Discover, Experiment, and Grow: Leonardo’s Journey at team.it

Leonardo, introduce yourself to the team.it community. What led you to pursue Computer Engineering?
My name is Leonardo Zacarias, and I’m studying Computer Engineering at IPS - ESTS. From an early age, I was curious to understand how computers work. Although I initially chose the Sciences and Technologies course in high school, I quickly realized that what I truly wanted was to be part of the digital world.
The idea that there are endless possibilities and the ability to create solutions that make people’s lives easier still fascinates me today.

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You’re studying at IPS – ESTS. How has your academic experience been so far, and how do you feel it has prepared you for an internship in this field?
My experience at IPS has been very positive. The course has a strong practical component, which has allowed me to apply theoretical concepts to real projects almost from the start.
Throughout the program, I’ve worked with several technologies, which helped me realize that, more than mastering a specific programming language, what really matters is understanding the logic behind it. That logical foundation allows me to adapt to any technology and solve problems efficiently — something that proved essential during my internship, where I worked with technologies I hadn’t explored much before.

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What excites you the most about the world of technology? Is there an area or topic that has always sparked your curiosity?
What excites me most about technology is its huge potential for growth. Every day brings new ideas, tools, and ways to innovate — and knowing that there’s still so much to discover motivates me even more to be part of this world.
I have a special interest in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, as they are constantly evolving fields. It’s an area that truly captivates me and keeps me eager to keep learning.

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During your internship, you worked with technologies like Python, React, and even Hugging Face. What was it like diving into that tech stack?
It was a very interesting experience. Each technology brought its own kind of challenge — Python stood out for its versatility, React for its front-end dynamics, and Hugging Face for representing the AI field, with its countless pre-trained models.
At first, it was quite an intense dive, but over time I adapted and managed to overcome each challenge.

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How was your internship structured? Can you tell us a bit about the project phases you were involved in?
The internship was divided into several phases, and since I was developing the project on my own (with my supervisor’s guidance), I was involved in all of them.
The first week was dedicated to research, learning the technologies, and planning the project.
After that, I moved on to the analysis and selection of pre-trained models, evaluating which ones delivered the best results according to the defined objectives.
Later, I focused on implementing and developing multimodal fusion between models, creating an artificial personality, and integrating LLMs (Large Language Models) to complement specific parts of the system.

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Hugging Face is quite an innovative tool in the world of AI. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
I had never worked with Hugging Face before, so starting my internship with this component was quite a challenge. Trying to understand what pre-trained models were and how to implement them in real projects required a lot of research and experimentation.
Over time, I began to understand how it worked and realized it wasn’t as complex as I initially thought. One of the biggest challenges was dealing with the huge variety of available models — choosing the most suitable one for the project’s objectives wasn’t always simple and remains a demanding task.
Despite that, I now feel much more comfortable with the tool and confident that I could execute parts of the project faster and more efficiently than before.

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Did you feel you had the autonomy to explore and learn? How was the support from the team throughout the process?
Yes, I felt a lot of autonomy during the internship. At the same time, I always had the support of my supervisor, who was available to answer questions or discuss ideas. It was a very collaborative environment, which was essential — especially since I was developing the project on my own and it was my first real hands-on experience in the field.

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What were the most valuable lessons you took from this experience? Were there any technical or soft skills you developed in particular?
During this experience, I learned a lot about different areas of development — but also about myself and the aspects I need to improve, such as time management in a real project.
Another key learning was communication. Throughout the course, we often talk about its importance, but in a real-world context, you truly understand how essential it is. Keeping a project organized and maintaining clear ideas requires strong communication skills, and this experience helped me grow a lot in that area.

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Now that your internship has ended, how do you see your professional future?
This internship confirmed that, even though it can be challenging, I want to pursue a career in software development and artificial intelligence. I want to keep learning, exploring new technologies, and contributing to projects that have a real impact.

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If you could leave a message for someone who’s just starting their degree or thinking about interning at moOngy Labs / team.it, what would you say?
Take every opportunity to learn, experiment, and keep an open mind to all possibilities. An internship is the perfect time to make mistakes, test, and grow.
At moOngy Labs / team.it, I found a welcoming environment with people who are always ready to help.
Don’t worry too much about the future — focus on learning and developing yourself, and everything else will naturally fall into place.

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