Finding myself as an Intern at Conduent…where do I fit in?

by: Dhruvi Malusare

When I first arrived at Conduent, I was confused.

I knew where many of the other interns fit. The legal interns worked with Legal. The developers worked with development teams. The marketing interns worked in Marketing.

But where did I belong?

My background sat somewhere in the middle of everything. As a Human-Computer Interaction major with a minor in Business at NJIT, my education focused on the intersection of people, technology and operations. My strongest skill set was user experience design, which starts with understanding people, identifying their needs and building solutions around those needs.

People were always at the center. Technology was simply a tool to help them.

When I started my internship, my role was not immediately clear. I spent time supporting data analysis and business strategy initiatives, but nothing felt quite concrete. So, I did what came naturally to me: I got curious.

I started reaching out to people across the organization simply to learn about what they did. Those conversations eventually led me into the world of automation and artificial intelligence, and that changed everything.

The Power of People

One of the best parts about working at Conduent is the people.

Throughout the summer, I had the opportunity to meet incredibly talented individuals who were genuinely passionate about their work. Their enthusiasm motivated me to learn more, ask better questions and continuously improve.

What stood out most was how welcoming everyone was. No matter the role, people were willing to take time out of their day to explain their work, share their experiences and help me understand the business. More importantly, they also took the time to learn about me.

From the very beginning, I never felt like "just an intern." I felt valued, included and encouraged to contribute. Everyone I spoke with made me feel like part of the Conduent family, and that culture of openness and support became one of the most meaningful parts of my internship experience.

From Curious Intern to AI and Automation Advocate

Over the course of one summer, a series of conversations transformed into something much bigger than I ever expected.

What began as an internship evolved into becoming a point of contact for AI and Automation initiatives across Automated Document Solutions and Banking Lending Solutions.

I came into Conduent with a simple goal: learn as much as I could and do the best work possible. What I did not expect was how much trust, responsibility and opportunity I would be given in such a short period of time.

Over the span of roughly eight weeks, I had the opportunity to:

Create 17 AI agents
Automate manual business processes
Develop a coaching and feedback platform
Build reporting/Dashboards and automation solutions
Co-host AI workshops that reached more than 500 employees

Looking back, it is hard to believe how much was accomplished in such a short time.

What made this experience special was not just the projects themselves, but the confidence Conduent placed in me. I was treated as someone whose ideas mattered. I was given the space to explore, learn and create solutions that could make a real impact.

For that, I am incredibly grateful.

What I Learned

When I reflect on this experience, I realize I learned just as much about myself as I did about technology.

I entered the internship thinking I was primarily motivated by the technical side of work. What I discovered is that while I love technology, people are what give that technology meaning.

I love understanding how people work. I love solving problems. I love having conversations that uncover opportunities for improvement. The technology is exciting, but the ability to use it to help others is what motivates me most.

I also learned the importance of curiosity.

Many of the opportunities I received began with a simple question or conversation. Others came from reaching out and wanting to learn more.

Curiosity became the starting point for impact.

Perhaps most importantly, I changed the way I think about AI.

I no longer see AI as something that replaces people. Instead, I see it as a companion that helps people expand their ability to create, learn, research and solve problems. Creativity, judgment, empathy and passion still come from people. AI simply helps us move faster and focus on higher-value work.

When I started this internship, I was excited but uncertain about my path.

Today, I leave with a much clearer understanding of what excites me most: understanding people, solving meaningful problems and using technology to make life better for others.

Most of all, I learned that every process, every project and every technology initiative ultimately comes back to people.

And that is exactly where I found my place.