Amy Hughes, a computer engineering senior at Texas A&M, is one of the four pioneer interns who recently accepted full-time job offers at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
Lockheed Martin is a major worldwide aerospace company involved in the development and manufacturing of advanced technology systems, products and services. Four years ago, a partnership was created between Lockheed Martin, Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and the Arlington Independent School District, providing high school students with engineering internship opportunities and engaging these students in real-life educational and hands-on experiences.
The internship program has since expanded to other school districts including Fort Worth, Crowley and Keller. Hughes is among the five pioneer high school students who have interned with Lockheed Martin every summer since 2014.
“Every year, they rate your performance and if you do well, they ask you back,” Hughes said. “The plan for us from high school seniors was to keep us every single year and come back every summer for internships. So they signed us full-time offers on July 23 and now I’m in my senior year and when I graduate, I get to work for them.”
Ami Motsenbocker, the director of partnerships at PLTW said she is excited about the success of their programs and would describe the internship program as a million-dollar opportunity.
“Imagine knowing as a high school senior that your internship with Lockheed Martin will lead to potential employment with this great company,” Motsenbocker said. “It’s common for college students to seek these opportunities, but it’s even more unique for it to begin in high school. ”
Engineering freshman Jackson Pollard just completed his first internship experience at Lockheed Martin and has been asked to return for a second internship next summer. He said he is excited about the offer and aspires to take up an engineering position with Lockheed Martin when he’s done with school.
“I learned a ton this summer and can’t wait to apply what I learned in class,” Pollard said.
All four of the high school students in the first internship program class were offered varying engineering positions. Abdallah Shishani, a senior at the University of Texas at Arlington will be working as an aeronautical engineer in Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Program, Skunk Works, in Palmdale, California.
“I’m excited because it’s like a dream come true,” Shishani said.
The signing event was held at Lockheed’s Aeronautics Vision Center in Fort Worth, Texas, with cheers from current interns, employees, friends and family.
“I really felt like a rock star,” Hughes said. “It was great, they called us up on stage. It was a big deal. What was even cooler was my parents got to be a part of the event.”
Internships can help students apply in-class knowledge to understand and solve real-world experiences. Amy said she is passionate about her experiences because she knows she could transfer them to her classwork.
“A&M classes have definitely provided me with what I need to succeed at Lockheed Martin,” Hughes said. “ it’s getting to see what I learned in school in real life and what I see in real life to apply in school, and it made learning more interesting.”
Hughes said she has mixed feelings about leaving College Station and the Aggie family when she graduates next May, but is glad there is still an Aggie family in Fort Worth.
“Lockheed Martin is like home,” Hughes said. “It is nice to be surrounded by Aggies at work. The culture at A&M is very much like that of Lockheed Martin, as everyone takes great pride in what they do.”
For more information about the PLTW programs and Lockheed Martin High School Internship Program, visit https://www.pltw.org and https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/index.html