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I applied for the VTEX Summer Internship at a time when I wanted to get to know the tech market and understand, in practice, what my first professional experience would be like. VTEX caught my attention for being a Brazilian company with global reach and for proposing genuinely new challenges for the e-commerce sector. Throughout the selection process, I also noticed that the company is full of brilliant and "great people", and this weighed heavily on how much I wanted to be part of the Summer program: for a first internship, having people around who are willing to teach and support me seemed like a great sign.

I joined the Admin & AI Workspace team to work on what started as a knowledge agent project for VTEX. In the very first weeks, still during onboarding, I started researching cloud architecture for knowledge bases, as well as the design of an efficient ingestion pipeline, participating in technical discussions and helping to structure the first project definitions alongside my team and my mentor. This reinforced a goal I already had: not to develop "AI for the sake of AI" or "Agents for the sake of Agents," but rather to build an ecosystem with real purpose and impact.

My development spanned practically the entire stack: from Cloud infrastructure to the front-end across different platforms. Today, this project has grown and become a dedicated team at VTEX, aiming to bridge AI and organizational knowledge. During the Summer months, I made decisions and defined foundational requirements with an autonomy that I would hardly have had anywhere else; my team never intended to hold my hand at every step, but rather to direct the potential I already had to the right places.

If I could give one piece of advice to anyone applying, it would be: know your foundational knowledge and your main interests well, and know how they tie into your life story and university experience. What helped me the most in the process was being able to connect what I had already done (college, extracurriculars, personal projects) and show, from there, what I actually wanted to build within VTEX, being honest even when my interest seemed "vague." Technical leaders follow the selection process and know how to identify where this fits into a real demand of a team or product. In my case, even having had more in-depth experiences in other subjects, it was speaking with technical knowledge and genuine interest about a small personal RAG project that showed, in my final interview, that I could do everything I did during the Summer.

Initially, my interest in the Summer Internship arose because I saw VTEX frequently featured in the career paths of people who inspired me during college. As I researched further, I discovered a large, international company with immense relevance in the tech market. This fueled my desire to participate, learn, and also help build cool things within the company.

From the beginning of the Summer internship, I found a highly welcoming environment that was perfect for growth. I had a clear specification for the project I would develop while, at the same time, being supported by more experienced professionals who were always available to guide me and share their knowledge.

One of the best parts of the experience was looking back and realizing how much I had evolved. Comparing who I was on my first day with who I became by the end of the Summer was truly special—not just because of the technical learning, but also due to the confidence and maturity I developed throughout the project.

To anyone thinking about applying, my advice is to be authentic, do not be afraid to ask questions whenever you have doubts, and enter the experience with an open mind. Trust in your ability to learn and make the most of every challenge, conversation, and opportunity that comes your way.

VTEX is a renowned company, and I had heard great things about the Summer program, regarding both the personal growth and professional development the experience provides. It was this desire to develop in a high-level environment that motivated me to apply.

At the beginning of the Summer program, I confess I felt intimidated by everything that was offered, and it seemed difficult to meet the expectations generated. However, as I integrated into the culture and got to know the other interns, the teams, and my mentors, I gained assurance and confidence. Each completed task and small achievement strengthened my autonomy in the process, allowing me to engage directly in highly relevant and impactful projects for the company.

The opportunity to interact with the other interns, my mentor, and everyone else in the organization was essential for my personal and professional growth. It was an extremely rewarding journey alongside them, filled with practical learning that I will certainly carry with me for the rest of my career.

My recommendation to future candidates is to deeply understand the company's culture and embrace the opportunity to experience working on real-world projects with true impact. Furthermore, be open to meeting new people who will bring great personal development and, of course, study and prepare to show how much you deserve this opportunity.

I admit that I wasn't actively looking for internships before applying. I intended to dedicate myself to college for at least another year, but I was impressed by the care taken in building a truly structured internship experience. This is because organizing a program like this is more complex than it seems. It is not enough to simply select a few top candidates and distribute them into teams with demands. It is not enough to use interns just as "extra hands" on a team. It is necessary to understand the difficulties and assist the professionals so they can learn and evolve.

I am happy to say that this was exactly what I found at VTEX. My experience was of a welcoming environment where it was understood that learning has its ups and downs. Developing a project on your own involves much more than programming; it involves planning, replanning, learning to deal with obstacles and changes in direction, and this was respected at every stage. Coupled with this, there is a clear understanding of how important it is to have company and guides in this process. My mentor and fellow interns were an important part of the journey, assuring me that I wasn't alone discovering a new path, but accompanied at every step.

To future candidates, my tip is: do not be afraid of new challenges and show a willingness to learn. It is easy to think that knowing a specific language or already having experience with a certain tool is what defines who will do well, but, throughout the program, I realized that this is not the most important thing. No one expects an intern to know everything. What makes a difference is having curiosity, asking questions, stepping out of your comfort zone, and being willing to learn from your own mistakes. Take the opportunity to absorb as much as possible from the experience. After all, that is exactly what an internship program exists for.

When I applied to VTEX's Summer Internship, I was looking for new challenges for my career and an opportunity to experience a different environment firsthand. I already had friends who worked at the company, and they all spoke very highly of the experience, especially because it's a dynamic environment with plenty of autonomy and real challenges.

During the program, I was placed on the Security team, an area I had never had any contact with, not even during college. It was a very enriching experience, in which I learned a lot about offensive security, secure development, and how security can be part of every stage of building a product.

One of the things that struck me most was realizing that the project developed during the Summer program wasn't just an internship activity that got shelved once the program ended. It kept evolving and, to this day, remains in production in VTEX's environment, helping to strengthen the security of the platform and its customers. Seeing that our work continued and generated real impact was very rewarding.

For anyone planning to take part in the next selection process, my main tip is to make sure you understand what VTEX is, what products it offers, and what problems it solves for its customers. During my preparation, I studied the company thoroughly and tried to think of possible improvements to its products. In one of the interviews, in fact, I asked about a feature I thought could be interesting, and during the conversation with an engineer, I found out that something similar was already being developed internally.

That's why I believe showing genuine curiosity, understanding the business, and coming in ready to exchange ideas can make a big difference. You don't need to know everything, but it's important to show interest, a willingness to learn, and a readiness to contribute.