Adelaide University Internship - Mahir Numayeer Islam

Welcome Mahir!

Mahir Numayeer Islam has joined our Data Analytics Team for his Adelaide University SET (Sciences, Engineering and Technology) Internship for his Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences for Semester 2, 2025, 27 May 2025 - 22 August 2025.

He is completing a 140 hour internship onsite with SAcommunity at the Connecting Up Office, Infoxchange 15 hours a week for 10 weeks over 2 days around his university classes. 

Total Hours 121 Joined 27 May 2025 Last Check-in 1 August 2025 

Personal Biography

Mahir is a second-year university student studying Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences. He is passionate about problem-solving, competitive programming such as the South Pacific Algorithmic Rounds(SPAR) in Australia and on platforms such as Atcoder.jp & leetcode.com, and he is currently working on personal low-level projects from Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces. He is proficient in C++, Python, and JavaScript.

Currently undertaking his internship at Connecting Up, he is exploring various data analytics tools including PowerBI, Python, etc. He is looking forward to collaborating in a professional workspace and gaining practical work experience that will help him in the future.

His long-term aim is to work as a software engineer in the high frequency trading (HFT) field at firms including Jane Street, Citadel Securities, Optiver, Hudson River Trading, Jump Trading, SIG, IMC. After gaining industry experience, he plans to pursue a PHD and work on cutting-edge research projects at leading tech companies.

National Volunteer Week - 27 May 2025
Intern Mahir, Volunteers Yong Kheng Beh and Joe Xanqiao Zhang, Interns Charmi Divecha, Meixuan Liao,Shrushti Rajendra Ladage, Deekshitha Goud Podeti and staff member Julia Koh (Former intern)

Induction And Orientation For Interns
The induction for the internship kicked off with a cake celebration for the National Volunteer Week in Australia. Interns, volunteers, and staff members met and introduced themselves to each other including their career aspirations. Such a lovely and collaborative atmosphere set a great & positive tone for the internship project ahead!

Explaining A Technical Error In Our Data Analysis Project

As I was going through last minute checks through our project before calling the Council, I noticed something odd in the way data was being presented in the Canva graphic and what have I used to gather that data following the documentation. I soon noticed that we were getting Organisation count in the place of getting data from sessions which was the intended data being shown in the Canva graphic. This lead me to talk to Catherine and pointing it out and, then, letting all the other interns know as well.

Calling Gawler Council

After many weeks of hard work and completing the data analytics report, I called the Gawler Council to inform them about the project and the positive impacts it can have on their community.  

All Staff Infoxchange Town Hall Meeting

The All Staff Infoxchange Town Hall Meeting involved everyone in the company getting up to speed with what the other departments and interstate offices are doing. This also included the tech side of the company include updates regarding GenAI being involved with work and consumer-facing products made by the commpany in effort to streamline data from non-profit companies. 

The meeting was done on the same day as the induction for the new interns and it was a great opportunity for us(including me) to get a deeper insight into the company. This involved understanding a lot about how certain departments in the company work and the importance most of them have in the success of non-profit organizations in Australia and aiding communities struck by natural disasters. I also learned how funding for non-profit organizations including Infoxchange worked and how the funding is essential for handling sensitive community data.

All in all, it was a great experience and opportunity to learn more about the company and it was a great introduction for, us, interns about the company and how our projects will directly impact the success of the organization.

Infoxchange's Biggest Morning Tea - Cancer Council 17 June 2025
From L - R: Staff members Julia Koh, Chloe Le, Interns Charmi, Meixuan, Mahir, Deekshitha, Shrushti, Volunteer Robert, Staff Member Eric, Volunteer Joe, Staff Members Keegan Witney and Samantha Agius, Volunteers Rex Porter, Stathis Avramis and Yong Kheng Beh 

On 17 June 2025, I joined Infoxchange’s Biggest Morning Tea to support the Cancer Council. Alongside staff, interns (including myself), and volunteers, we came together to raise funds for vital cancer research, support services, and prevention programs. It was a morning full of connection, generosity, and shared purpose. Being part of this event as an intern was both meaningful and memorable. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed and made it happen!

Monthly Staff Meeting - July 7, 2025

On July 7, 2025, I attended my first monthly staff meeting since starting as an intern. I spent most of my time in the meeting listening to updates about ConnectingUp in terms of how they are doing, specifically on how ConnectingUp finished financially as the financial year came to an end. I also learned about other details such as what they will be offering next year due to cost changes, how the website rebuild is going etc. As my very first meeting, it was pretty informative in terms of what goes on in company meetings and what are some of the points of discussion in such meetings. All in all, it was a peek into what goes on into professional meetings and I am glad for the opportunity to sit and observe.

Telephone Techniques - July 9, 2025

On July 9, 2025, I learned about valuable telephone techniques when it comes to customer service and what are the professional jargons to use when talking to customers. During this session, I did a couple mock telephone talking sessions with Rex and it taught me a lot regarding how to be professional when it comes to talking with customers and what the customers/users of the SACommunity directory look for. All in all, it was a pretty valuable session.

Mentor Meeting - July 18, 2025

On July 18, 2025, I had the wonderful opportunity to have my mentor meeting with James Newport. During the mentor meeting, we discussed about James's day-to-day life, some of the bugs he has faced, what interested him to get into the field, challenges and advice when it comes to jobs, and, lastly, the meat of our conversation surrounding AI usage as a student. Here are some of my key takeaways:

- I learned briefly about how James utilizes Jira to manage and drive projects and some of the work he does daily. A key takeaway I had is that working as a Senior Web Developer at Infoxchange involves a lot of independence which can both be a curse and a blessing. It is a blessing because it allows a lot of flexibility and independence regarding the work he is doing but a curse due to how easy it can be to get distracted between different tasks such as constantly switching between different systems where at the end of the day, you don't really make much meaningful progress. We discussed about how important it is to maintain discipline when you have a high amount of independence and to stick to one task to make meaningful progress before taking on another task.

- I learned about the bugs James has to deal with on a daily basis. Some of the weirdest and toughest bugs to solve usually pops up from the amount of traffic or customers using the product as more people hit/use the system in different ways, bugs will tend to pop-up that is very hard to reproduce, thus, making them difficult to solve.

- I learned about the importance of being persistent and having a positive attitude when hunting for jobs. James mentioned that how his first job out of university was not computer science related but he was persistent in his non-tech role and eventually an opportunity popped up which he took and how it ended up working out for him. This resonated with me a lot because, currently, the job market for CS/SWE graduates is in a tough spot and it is rather difficult to get entry-level roles in the industry and James's advice was incredibly helpful in terms of how I should not stop trying and keep trying my best possible while maintaining a positive attitude.

- My most important takeaway was our several discussions about using AI as a CS student. We went back and forth regarding the advantages and disadvantages of AI but one thing we both agreed on is that as a student, I should not rely on AI too much as I do not know the boundary between when the output of AI is actually helpful compared to when it is helpful. I should first and foremost learn the fundamentals and take the time to properly master them. Once I do that, then, I can utilize AI to be more efficient and complete mundane tasks. We also talked briefly about the ethical usage of AI and how it does not necessarily have human ingenuity but rather pieces together things from it's training data(gathered from human work), thus, not really creatively producing a work but rather just copying human works. All in all, the biggest takeaway was that AI can be good if used responsibly but as a student I should focus on learning the fundamentals first and foremost without too much reliance on AI.

Let's Talk Conference Recap & Tech Report 28 May 2025

Coming back from my exams, I decided to catch up on the number of meetings & conferences I missed during my final exam period. One of these was the Let's Talk - Conference Recap & Tech Report. During conference tech report, Bede's started it off with his usual warm welcome and dove into some update and reflections across the orgnaisation.  One of the standout moments for me was hearing from Sam Lloyd, who shared that there’s some exciting branch strategy work happening behind the scenes. What really struck me was that this isn’t just another rebranding exercise—it’s something specifically designed for the not-for-profit sector. Sam explained that they’re partnering with a well-regardes branding agency based in Melbourne, who have generously offered their help at little to no cost. It made me realise how rare it is to get access to high-quality expertise like this without a big price tag, and how it could have a lasting impact on how we communicate and position our work in the future. Additionally, I also learned how Infoxchange works and cooperates with corporate giants such as Google, Microsoft, Adobe, and Atlassian. I further learned how these companies and several others help fund and share their technology with Infoxchange for them to continue their NFP mission.

Lastly, what really resonated though, was Bede’s reflection on where the organizatin came from. I hadn’t fully appreciated that Infoxchange started with not a lot of real resources—just vision and passion. That mindset of "hustle" and doing a lot with a little still shapes the work today. 
 

Let's Talk Product Roadmap: The Future of Care - A Roadmap for Smarter, More Compassionate Case Management - Brendan James 24 June 2025

During Week 7 of my internship, I caught up on this particular webinar led by Brendan James, the product manager. He walked us through the product roadmap for Client and Case Management—focusing on making the system smarter and more compassionate. He covered some exciting updates including the upcoming file viewer, which will reduce the risk of downloading sensitive files to personal devices, and the data warehouse self-service, which is being piloted and allows services to build dashboards and access deeper reporting.

We also learned about future improvements around licensing and system integrations, app-based multi-factor authentication, and granular user permissions to support diverse roles like volunteers. Brendan emphasized the importance of ongoing technical maintenance and framework uprgrades(e.g., PHP) to ensure security, reliability, and scalability—even if it’s not the flashiest part of the roadmap.

What stood out most to me was how much user feedback and cross-team collaboration shapes the roadmap. Brendan encouraged everyone—regardless of role—to keep sharing insights, which reminded me that even as an intern or early-career team member, our input really matters.

Let's Talk: Data Catalyst Network : I2A projects - Kristen Moeller-Saxone 10 July 2025

During this talk, Kristen Moeller-Saxone spoke about initiatives designed to build data capability in small to medium-sized NFP organisations. The goal is to help these organisations better use their internal data to improve outcomes for the communities they serve.

She highlighted that while some data projects have already been completed, the team is aiming to work with around 20 to 30 more organisations over the next three years. At the moment, two organisations have been fully onboarded, with several more in early-stage discussions.

What stood out to me was the emphasis on long-term engagement and support, rather than just one-off consultations. Kristen also spoke about their “community of practice,” which runs monthly webinars open to any interested organisation. I found this particularly valuable—it seems like a great way to foster learning, collaboration, and a sense of shared growth around data skills, even for organisations that may not yet be part of a formal project.

Financial Wellbeing Webinar | CommBank Workplace Banking

Nathan from Commonwealth Bank (Commbank) introduced their Workplace Banking program aimed at improving employees' financial well-being. The program offers a range of benefits, including financial literacy resources, home loan support, and lifestyle discounts, to help employees manage their finances more effectively.

He emphasized that the service is available to all employees, even if they don’t bank with Commbank, and explained how to access these benefits through an online portal. The program also includes interactive webinars on topics like property buying, budgeting, and mastering money.

Lastly, Nathan encouraged everyone to register for upcoming webinars and use the portal for faster, more efficient support, bypassing traditional banking methods. He also mentioned that more features are being developed for the future to expand the program’s reach and services.

Data Catalyst Network (DCN): External Data, Internal Insights Introduction 25 July 2025

I joined the Data Catalyst Network July webinar, and it was honestly eye-opening. Kristen Moeller-Saxone kicked things off by welcoming everyone and talking about how important it is to connect data back to real communities. I liked how she explained that data isn’t just numbers in a spreadsheet — it’s about turning information into knowledge and making better decisions. It set a good tone for the session and made me think about the bigger picture behind the data I work with.

Joshua Edgar’s demo was the best part for me. He showed how to clean up messy spreadsheets, bring in external data, and use tools like AI and Excel’s Fuzzy Lookup to find useful insights. It made me realize that good data work isn’t just about technical skills — it’s about asking the right questions and thinking critically about the patterns we see. Kristen’s reminder about “spurious correlations” (like the weird link between margarine sales and divorce rates) stuck with me too. Just because numbers line up doesn’t mean they actually mean anything.

I also learned how important it is to have the right people on a team who understand data. There was even a discussion about hiring interns and students from degrees like IT, computer science, or data science — which made me feel like I’m in the right place as an intern. The whole session gave me a clearer view of what “data maturity” looks like, and I’m motivated to improve my own Excel and analysis skills. Can’t wait for the next webinar in August!

Digital Training Webinars
Volunteers and interns have access to the Connecting Up Digital Learning Platform, which offers live and recorded webinars, workshops, and webcons led by subject-matter experts on various technology topics relevant to the not-for-profit sector. Mahir selected, attended, summarized, and evaluated relevant training sessions to explore how they could enhance his internship experience:

  

Decisions With Data: Business Intelligence for your Organisation - Sam Headberry 

At the beginning of my Week 3, I decided to watch the webinar - Decision with Data: Business Intelligence for Your Organisation. This was a very insightful webinar where I learned how key decisions for the success of a company can be made with data specifically using business intelligence tools such as Power BI and how a data-driven decision-making environment starts with the senior management. My key takeaway from this webinar is that clear data visualizations and dashboard can provide a lot of meaningful insight to organizations/companies which in return help them to make decisions critical to the success of the said organization/companies. The insights from this webinar will be helpful for my internship as well as I start getting started with my own data analysis for my chosen community and I plan to apply the Power BI techniques and other additonal key data analysis features that I learned through this webinar.