While many students spend their long vacations juggling temporary jobs to support their education, Believe Horlali, a final-year Medical Imaging student, took a slightly different path one that brought her closer to her professional dreams.

Believe found herself at the Ho Teaching Hospital, specifically in the Sonography Unit, where the hum of machines and the rhythm of diagnoses became her new normal.

“It was my first internship,” she shared, reflecting on the transition from her usual vacation jobs to a structured hospital setting. “I learnt how to scan on my own, work under pressure, and also learnt how to be careful with my diagnosis because the diagnosis you give determines the patient’s treatment.”

Working as the only intern in her department, Believe received a golden level of attention and mentorship from her supervisors, an opportunity she didn’t take for granted.

“My supervisors paid so much attention to me and taught me so many things,” she said. The experience, though demanding, offered a depth of learning that went far beyond the classroom.

In previous vacations, Believe, like many students, would typically take on paid jobs to help cover school fees. So choosing an unpaid internship wasn’t an easy decision. “I would have worked to get money to pay my school fees,” she admitted. But for her, the trade-off was worth it.

Despite the financial sacrifice, Believe walked away with something more enduring: confidence, competence, and a clearer understanding of her chosen field.