At Kovai.co, our six-month internship program has always been a space where young minds step in with curiosity and walk out with confidence and clarity. With every internship drive, we see fresh talent eager to explore, learn, and build. The November 2024 intake for our Data Science team was no different. It was a well-anticipated round that brought in remarkable energy and an overwhelming response.
Two budding talents from Coimbatore, Aishwarya Myilsamy from Kumaraguru College of Technology and Sriharan Thirumurithi from PSG College of Arts and Science, joined us during this drive. In just six months, they left an impressive mark by working hands-on with our core product teams. Their journey was filled with learning, experimentation, and significant contributions to Document360, Eddy AI, and the upcoming big release.
Embracing the Unexpected
For both Aishwarya and Sriharan, this internship was a leap into a world they had not fully imagined. With no prior internship experience, they started with more questions than answers, but they chose to take each challenge head-on.
I had no idea how a company functions or what I was stepping into.
said Sriharan, who joined us with a background in Statistics and only a brief internship behind him. Aishwarya, a first-time intern from an AI and Data Science background, walked into her first day during a sprint showcase, unsure how she would fit into it all. But both quickly found the courage to try, fail, and grow.
Features that Matter
In just half a year, Aishwarya contributed to five new features on Document360, many of which are part of our big upcoming release.
She also played a vital role in Code Snippet Generation, a feature that required an understanding of prompt engineering, and was involved in the Draft Reply functionality.
Aishwarya added,
Working on the Manage Sources feature is what I enjoyed the most. It had minute details to work on, including workflows and customer tickets.
She came in expecting data-heavy tasks like forecasting and analysis, but walked away with experience in generative AI, prompt engineering, and real-world product development.
Turning Stats into Solutions
Coming from a statistics background with little coding exposure, Sriharan surprised himself with how far he came. He worked on a couple of new features that are now in advanced stages of development.
He also worked on the Hybrid Search feature, contributing specifically to the RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) and chunk retrieval parts, which improved search accuracy. His first project, PII (Personal Identifiable Information) Detection and Mitigation, gave him a strong base in handling sensitive data.
I’m feeling very proud and confident. Be it the feature that is released or the one still under development, it means a lot.
he said. For Sriharan, the transformation was more than technical.
These six months taught me how to see things from various angles.
he added, highlighting how applying statistics to real product development was something he had never done before, even in college. He also analyzed NPS feedback data and text embeddings from vendors like OpenAI and Cohere, delivering insight reports.
A Culture that Supports and Shapes
One thing that stood out for both interns was the support they received from their teams. Whether it was asking doubts, presenting in meetings, or exploring GenAI tools like Claude and OpenAI, they always had people around them to guide and encourage.
I was told it’s okay to make mistakes. What’s more important is to try, create Version 1, then learn, refine, and build a stronger Version 2.
recalled Aishwarya, crediting her mentor Pavithira Rajendran, Senior Data Scientist, for helping her shed the fear of failing.
Sriharan added, reflecting on how his manager helped identify and amplify his strengths.
The most impressive thing about this experience was the culture, the team engagement, and my manager.
From lunch break chats and carrom sessions to participating in events like International Fun at Work Day and the KPL Cricket Tournament, both interns found joy beyond work. They were also encouraged to take up short courses during their internship, helping them build skills that added more depth to their contributions.
Looking Ahead
With her internship experience shaping her career plans, Aishwarya now looks forward to pursuing a Master’s degree in tech. Meanwhile, Sriharan continues to grow with us at Kovai.co as a full-time team member.
Their journey reflects what we aim to build through our internship program, a place where students don’t just learn but also contribute meaningfully.
As Selvaraaju Murugesan, Head of Data Science, rightly put it,
Aishwarya and Sriharan have been working on many cutting-edge product features while learning. Their contribution is significant for our innovation. We shall continue to train students through our internship program and make them industry-ready.
At Kovai.co, we believe in giving young minds the right environment to flourish. And if this internship journey is anything to go by, we are excited for what the future holds.
