Meet the 2026 Catalyst Open Source Scholarship interns

For Fyfa, the standout experience was following an issue from end to end. "Being able to go through that process, the full timeline from issue to resolution, was so valuable. I feel like I gained so much just from the short stint here."

Fyfa is entering her third year at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, studying computer science with a specialisation in cybersecurity and a minor in AI. Having completed a four-week overview internship in 2025, she returned in 2026 to go deeper into cybersecurity, spending her second internship focused entirely on Catalyst's Security team. "I came back with a little bit more knowledge and a little bit more understanding," she reflects. "It's been really amazing to come in with that little bit more perspective."

Harrison's biggest takeaway was about the people behind the work and what they had to teach him. "I learnt that there are lots of different roles, not just developers, that come together to build a project." But it was the conversations with experienced team-mates that left the strongest impression. "The people at Catalyst might be the best part of my internship. I had the amazing opportunity to meet people who have worked in tech for a long time, and that's where I gained heaps of industry knowledge."

He also got a close-up view of how open source communities function, how problems are solved, and how teams work together. After the internship, Harrison feels a lot more prepared heading into his third year of a data science degree at the Auckland University of Technology.