Internships Promote Success after Principia
Students gained professional experience and boosted their résumés working as interns in a variety of fields this summer. For example, senior David McLeod-Warrick interned at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, where he collaborated with engineers, research scientists, and interns from across the country to map wildfires using remote sensing technology. “It was an incredible learning opportunity to get hands-on experience using NASA’s combination of aircraft, sensors, and computer systems,” says David, a physics major. “Our team collected air samples and measured atmospheric gases while on an aircraft hovering just 1,000 feet above the earth’s surface.”
Also interning at NASA, senior Paige Cooley worked on the Mars 2020 Flight Systems System Engineering Team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The rover aboard the spacecraft will conduct geological assessments of its landing site on Mars, determine the habitability of the environment, and search for signs of ancient Martian life, among other tasks during its mission. Paige, a mechanical engineering major with aspirations to work in the aerospace industry, describes her role on the team preparing for the launch: “I worked alongside engineers to develop, test, and execute procedures that will meet the requirements of the verification and validation effort for actuators and motor control and for spacecraft modes and configuration.”
While most students interned in the United States, some traveled overseas. For example, senior Grant Lee, an English major, interned at the Wordsworth Trust in England, conducting research and giving educational tours of Dove Cottage, where William Wordsworth lived. Meanwhile, senior Jacky Ebelabena, a business administration and French double major, translated documents and helped the minister of basic education write speeches during an internship at UNESCO in her home country of Cameroon.
Over the course of their internships, students made valuable career contacts, gathered information about graduate school, discovered the value they add to the workplace—and got noticed. For example, senior Chris Hronek, a computer science major, worked as a technical research intern at ManTech Corporation, honing his programming skills in the booming area of cybersecurity. At the conclusion of the internship, Chris’s manager offered him a full-time job upon graduating in May.
Many interns received financial support from Principia to help cover the cost of transportation and/or room and board. “Finances shouldn’t stop students from pursuing these opportunities, and since 2015 Principia has provided stipend funds,” says Jim Hegarty, director of academic special programs. “We were very grateful to receive additional funding to support internships from the 50th Reunioners [College Classes of 1968 and 1969] this summer. Their gift will enable us to help more students gain professional experience.”
Learn more about students’ 2018 summer internships.