Ukrainian Interns on Know-how, Neighborhood, and Belonging
The third and last submit in a three-part collection that gives an in-depth look into Grammarly’s internship program. On this submit, we’ll highlight our interns within the Kyiv hub.
What does it imply to intern at a worldwide AI firm based in Ukraine? On this submit, you’ll hear from two of Grammarly’s Ukrainian interns, study concerning the tasks they labored on, and uncover how they discovered neighborhood and satisfaction in being a part of a Ukrainian-founded firm.
The tasks
Ivan
Ivan Kulynych joined Grammarly’s revision high quality staff, which develops new fashions for grammar and writing strategies. In his mission, he constructed a brand new function that allowed customers to specify their writing preferences (e.g., utilizing Oxford commas or avoiding passive voice) in order that the AI agent can comply with these pointers when offering writing strategies. This is able to assist particular person customers and organizations, resembling companies and colleges, customise the writing strategies they obtain from an AI agent to match their preferences.
Step one was to detect if the person enter was a reputable desire (i.e., not an offensive or unrealistic desire). Initially, the staff aimed to coach a BERT-like mannequin designed particularly for this activity, however they struggled to attain correct efficiency because of the inadequate coaching knowledge. In order that they pivoted to utilizing common expressions and reasoning fashions, which proved simpler.
Engaged on a mission throughout all levels, from scoping to person testing, had a big impression on how Ivan approaches constructing software program. “As a substitute of overplanning every little thing or getting caught on the unique model of an thought, I began constructing with extra flexibility. It made me quicker as my focus shifted from getting it excellent to creating it helpful,” he defined.
Mykhailo
Mykhailo Tyshchenko joined the shared product infrastructure staff, which builds instruments for different inner groups to make use of. For his mission, he migrated current Grammarly providers to a shared Kafka-based messaging system, simplifying upkeep and decreasing infrastructure prices. That is particularly vital with Grammarly’s current acquisition of Coda and Superhuman, which considerably expanded the infrastructure surfaces the staff should handle.
Nevertheless, the migration proved tougher than anticipated as a result of there was lots of code duplication throughout providers, which made the code extra liable to errors and tough to keep up. To unravel this, he constructed a separate Java library that standardized configuration logic and a pipeline that routinely examined the library for errors and revealed new variations to Grammarly’s inner repository. To protect towards regression, he carried out Kafka-related observability metrics and dashboards that allowed builders to rapidly detect and repair points.
The outcomes have been substantial: Mykhailo has migrated two providers, with one other two in lively testing, and his library has develop into a core a part of the staff’s infrastructure. The expertise has improved his confidence as an engineer. “After my first deployment to manufacturing, I felt much more assured and began taking extra initiative, asking questions, and proposing options. It made me extra productive and strengthened my collaboration with my staff, who actually appreciated the expansion!”
Related from Day One
Whereas every of our Ukrainian interns labored on totally different groups, all of them credit score the identical factor for his or her success: the shared curiosity and help of their coworkers. “From the very starting, I felt like I used to be a part of the Grammarly neighborhood. Folks weren’t simply welcoming and supportive; they made area for questions and actively engaged with you,” Ivan mentioned.
Mykhailo echoes this sentiment: “Grammarly’s intentional about creating areas the place everybody can share their pursuits. I’ve joined the readers, board recreation gamers, and pet lovers neighborhood on Slack and the assorted social occasions, a few of which have been held from the opposite facet of the world.”
This peer help was additionally complemented by formal mentorship. Mykhailo explains: “My mentor Yuriy Voznyak actually supported my thought of constructing a brand new library and helped me implement the performance by dwell coding periods. He at all times handled me like a peer, which made me really feel valued and gave me the boldness to push myself and contribute extra.”
Delight in a shared heritage
Working for a Ukraine-founded firm added one other dimension to their expertise, one which confirmed up in the identical on a regular basis interactions that make Grammarly’s neighborhood so particular.
“Being from Ukraine myself, I observed Grammarly’s Ukrainian roots immediately. I see it within the supportive language, inner Slack conversations, and the way folks speak concerning the firm’s origin with respect,” Ivan defined. A easy second throughout onboarding—receiving his new-hire reward field—revealed how this dedication goes deeper than phrases. “It wasn’t simply normal swag. Lots of the objects have been deliberately sourced from Ukrainian manufacturers that actively help defenders and reduction efforts. It confirmed me that Grammarly doesn’t simply acknowledge its Ukrainian roots; it actively chooses to help them in significant, values-aligned methods.”
Management bolstered this connection throughout company-wide occasions. “Throughout an intern management occasion, Grammarly’s Chief Folks Officer, Kenny Mendes, congratulated Ukrainian interns on becoming a member of Grammarly and spoke about their braveness and power. It was a heartwarming second,” Mykhailo mentioned.
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We want our interns the perfect of luck of their future endeavors. When you’re inquisitive about subsequent 12 months’s internship program, keep tuned for updates on our profession web page.
