Words from West Ambassador Interns

The West Ambassador Internship Program is a 10-week program that provides college students with meaningful, practical, real-word experience and the opportunity to learn from and work alongside industry experts.

My internship at West thus far has been exciting, challenging, fun and, most importantly, shed some light as to why I worked so hard to obtain an engineering degree. I have realized that this excellent opportunity has given me the experience and advantages I will need to enter the ‘real world.’ As an intern, you see, listen, gain an understanding of and experience what any entry-level engineer would be required to do. Knowing and understanding how to write engineering studies and protocols is extremely important for success. Staying organized and scheduling projects allows you to stay on track and achieve goals in the short 10 weeks of the internship.

As an engineer, there will be times when juggling different projects will occur. This summer I have two projects I am assigned to, with other smaller projects as well. Being able to multitask and keep the structure of the projects is necessary. As an intern, I learn from my supervisor how to handle several projects at once. West encourages strategy to break down a project before it has even begun, making a schedule and following it to keep things orderly and delivered on time. I will continue to use these skills in my professional career, and I truly value the added tactics of my internship.

Coming from college life to a professional organization takes a lot of determination. It is so hard to understand a career from textbooks and theories; however, overcoming these challenges in the beginning has allowed me to grow in such a short amount of time and gain an understanding of what I see in my future career. It takes understanding, a strong work ethic and adaption to a new environment to comprehend and foresee my future career in engineering. I believe West has shown me this and has significantly helped me feel successful in the transition of a future engineer!