helpful insights that I think most people only learn while they are already employed – I feel that this gives me a much-needed kick-start and will allow me to make the best of my future job opportunities! One of my other highlights was the trip to Swakopmund which was extremely wonderful and filled with memories that I will cherish for years to come.

After my father passed away at the end of the third week of the internship, I found it difficult to regain my focus and I also lost a week of hours – thus I needed to work extra hours to ensure that I met the minimum requirements for my faculty’s Work Integrated Learning requirements.

Luckily, the highlights during this internship far outweighed the challenges and I can confidently say that I truly enjoyed this internship!

My Future Plans

I hope to complete my Bachelor of Communications degree and to then further my studies. Thereafter, when I enter the working world, I plan to use all the knowledge I have gained throughout this internship to ensure that I make the best of any working situation, whether it is in person or remotely. My dream job is in Marketing and Communications, and my dream is to allow companies to grow and convey their messages to the world in a manner that truly expresses what their companies stand for – conveying a well-rounded brand that is both thoughtful and beautiful.

Personal Message

This virtual internship has a been a wonderful experience and I am thankful for the opportunity! To the B360 team - thank you for all your effort, for our daily 8:30AM catch up meetings and for providing us with such a wonderful, well-planned, dynamic internship opportunity – it has truly been an honour and I count myself extremely lucky to officially be an alumni member!