Internships offer students a chance to sharpen their skills and learn more about themselves.
Senior Ben Byrd, junior Elise Boutell and junior Olivia Otto applied their talents to experiences they will never forget.
Byrd’s fascination with airplanes led him to intern for Boeing, a major aerospace company in Seattle, WA. Prior to Boeing, he worked at a smaller company to expand his knowledge and chose to further his skills through Boeing.
Boeing specializes in manufacturing planes, military jets, space satellites and rockets. Companies like NASA and UPS frequently use their products.
“Throughout the summer, I got to dive into some real work and have very meaningful projects that led to this great learning curve,” said Byrd.
One of Byrd’s projects included the opportunity to work on a developmental plane. A developmental plane has not been invented yet, so as it is designed, there needs to be qualifications to make sure it is safe. Byrd participated by coming up with a management system that shows the supply chain team their goals and performance.
Byrd learned what it meant to be a full-time employee and understand the aerospace industry. Ultimately, his interest in planes deepened, allowing him to find clarity for what he plans to do post-college.
As Byrd created projects and toured factories, he applied his faith in a big corporate company by being an encouragement to the team.
God’s light shines through the gifts he gave no matter what the vocation is.
Boutell’s desire for showing God’s love through writing inspired her to intern at David C Cook, a nonprofit publishing organization in Colorado Springs, CO by editing material for them.
David C Cook had a lot of titles Boutell enjoyed, such as Until Unity by Francis Chan. She took the opportunity to be involved with publishers that helped influence her view on Christianity and would love to work with them again by the way the team poured into her and the people they served.
Originally, she intended to see how publishing operated firsthand and gained insight into a wide range of editing styles.
“It was a lot of super helpful things, tons of digging into different stages of the editing process from acquisitions, to developmental editing, to copy editing to proofing,” Boutell said.
One of her tasks at David C Cook consisted of ghostwriting a YouVersion plan. Through that process, she picked up the language and themes the author focused on.
Some of her favorite assignments included working on the manuscript for Beholding by Strahan Coleman and looking over a series called Clever Cubs for children.
“I have seen my confidence and independence as an editor grow, and also the way I approach editing,” Boutell said.
Collaborating with editors and authors not only helped her grow relationships but confirmed her vocation as an editor.
Relationships are valuable for any internship or job regardless of the required skill set.
Otto’s time with the African Freedom Mission showed her God’s faithfulness by immersing herself in the communities of Zambia.
After training with the organization in Zimbabwe, she traveled to Lusaka, ZM with Footprints to love on children and be a witness.
She would often have hard conversations, both with her team members and the community, that showed her a different side to speaking truth in love.
Otto’s internship with African Freedom Missions revealed her calling to the mission field, but ultimately showed her that her true identity is in Christ.
“The same God that I served in Africa who encountered countless people is the same God we serve here in Upland, Indiana,” Otto said.
Students gain valuable experience from internships that can impact others for the glory of God.
