A final-year Computer Science student at University of Technology, Jamaica is being recognized internationally after securing a coveted spot in a competitive artificial intelligence and technology internship program in Japan.
Areeba Zafar was selected in the November 2025 cohort of the “Internships in Japan for AI and Tech” program, organized by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and managed by Pasona. She was the only Jamaican selected and the sole female representative from the Latin America and Caribbean region.
More than 14,000 people applied globally for the fully funded 1.5-month internship, including 5,231 applicants from Latin America and the Caribbean. Only 50 candidates were chosen.
Zafar also earned distinction in the program’s IT contest, ranking in the S-Rank category — placing her among the top 0.4 percent of contestants worldwide. Her performance led to her selection as the representative speaker for all 50 interns during the official award ceremony.
Her achievements have since been highlighted in a case study on the program’s official website.
A graduate of St. Andrew High School for Girls, Zafar demonstrated academic excellence early, placing second in both Information Technology and Electronic Document Preparation and Management in the 2022 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations.
During her internship in Japan, she worked at Value Solutions Co., Ltd., contributing to several technology projects tied to the company’s NONFreeze product line.
“My main deliverable was the NONFreeze Verification Tool, a C# WPF desktop application performing real-time network health checks via ICMP ping sweeps and TCP port monitoring to verify device availability across endpoints,” Zafar explained.
She also developed a companion scanner application and a configuration automation tool aimed at reducing manual deployment work and configuration inconsistencies.
In addition, Zafar built a bilingual inventory management system in English and Japanese using PHP, MySQL, and Bootstrap; worked on firmware development using C and FreeRTOS; and translated technical manuals and website content from Japanese to English.
Beyond the technical experience, Zafar described her time in Japan as personally enriching. She said the company made accommodations for her as a practicing Muslim, including halal meals and prayer breaks, while also organizing cultural activities such as visits to Mount Fuji and Akihabara, where team members wore traditional kimonos.
“The thoughtfulness and respect they showed me as a Jamaican and as a Muslim is something I’ll carry with me for a long time,” she said.
Zafar recently completed an internship with EY Jamaica as a cybersecurity intern in technology consulting, a role she temporarily paused to participate in the Japan program.
With graduation approaching, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in cyber or digital forensics while continuing her career in technology.
Her success is now being highlighted as an example for other Jamaican students, particularly young women interested in technology, to pursue opportunities in international STEM programs.
