How Anastasia landed her AI-Driven Network Monitoring & Troubleshooting Intern role at Van Lanschot Kempen
Meet Anastasia, AI-Driven Network Monitoring & Troubleshooting Intern at Van Lanschot Kempen, where she's researching how AI agents can troubleshoot network failures. Her path there started with a spaghetti tower at a HerFuture in-house day and a last-minute goodbye to a VLK recruiter, who invited her to their Women in Tech event. That's where she found an internship combining her two big interests, AI and networks. It's a story about following your curiosity wherever it sparks.
How it all started
I moved to Amsterdam three years ago to study Computer Science at the Vrije Universiteit. I love tech, because it combines both my creativity and my logical thinking, and pushes me to approach problems in different ways. As I started envisioning a career in this field, I wanted to put myself out there and take advantage of networking opportunities: that's where HerFuture came in.
The magic moment
It was September, and HerFuture had organised an in-house day at the Van Lanschot Kempen offices. We got split into groups and had to build the tallest tower out of spaghetti (yes, really) to learn about agile working. Our tower collapsed in the end, but I still enjoyed it because we got to learn something while having fun. At the end of the evening, I went to say goodbye to Florencia, one of VLK's recruiters, and she mentioned to me that I should join their upcoming Women in Tech event.
Getting my foot in the door
At the next VLK event, I heard one of my now co-workers present an internship focused on AI agents in networking. That caught my attention because I am interested in both AI and computer networks, but I had never seen them combined before, especially in an internship. After the event, Florencia sent out a form where you could list the internships you were interested in along with your CV. They reviewed it, invited me for an interview, and it went well! That last-minute conversation at the end of a networking evening quite literally changed my path.
How HerFuture contributed to my path
Going to HerFuture events taught me something so simple, yet so important: how to talk to people in the field. Before, I'd walk into a networking event, feel nervous and overthink my words. But the more events I went to, the more I realised that these professionals are just people. If I can talk to them on the street, I can talk to them in a professional setting too. That shift in confidence made a real difference, especially in interviews.
Where I am now & what I do
Right now I'm deep in my internship at Van Lanschot Kempen, and my thesis is actually built around it, researching how AI agents can be integrated into network systems to troubleshoot failures in the most effective way. It's end-to-end work: research, implementation, evaluation, testing. The biggest thing I've taken away so far is understanding how things actually work in the real world: policies, existing systems, production environments. It's humbling and exciting at the same time.
My advice to women who want to land a career in tech
Be curious, and don't be afraid to ask questions, but make sure they're questions you actually care about. I used to overthink how I would come across, what I should ask, and how I could make the best impression. But the truth is, when you're genuinely interested in something, the questions just come. If you hear one word or one sentence at an event that sparks something in you, go find that person and ask them more about it. And if something doesn't truly excite you, even if it sounds impressive, don't force it. Find what actually brings you fulfillment, because that's when everything else falls into place.
Ready to start your journey?
Join the community and put yourself out there: your next big opportunity might just start at a HerFuture event. Sign up at app.herfuture.nl.
