Empowering the Next Generation of Open Source Innovators
POSSEE is an internship program with a mission to promote equitable education and open source sustainability
Welcome to POSSEE: Practical Open Source Sustainability Experiences for Education
POSSEE connects organizations and open source projects with talented university students and recent graduates from emerging economies. Guided by experienced open source maintainers and mentors, these interns gain hands-on experience while contributing to current open source projects.
The POSSEE initiative supports educational growth, diversifies the contributor community, and helps bridge the knowledge gap in underserved areas. In turn, organizations benefit from the expertise of the maintainers, and the increased workforce devoted to projects they use, while interns build valuable skills and global connections, preparing them for future employment in the tech industry.
Whether you’re a student looking to understand open source, a company looking to invest, or an open source maintainer looking for up-and-coming talent, there’s something for you at POSSEE.
Why Open Source Matters
Open Source Is the Foundation of Innovation
Open source forms the backbone of nearly every application in every industry. 96% of all codebases contain open source.
5 Million Projects & Counting
Open source projects are the building blocks of modern technology, driving global collaboration and innovation.
Students love POSSEE
"My internship on the GenAI-NumPy project was an invaluable experience. I refined my skills in interactive coding, prompt engineering, and technical communication while exploring the
potential of generative AI to enhance the NumPy repository. By crafting effective prompts, I contributed to generating pull requests that improved documentation, expanded test coverage, and addressed identified bugs. This internship equipped me with a solid foundation in software
engineering and a keen understanding of AI's role in modern development workflows."
Paul Otieno, Kenya 
"Participating in the POSSEE Program was a game-changer for me. Through hands-on projects and personalized mentorship from my reporting manager, I sharpened my skills in database management, Excel, Python, and SQL. I feel more confident in my skill and empowered to tackle real-world challenges with confidence, and I'm grateful for the invaluable experience I've gained."
Aniekan (Winner) Anietie, Nigeria 
"During my time as a Graphic Design Intern, I had an incredible experience. I received valuable training on better utilizing industry-standard software such as Adobe Illustrator and
InDesign, which enabled me to create engaging graphics and layouts for various marketing materials, reports, and sales presentations. Collaborating with team members to design and refine marketing collateral was a highlight of my role, and I greatly enjoyed using platforms such as Google Docs and Canva to enhance our projects. I am thankful to have had this opportunity and deeply appreciate the patience and teachings I received. This internship allowed me to develop my skills and contribute to a supportive team, making it a truly rewarding experience."
Mariana Di Giovanni, Argentina 
"The POSSEE Program has been an incredible opportunity for me. With the support of student mentors, tech leads, and program managers, I have gained valuable skills and hands-on experience in AI development and web migration projects. The collaborative environment and real-world projects have significantly enhanced my technical abilities and confidence. I am particularly grateful for the chance to work on the Expertato Website Platform, which has fueled my passion for creating impactful technology solutions. I highly recommend the POSSEE Program to any student looking to jumpstart their career in Tech."
George Ochieng, Kenya 
“My internship as a software engineering intern was an incredible learning experience. The collaborative environment and the opportunity to work on real-world projects allowed me to hone my coding skills and deepen my understanding of open source technologies. The mentorship from experienced engineers was invaluable, providing me with guidance and feedback that significantly improved my problem-solving abilities. The team’s commitment to innovation and quality work inspired me daily, making it a highly motivating and enriching period of my career. I am grateful for the professional growth and the connections I made during my time at OpenTeams.”
Anita Kalu, Nigeria 
"I had the incredible opportunity to intern and it was an enriching experience that significantly contributed to my professional development. Working under the guidance of Bradden Blair, I was involved in key projects, including the OSS Incubator website and Expertato, which allowed me to gain hands-on experience in the tech industry. From the Onset, I was welcomed into a collaborative and innovative environment."
Adeboboye Omotoyinbo , Nigeria 
"I highly recommend this internship to anyone looking for a dynamic and supportive workplace."
Michael Olaoluw, Nigeria 
"My biggest learning experience was collaborating with the team on the Narwhals project.
I gained practical, real-world experience. I was able to increase my proficiency with the Python programming language by working with various data libraries, such as pandas, Polars, and PyArrow.
The weekly team-building activities and collaborations added significance to the entire process. I will forever be grateful to OpenTeams for this learning experience and hope for future opportunities with the wonderful data science team."
Nwabueze Ugoh, Nigeria 
"This program provided me
with the invaluable opportunity to explore my potential in AI and machine learning. I am incredibly grateful for this rare opportunity, as it equipped me with the essential skills needed to excel as a software developer."
Ebigide Jude , Nigeria 
"My internship at OpenTeams as a Social Media intern was a valuable opportunity to apply my academic learning to the real world. Under the guidance of an exceptional mentor, I transformed theoretical knowledge into practical skills. Her patient mentorship and willingness to provide
constructive feedback helped me refine the social media skills I learned in college. I learned to adapt my communication style to a global, technical audience and gained practical experience with AI. This internship taught me the value of continuous learning and initiative. Each challenge, whether it was making our content more accessible or presenting metrics, helped me develop as a professional. The mentorship I received was instrumental in building my confidence and capabilities. Comment end."
Marie Atkins, South Africa 
"Working on the Narwhals library via POSSEE gave me much needed practical software development experience, an entry into open-source, and was a real confidence booster on my coding skills. I got to work with an amazing team that was very supportive all along the way and
made new connections. I highly recommend POSSEE to anyone looking to gain credible experience in the tech space."
Uchenna Ugoh, Nigeria 