At Mozilla, internships are more than a learning opportunity – they are a chance to be part of our mission to make the internet a better place. Our interns come from diverse backgrounds and bring unique perspectives that enrich our community. This year, we continued building on last year’s program with Canadian Student Workers and the German Student Workers and added interns from the United States and France, totaling 58 students.
Mozilla’s internships and student programs differ by country, with U.S. interns typically working over a few months – usually during the summer – while Canadian, German, and French students work over a span of nine to eighteen months. We talked with several students, some in the middle of the program and others nearing the end of their time, to hear more about their experiences.
United States interns reflect on their experience
This summer, seven interns from the United States joined Mozilla. Their time here has been filled with learning, growth, and meaningful connections. They worked on impactful projects, ranging from building mock API endpoints to improving internal business travel emissions tracking. We interviewed several interns from our San Francisco space:
Canadian and German students shared their insights
Our student workers from Canada and Germany spent more time at Mozilla. They each had a unique experience, yet common themes emerged – blending disciplines, fostering community, and championing privacy and innovation. We caught up with student workers including Helena Ballent from Germany, and Ayanaa Rahman and Abhishek Madan from Canada.
Helena Ballent: Blending Art and Technology
Helena Ballent, from Germany, is in the early part of the student worker program. She supports the Credential Management team at Mozilla. With a background in Art History and Philosophy from Freie University Berlin, Helena’s journey into computer science at the Technical University Berlin is unique. Encouraged by a classmate, she applied for an internship at Mozilla, attracted by our open-source and privacy-oriented ethos. Helena is proud of her early accomplishments, such as fixing bugs that will be integrated into widely used products. “I’ve felt very supported and welcomed in my first few weeks while navigating all the new tools and extensive codebase. As an intern it has also been empowering to be integrated so closely into the team and to be trusted with challenging and meaningful tasks.”
Helena Ballent, student worker from Germany
Ayanaa Rahman: Enhancing Localization with AI
Ayanaa Rahman, hailing from Canada, is a fourth-year Computer Science student at the University of Toronto. During her 15-month internship with Mozilla’s Localization team, Ayanaa has worked on enhancing our Pontoon platform – the backbone of Mozilla’s localization efforts, where a vibrant community of localizers adapts Mozilla’s products for global audiences. Her work included leading an AI-based initiative to assist with the localization process. Her project, which integrates large language models to improve translation quality, showcases her passion for AI and innovation. Ayanaa values the strong sense of community at Mozilla, which has provided her with new perspectives on how businesses can thrive through collaboration and shared vision. She has also been actively involved in engaging with our global localization community, further reinforcing the importance of community in driving success.
Ayanaa Rahman, student worker from Canada
Abhishek Madan: Championing Privacy Innovations
Abhishek Madan, also from Canada, is entering his fourth year of a Computer Engineering degree at the University of Toronto. As a back-end software engineering intern on Mozilla’s Privacy team, Abhishek is proud of his work on the “Copy without Site Tracking” feature, which enhances user privacy by stripping tracking parameters from URLs. This project, which he led from proposal to implementation, exemplifies the trust and responsibility Mozilla places in its interns. Abhishek has learned valuable soft skills during his internship, such as effectively communicating with non-technical colleagues and presenting his work to large audiences. He appreciates the independence and trust he has been given, which has provided him with a strong foundation for his future career.
Abhishek Madan, student worker from Canada
As we continue to nurture talent and innovation, we look forward to future internship contributions. By empowering the next generation of technologists, we are building a more inclusive, open, and trustworthy internet for all. To learn more about our upcoming internship and student worker roles, follow our careers page.