WorldLoop bids adieu to their first intern

WorldLoop welcomed our first intern earlier this summer to help the team with projects relating to operations and communications. Matthias Floru was a great fit for the organization with is academic background in engineering and experience working at his university in business development and event management.

In his own words: My internship at WorldLoop

Ever been to a reading of Thomas Poelmans? I did, and it changed my life. During my engineering studies I became interested in how the combination of technology and entrepreneurship can create a more sustainable society and a livable planet for the future generations. But it was only after hearing what WorldLoop does, the combination of protecting the environment and helping the third world without relying too heavily on money from first world donors, that I discovered I want to use my talents to do something similar in my professional life.Applying for an internship at WorldLoop was a logical first step for me. So when Thomas called me one day before the Easter Break, Thomas saying they chose me to do the internship, that really made my day.Starting at the WorldLoop office in Brussels in July, I didn’t exactly know what to expect. After some days, I was fully integrated in the team. I got short term projects, on which I could work independently for two or three days. These short term projects were evaluated by the WorldLoop team and implemented. This feedback made me learn fast to become more professional in business operations. The fact that they used and implemented my work, grew my confidence in work; also students can already undertake valuable actions for companies.

The team provided me with a wide variation of topics I could work on. This went from business operations, including the technical aspects of recycling (where I could make the difference with my engineering background), to marketing campaigns. Besides the work they gave me, they also took their time to teach me some skills they acquired during their professional career. Thomas taught me how to work with African people. From Barbara, I learned about B-2-C campaigns, target groups and other marketing related activities. By doing his daily tasks, Olivier showed me how to run a business.

Most of the tasks were market research. Besides that, I had also to analyze data and make reports, to call with producers of recycling equipment all around the world, to help with the preparations of a corporate board room evening event with Marleen Temmerman as keynote, to do a literature study about plastics recycling, and I even had to host a Senegalese businessman.

As you can see, it was a truly international experience. But you don’t know yet what I did after the four weeks working in Brussels…

The icing on the cake of my internship was the trip to Kenya. Together with my girlfriend and another engineering student who wrote his thesis about the Best-of-2-Worlds concept, we worked at the WEEE Centre and visited this beautiful country. My personal work there included making an inventory together with the employees and a consultancy job to improve technical reporting to WorldLoop. At the end of the week we gave a presentation of our findings to the management of the WEEE Centre.  It was very enriching to experience the cultural differences between working in Africa and working in Belgium. The WEEE Centre team thanked us for the valuable work we did for them. In my turn, I want to thank them too for doing their utmost to provide us a great time in Nairobi.

For every student that wants to get immersed in an international cocktail and that believes social entrepreneurship is the way to save the planet, my only advice is to undertake immediate action and apply for an internship like this.

Thanks Olivier, Barbara, Thomas and the Close The Gap colleagues, and thanks to the WEEE Centre colleagues, for this awesome experience.