Internship Experience Reflection – Kaitlyn Wylie

I never thought my first job would be in the biotechnology and pharmacy industry, let alone with such a passionate team that is constantly elevating the scientific field and fulfilling important unmet needs. Suffice it to say Mesa Science was better than any job I imagined; I truly cannot thank my mentors enough for taking a chance on me. I was a senior finishing up high school, yet they allowed me onto their team, and I hope in return I added value throughout the summer. During my time at Mesa, I experienced first-hand the extremely difficult process of drug development. My role as the intern at Mesa consisted of tons of literary research, background research on topics and people, reviewing documents going to the FDA, analyzing data from clinical trials, and so much more. I believe I learned the most from listening to Dr. Ken’s lessons and listening to all of Mike’s business calls. Even though I got a short summer glance, I now have a better understanding of how much it really takes to keep a project running and eventually get the product to the market. I was most drawn to the science aspect of this internship but as I conclude this internship, I learned the business aspect of drug development is equally exhilarating. When I was listening to the sales pitches Mesa would make for their K9 product I was enthralled and not one meeting was similar to the previous one. Then came data analysis, once Zack taught me how to analyze data for the hundredth time, I really started to love it. Nothing made me feel more like a part of the team than completing the task of taking the data from sponsors’ clinical trials, breaking down the code, and then organizing and analyzing the data. It has truly been an honor to be Mesa’s 2023 intern and work alongside some of the best, most knowledgeable people in the industry. I loved going to work every day this summer and this experience is something I will never forget or take for granted.