Dearest gentle reader *winks in Bridgerton, It is with great delight and a touch of nervous excitement that I share with you the news that I have been selected as an Outreachy intern to work in the Bioconductor community on the BugSigDB Microbiome Study project.
Hello Hello! My name is Divine Aleru. I am a Biochemist and an aspiring researcher, an explorer at heart, and what some might call a "Jill of all trades." Yes, I have worked as a Laboratory Assistant, Technical and Content Writer, Software Developer, and most recently, as a Video Game User Interface Designer. You can call me “Dee the Explorer” because Dora has got nothing on me!
Now, back to the big news: I am simply thrilled to be selected as an Outreachy Intern. It feels absolutely surreal, honestly, but it is also a dream come true, one I kind of saw coming and one I am so ready to embrace. This journey has been far from a straight path. It has been filled with moments of uncertainty, growth, and some great lessons in patience, which I have come to realize is one of the most valuable skills in both life and work.
Why Outreachy?
When I first learned about Outreachy, I was drawn to one key detail, “no prior experience” was required to apply. For someone like me, this was incredibly freeing. For the first time, I could truly be an unpolished, raw version of myself with no expectations hanging over my head.
The idea of being considered on equal footing with everyone else, regardless of my experience or background, was exactly what I needed at the time. I did not have to live up to some lofty standard that often made me feel like an outsider in the tech community. I could be completely new, a blank slate, without the burden of past failures or preconceived notions. To put it bluntly, I could finally be free from the weight of any high expectations.
My decision to apply to Outreachy was about a chance to reset and begin fresh in an environment that valued potential over experience. I didn’t know exactly where this would lead, but I was willing to see where it would, trusting that whatever happened, I would learn and grow. I applied three times before finally getting selected. Though the wait and rejections stung at times, I realized over time that this process was making me more patient, more reflective, and better at communicating my thoughts and aspirations.
My core values
As I reflect on my path to this internship, I realize that three core values have been the foundation of everything I have done, both in my career and in life in general. These values are Curiosity, Determination, and Resilience.
Curiosity
Curiosity has always been a cornerstone of who I am. I have had a thirst to know how things work. I want to know a little bit about everything. This has always been exciting and very satisfying for me. I mean, curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction did bring it back **wink wink again*. This curiosity is what led me to the BugSigDB Microbiome Curation project, where I have had the opportunity to contribute to a truly fascinating area of research. Sometimes, it is a little different, but I think curiosity is about maintaining a sense of wonder, even when you meet roadblocks. Well, here I am, an Outreachy intern, out of my comfort zone, being a part of an incredible project.
Determination
Determination is what keeps me going after curiosity gets me started. When I first started applying for Outreachy, I had no idea what the process would look like. I faced a lot of doubt and moments where I wanted to quit, but I was determined to succeed. Also, I kinda knew that nothing worth having comes that easily.
For me, determination is more than just grinding, I think it is more about making progress, no matter how slow, taking the next step towards a goal you have set and staying consistent. Applying three times for this internship was a true test of my determination. But each rejection made me stronger, more focused, and even more motivated to improve, and in the end, that did pay off.
Resilience
Lastly, there is resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back when things don’t go according to plan, and it’s something I have had to practice time and time again. I like to see it as recognizing that setbacks are not failures but simply a part of the journey. Picking yourself up after a fall, learning from your mistakes, and moving forward with more wisdom than you had before, that right there, dearest reader, is resilience.
There were moments when I doubted myself when I questioned whether I was good enough to make it in such a competitive space. But I kept pushing forward, I stayed optimistic even when things didn’t look great. The path to success is rarely a straight line, and I think that’s okay, I’d take time to be sad and all, and bounce right back.
I guess that’s why they say; “No Grind, No Grit, No Greatness”.
The BugSigDB Microbiome Study Curation Project
The BugSigDB Microbiome Study Curation project revolves around curating microbiome study data to identify and highlight microbial signatures associated with various health outcomes. These microbial signatures (patterns in the composition and abundance of microbial species) have been able to provide insights into human health and diseases.
As a curator, my role is to read published research papers, extract and verify data on microbial signatures, and ensure its proper classification and representation within BugSigDB. Every study brings its own challenges, finding statistical tests used for the differential abundance testing, interpreting differential abundance results, mapping microbial taxa to known databases, and ensuring that the curated information is accurate. For me, this project is more about bridging the gap between scientific findings and their potential to shape real-world applications.
One remarkable thing that truly stands out about this project is the incredible sense of community. Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. Being able to work alongside such a talented and passionate group of curators has been both inspiring and rewarding. Every feedback, insight, and support has turned every challenge into an opportunity for growth and learning and, honestly, a lot of fun. I am also incredibly grateful to my mentors, Chloe Mirzayi and Svetlana Ugarcina Perovic, and the co-mentors for their guidance and support every step of the way, even at odd hours. This spirit of teamwork and shared effort is, to me, the essence of open source. The idea that we don’t have to do this alone and that we can learn from and support each other is why I love being part of the BugSigDB community.
The BugSigDB project connects me to a global community of researchers, to the broader implications of scientific discovery, and most importantly, to my own potential. It is a reminder that with patience, passion, and persistence, I can be part of and do great things. This is not only just a chapter in my career, but it is also a part of my story, one that is still being written.
And so, dearest gentle reader, as I turn the page to this exciting chapter, I leave you with a promise, I will write the rest of my story with as much passion as Lady Whistledown writes her gossip. But until then, never stop being curious, determined, and resilient, you’ve got this!
Cheers to growth and guts, and I mean that both literally and figuratively!