To many students summer is a break from the eventful lives that they maintain throughout the school year. It is a time to relax and enjoy a tranquil two months away from the study sessions and late night coffee.
But we have learned that a summer has the potential to be so much more than a pause in an education. Santee Cooper provides the students of South Carolina with the opportunity to continue their education, while building their resume for the future. The 2012 Environmental Interns have been given the chance to learn about the many departments that make up such a large company and see how they interact to run a business of such magnitude.
With a group of students who range from the large universities of Clemson and South Carolina to those who attend Presbyterian and Newberry, the diversity can be hefty, but the one thing we have in common is the desire to understand more about the power industry.
While we may only spend 10 short weeks with Santee Cooper, the amount of information we take in is truly astronomical. Aside from the generation the company is known for, Santee Cooper allows the interns to cover a vast array of fields over the summer.
Interns move from fields such as Renewable Energy, where research must be done to move toward a more green state, and Right of Way, where the transmission and distribution lines must be maintained around the state.
While we could not go to all of the different rotations, all of the interns were introduced to the fields that are covered by Santee Cooper. We had the opportunity to take a two week sneak peak into the routine of many different areas and into the fields that we may soon call home.
Throughout my short time here I have been able to see how those in Vector Management work diligently to provide a hospitable environment around the Santee Cooper lakes, so everyone can enjoy their time near the water without having to worry about mosquitos ruining a calming day. I’ve also seen how the employees of Property Management preserve the land Santee Cooper owns, so it can be used for a variety of projects.
So, whether it’s catching mosquitoes in CDC or New Jersey Light Traps and sorting them by their species, or surveying the property that Santee Cooper owns for threatened species, the citizens of South Carolina and employees of Santee Cooper can rest assured that the Environmental Internship Program is doing a great job in educating the students of the state in how a large company can provide affordable, reliable power for everyone while also doing so much more.
The jobs that we complete throughout the summer will undoubtedly help the citizens of South Carolina and Santee Cooper for many years, but the experiences that we take in are what will last a lifetime.
