Celebrating our interns: a night to say thank you

An internship asks a lot of you. You have to fit it in around classes, part-time work and everything else in your life. You also have to say yes to projects you’ve never done before and learn quickly while you work on them.

This semester, our interns made that commitment through the Venture UWA student internship program at UWA. We got everyone together to wrap up the Internship program and say a proper thank you.

What our interns took on

Over the program, our interns worked on real projects with startups. They trained across business fundamentals, marketing, web design and research, and earned course credit through UWA’s Work Integrated Learning units at the same time.

We’ve watched them run research, build campaigns and find their way through problems that didn’t have obvious answers. The wrap-up was our chance to recognise the time and energy behind all of that. We spent the night looking back on the semester, hearing from interns and the startups they worked with, and handing out this year’s awards.

Our 2026 internship award winners

Every intern made a contribution this semester. These awards recognise a few people who stood out in particular ways.

MVP – Standout Intern: Cale Cartledge-Giovinazzo and Alisa RoseThis award recognises outstanding contribution, commitment and impact throughout the internship. Cale and Alisa set the standard for the cohort from start to finish.

Go Getter: Emmanuel Jawo and Saniya ChawlaThis award recognises initiative, self-motivation and the ability to take ownership and turn ideas into action. Emmanuel and Saniya didn’t wait to be asked.

Problem Solver: Rishon Jose and Sasank ParimiThis award recognises creative thinking and the ability to tackle complex challenges with practical, innovative solutions. When things got complicated, Rishon and Sasank found a way through.

Team Player: Gaia GangThis award recognises collaboration, positive leadership and a commitment to supporting and empowering others. Gaia made everyone in the team better at what they did.

Pivot Pro: Patty CanapiThis award recognises adaptability, resilience and the ability to navigate change and uncertainty with confidence. Patty handled every change in direction with confidence.

Quiet Achiever: Akaash SinghThis award recognises consistent excellence, dedication and meaningful contributions throughout the program. Akaash delivered great work week after week.

Thank you, and what comes next

To every intern: thank you for your time, your energy and your ideas. You’ve finished the program with real experience to show for it, plus a network that will keep growing. That’s what creating your own future looks like, and we can’t wait to see where you take it.

Thank you also to the startups and mentors who hosted our interns and gave their time to help them grow.

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