Students suit up for summer career development

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Students suit up for summer career development

06/28/2024

With an eye on fostering innovation, driving growth and nurturing a robust talent pipeline, Entergy recently welcomed 92 students from across our service territory to our annual summer intern orientation, which took place June 13-14 at the JW Marriott in New Orleans.

During his welcome message, Chair and CEO Drew Marsh focused on our growth opportunities and outlook for a better future. Marsh encouraged interns to take ownership of their career paths by committing to their time at Entergy and using this experience to grow their talents.

For the second consecutive year, Calvin Mackie, founder of STEM NOLA, was a featured guest speaker. In addition to emphasizing the importance of real-world experience and critical networking connections, he encouraged interns to use every opportunity to invest in themselves, develop their skills and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. "Never forget: Be present and know, teachability is more important than availability!" Mackie said.

During a session with former interns who are now Entergy employees, Jonathan Cheeks, engineer, and Michelle Bourg, vice president, customer service, shared insights and advice. Cheeks advised interns to get involved and share personal perspectives, while Bourg highlighted the importance of diverse backgrounds and the vast opportunities within the company to move both laterally and upward to gain experience.

Interns also completed an action learning session designed to foster collaboration and design-thinking. Divided into 18 multi-disciplinary teams, students were charged with creating a Rube Golberg machine tied to financial forecasting and procurement. (Rube Goldberg machines are chain reaction-type contraptions intentionally designed to perform a simple task in an indirect and overly complicated way.) The collaboration allowed interns to explore a variety of concepts, including basic physics, design and cause and effect.

"Never forget: Be present and know, teachability is more important than availability!"

- Calvin Mackie, founder of STEM NOLA

Other orientation activities included a dinner and team-bulilding at Fulton Alley, as well as a volunteer event in partnership with HandsOn New Orleans to pack 400 hurricane preparedness bags and 1,500 laundry kits.

The Entergy Intern Program provides students and recent graduates with an opportunity to jump start their careers and maximize their work experience while creating a pathway for possible full-time employment. This pipeline for entry-level talent has produced more than 550 full-time Entergy employees in the past five years.

Our workforce development team engages with multiple disciplines and levels at schools with diverse populations to recruit top talent. Opportunities range from internships to co-ops for students and full-time for recent graduates. Learn more about student and early career opportunities at Entergy.