Paulina Tosi
2026 Saltire Scholar
Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Intern, Network Rail
Business and Management, University of Glasgow
When I started my 10-week summer internship at Network Rail, I knew I was going to learn a lot. What I didn’t expect was how much I would learn about myself. I’m a final year student in the University of Glasgow (Business and management).
Joining the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) team gave me the opportunity to experience a professional environment where safety, accountability and continuous improvement are at the heart of everything. My main project focused on a governance panel that formed part of the closure process for investigations. At first, the project felt like a significant responsibility, particularly as I was still learning how a large organisation like Network Rail operates.
As the weeks went by, however, I started to understand not only the purpose of my project, but also the wider impact that good governance can have. I gained a better understanding of how investigations are managed, how decisions are reviewed, and how different teams work together to ensure lessons are learned and actions are followed through.
But for me, the most valuable part of the internship happened outside of my main project.
One of the biggest challenges I set myself was to become more confident in speaking to people I wouldn’t normally approach.
I decided that I didn't want to spend my internship only learning about my own team. I wanted to understand the bigger picture, the different departments, career paths and opportunities within Network Rail.
So, I started setting up meetings with directors and senior leaders across the organisation.
For someone who wasn't always comfortable putting themselves out there, reaching out to senior people and asking for their time was definitely outside my comfort zone. There was always that initial thought of, “Will they actually want to speak to me?” or “What am I going to ask?”
But I quickly realised that the worst thing that could happen was simply receiving a “no”.
The conversations I had were some of the highlights of my internship. I had the opportunity to hear about different people's career journeys, the challenges they had faced, the decisions that shaped their careers, and the lessons they had learned along the way.
What stood out to me most was that there wasn't one single route to success.
💡Everyone had a different story!
Some people had planned their careers from the beginning, while others had taken opportunities as they came. Some had moved between departments, changed direction or taken on roles they never originally imagined themselves doing.
Before my internship, I had a much narrower understanding of what a career within a large organisation could look like.
Meeting people from different departments showed me just how many different paths exist. It encouraged me to look beyond what I already knew and become more curious about areas I had never considered before.
The conversations weren't just about job titles or career progression. They were about people.
I heard stories about failures, challenges, opportunities and moments where people had taken a chance on themselves. Those conversations reminded me that careers are rarely a straight line, and that you don't necessarily need to have everything figured out at the beginning.
Looking back, one of the biggest things I gained from these 10 weeks was confidence.
Not just confidence in my ability to complete my project, but confidence in my ability to walk into a room, introduce myself, ask questions and have conversations with people who had much more experience than me.
I learned that being an intern doesn't mean you have nothing to contribute. It means you are in a unique position to ask questions, learn from others and challenge yourself to experience things you haven't done before.
Every meeting I arranged, every question I asked and every new person I spoke to pushed me a little further outside my comfort zone.
My 10 weeks at Network Rail have given me more than professional experience. They have given me a better understanding of the importance of curiosity, networking and putting yourself forward.
I joined the HSE team with a project to complete. I’m leaving with a broader understanding of how a large organisation works, a greater appreciation for the people behind it, and, most importantly, more confidence in myself.
If there is one lesson I will take away from this experience, it is that opportunities don't always come to you,sometimes you have to create them yourself.
For me, that meant sending the message, arranging the meeting and having the courage to ask someone about their career.
Those conversations may have only lasted an hour, but the impact they had on me will last much longer.
I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to speak with me, share their experiences and encourage me during my internship.
Ten weeks went by quickly, but they have left me with something I didn't expect when I first arrived: the confidence to step outside my comfort zone and the curiosity to see where it can take me next.
