McGill’s Hickory Office Welcomes Summer Engineering Internships
June 30, 2021
McGill has a long history of mentoring young engineers from interns to project managers. This summer, we welcome two college students to the Hickory office as engineering interns. Our interns will be working as part of our water and wastewater team. Lillie Williams attends North Carolina State University and tutors students in math in her spare time. Nathan Treadway joins us from Emory & Henry College, where he studies physics and plays baseball for the university. Please join us in welcoming Lillie and Nathan to our team!
Why are Internships Important for Engineering Students?
One of the most common issues young graduates face when applying for an engineering position is work experience. Internships provide students the opportunity to explore the engineering field early in their studies to better identify the areas of specialty that may be a good fit. McGill offers interns the opportunity to acquire industry and hands-on experience. We asked our 2021 summer interns in the Hickory office, Lillie Williams and Nathan Treadway, to share their reasons for choosing McGill and their initial thoughts on the internship experience.
A Q & A with Lillie and Nathan
Q: Why did you want to intern at McGill this summer?
Lillie: McGill has a wide range of services and opportunities to offer in the field of engineering. As a first-year engineering student at NC State, completing my first year of college under COVID restrictions limited my ability to fully understand my chosen field. Interning at McGill has given me the opportunity to see engineering in action and the depth of what McGill has to offer in the way of services and professional career opportunities. First hand experience has given me an opportunity to test the waters in the field of engineering.
Nathan: My major is in physics with a minor in math and engineering science, and I plan to continue my education and obtain a master’s degree. I thought this internship would help me get some personal experience in what I see myself doing for my future career. This opportunity is a great resume builder and I ultimately saw this as a chance that I couldn’t, nor wanted to, pass on.
Q: How do you think this internship will apply to school or future work?
Lillie: From day one of my internship, I have been immersed in the skills and language of engineering. Many of the things I have already learned and been exposed to are things that I have yet to learn in the classroom setting. Being able to learn how to use programs, such as AutoCAD, and having the opportunity to apply those skills to projects has been very rewarding. Additionally, having the opportunity to engage and interact in a professional setting has given me the opportunity to develop a wide range of communication skills that will be helpful to me in the field.
Nathan: This internship will allow me to relate the knowledge I gain in school back to real-life experiences and allow me to see how all the information connects with one another. Being a visual learner myself, I will be able to apply what I’m learning at McGill back into the classroom, which will be immensely helpful as I continue to advance in my studies. This will also help me as I begin my professional career because I will have some of the basic knowledge in knowing what it takes and what the engineering field is genuinely like. Similar to sports, practice makes perfect, and this internship is a great way to practice the tasks that I will have to perform on a day-to-day basis in the future. My main focus while at McGill will be to learn as much as possible and obtain a more complete understanding of what it takes to not only be a great engineer in general, but a well-rounded McGill engineer.
Q: What’s something that you look forward to working on during your internship?
Lillie: As I continue my internship, I am looking forward to seeing the breadth of projects and how all aspects of a project fit together to produce a final product. In my brief time at McGill, I have already been surrounded by mentors who truly love their work and want to share what they love to do each day. I am excited to continue working with these exceptional professionals and learning from each of them. One thing I particularly admire about McGill is their investment in communities and the people they serve. I am looking forward to continuing to witness these interactions and build tangible skills that will assist me in my future career.
Nathan: I look forward to working on various projects to get a glimpse into the everyday life of an engineer. From project designs and calculations to client meetings and drafting reports, all the way down to making presentations for potential clients; I am looking forward to seeing what it takes to excel in this field of work. I am interested in any and every aspect of this profession and am looking forward to every bit of it.
We are excited to have Nathan and Lillie on our team this summer. Internships allow students the opportunity to explore their passions and for McGill staff to have the opportunity to work with some amazing people. Along with being great students, we’ve found that Lillie sings in the choir and Nathan loves a good game of golf or the chance to go fishing. We look forward to working with them and watching their skills and talents shine.
Obtaining Engineering Internships at McGill
McGill provides opportunities for students like Lillie and Nathan to intern at McGill each year. McGill posts opportunities for internships in the spring of each year but may entertain hosting interns at any time of year. If you are interested in interning at McGill, check out our job postings regularly or contact us at recruiting@mcgillassociates.com to express your interest.