Experience can be impactful - especially as a student. While classes provide a foundation for basic principles, experiencing hands-on learning can sharpen knowledge of real-world skill. This summer, Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) welcomed a group of four interns, each from Purdue University's West Lafayette campus, to learn more about a future career in the utility profession.

From late May through early August, I&M's interns will gain experience they might not get in a class. During this time, the group will go on field visits and contribute to various projects, helping to better define what exactly their future aspirations may be. 

"It is important that we give these individuals a feel of what working at a large company looks like, what the culture feels like and how to interact with fellow employees in the professional environment," said Kirk Eisert, Region Support Engineering manager. "Whether these bright young engineers would eventually want to come to work for I&M is less important than helping with their education and experience outside of the classroom."

Matthew Santos-Barrera

Matt is an incoming Junior at Purdue University, majoring in electrical engineering technology. Through his education at Purdue and internship experience at I&M, he is pursuing a career that positively impacts the environment and a wide range of people through skills I have learned. At Purdue, he is a member of Alpha Phi Omega Service Organization, Emerging Leaders Scholars and field hockey club.  

"Through my internship at I&M, I hope to bring both technical and professional skills that I have learned from my time at Purdue and be able to refine them through real-world experiences where my work can have an impact," said Santos-Barrera. "I also hope to gain the opportunity to take part in projects that I haven't been introduced to and get out of my comfort zone." 

Elorm Klukpui

Elorm is an incoming sophomore at Purdue University, with aspirations to become an embedded systems engineer. He is a member of IEEE Purdue and Autonomous Motorsports with certifications in Programming C+++ and Programming Arduino.

Luis Yado

An incoming senior at Purdue, Luis is pursuing a career in electrical engineering with a concentration in electrical power and energy systems/microelectronics and semiconductors. His additional experience includes being a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Society.

“I decided to pursue an internship with I&M after taking an interest in Power Electronics through my different coursework, and after speaking to a recruiter at an internship fair, I knew I&M was the right fit for me,” said Yado. “The company’s culture and reputation gave me confidence that this opportunity would teach me much and open further opportunities in my future.”

Ralph Schade

Ralph will begin his junior year at Purdue this fall, pursuing a future career as an electrical engineer at a power utility company. He is a member of Purdue IEEE Racing.

"What I hope to gain is a greater understanding of the power and energy field, as well as experience to pair with that knowledge," said Schade. "I wanted to get more real-world experience and see the application of the material that I have been and will continue to study. I have loved being able to do field visits, which have been more than I expected. I can definitely see myself pursuing a career in the field."