The power of interns

I recently hosted a #microinternship with a talented journalism major at Florida A&M. Carianne's project was to speak to a handful of previous interns and create an article that could be helpful to other students seeking internships. Empowering interns to gain experience and show what they can do is magical. With her permission, her article follows.

Taking Flight with GE Aerospace

By Cariane Geffrard

When someone asks, “What does an engineer do?” blank faces speak louder than silence. Oxford Languages says that engineering is “the branch of science and technology concerned with the design, building, and use of engines, machines, and structures.” However, that definition fails to describe the full perspective of what it means to be an engineer. Although a considerable portion of engineering deals with designing and building structures, engineering is much more than that. At GE Aviation (now GE Aerospace), the true spirit of engineering is allowed to shine. Based in Evendale, Ohio, with over forty facilities in the United States alone, GE Aerospace is a global leader in aviation technology because they combine the innovation of the future generation with the wisdom of the previous.

GE has been in the business of “firsts”, becoming the first to develop jet engines and the first to provide engines for faster commercial flights. GE’s history of powering the world’s aircraft features more than 100 years of innovation and they still are making history with their plans to expand beyond the skies by 2024. GE Aerospace employees believe in their purpose, “We invent the future of flight, lift people up and bring them home safely”. How do they do this? They emphasize integrity and set the standard with three leadership behaviors: act with humility, lead with transparency, and deliver with focus. They also develop people for the success of everyone at the company, from interns to supportive career development staff to accolade-loaded leaders. Everyone at GE is more than an employee – they are the nuts and bolts holding the company afloat.

With that said, GE Aerospace asks you an important question: where do you fit in this grand design? Admittedly, this is a bold question that a young, future engineer like yourself may be unable to answer at such a formative time of your career. However, you’re not alone. I’ve asked five former interns what their experience consisted of so that you can learn what it means to take flight at GE Aerospace!

Michael Lambert

Michael Lambert, a mechanical engineering student minoring in aerospace from the University of Dayton, started his journey at GE Aerospace in the fall of 2022. He was encouraged to engage in cooperative education opportunities, or co-ops -- and combined with Michael’s love for planes -- a walk through the University of Dayton’s career fair led to an interview at GE Aerospace that fully blossomed into a fall co-op position.

Michael described to me that while his day-to-day life was mostly repeating tasks to learn necessary skills, his experience was still dynamic because of the awe-inspiring work he became a part of and the supportive community at GE Aerospace.????

Michael had a design role that played a key part in helping to redesign a pivotal part in the LEAP engine. “This project was something that I personally thought was awesome because it connected my work to the shop who manufactures the part, and to the shop who assembles the engine. This ultimately goes to our customer like Airbus or Boeing who received the end product. It taught me what real engineering can look like, all of a sudden, you’re applying theory that you learned two years ago sitting in a class and realizing how important it actually is.”

Furthermore, as a Hispanic student, Michael described how unexpected it was to find a community that was so inclusive – a trait that aided in making his experience feel unique. He joined GE’s Hispanic Forum, a network established to attract and promote Hispanic talent and culture. “One day they had a potluck, and the CEO, Larry Culp, stopped by which was extremely cool. We were all able to share the culture and great food. They had events that regularly got people together to engage and share their culture, and I really, really liked that”.

Julia Lopez

As a chemical engineering student looking to segue into aerospace, Julia Lopez took a leap of faith applying to GE’s supply chain co-op in the fall of 2022. “I was so unsure of what the next steps would be,” Julia said. “I saw the co-op as an opportunity to learn and it worked out well for me.”

?In one of Lopez’s ongoing projects, she had to process scrapped hardware that was taking up crucial space on the Durham facility floor; the cost to the company was about $3.3 million and 1200 feet of floor space. The project took lots of manual labor and cooperative skills with upper management and employees on the floor, with Julia completing it just before the end of her internship. The magnitude of her time there will never be forgotten. “It was really kind of mind-blowing that these people that I worked with and spoke to regularly helped to build engines. My mom now texts me every time she’s on an airplane and asks me what engine is on the plane.”

Julia Lopez also participated in the Hispanic Forum, as well as the Veterans’ Network and the Intern Onboarding Committee. “I contacted interns across different sites, and we worked together to create a PowerPoint for the locations that we were at that broke down intern life. Details like ‘Hey, this is what the plant looks like,’ ‘This is a day in the life for you.’ ‘These are the people that you’re going to talk to,’” Lopez explains. So, these materials could help the next incoming intern who’s there at the site right now, … I wanted to make this so that the interns would feel more accepted and ready to start their internship.”

Jaydon Kaufhold

Jaydon Kaufhold is a fourth-year engineering student at the University of Cincinnati. He completed his first co-op rotation during the fall semester of 2022 as a Facilities intern in Lafayette, Indiana. Growing up, Kaufhold knew of GE’s reputation and always respected the company; when he was chosen for his co-op, GE provided housing stipends, relocation assistance and even travel reimbursements for the commute to ensure that there were no barriers to his success.

Kaufhold saw real-time changes to the facility during his time working at Lafayette. In one project, he was responsible for coordinating with the workstation owners of the facility to have a 100-foot crane installed.

Kaufhold also expressed his love for the organization of GE’s co-op community. Kaufhold was a volunteer chair on the Professional Development Committee, an organization tailored by interns to enhance the intern experience. “I was focused on everyone; while planning events in Cincinnati for those located in the Cincinnati area, I also created virtual events like a Transcribe-a-Thon with the Nashville Smithsonian Museum. GE Aerospace’s co-op experience allowed for everyone to meet each other; it felt like every intern was included, while also having the ability to make connections even when you’re outside of the Cincinnati area.”

DeAnte Gray

DeAnte Gray is a third-year mechanical engineering student from Cincinnati, Ohio, currently attending the University of Louisville and has completed two internships at GE Aerospace. Besides his academic record, Gray is the president-elect of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at the University of Louisville and a part of the National Society of Black Engineers. Yet with this impressive resume, Gray, a self-described perfectionist, was pleasantly surprised when he was selected for his first internship as an Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) intern based in Jacksonville, Florida during the spring of 2022.

In both of DeAnte’s experiences with GE Aerospace, building his people skills were at the forefront. He had to learn how to be persistent with requests and how to balance priorities. DeAnte explained how in each of his experiences, his manager made every day fun and lively.

“In my first role in EHS, it was a lot of regulation. I know that might scare people off, like the paperwork of it, but I really did enjoy being on the shop floor, talking to the operators, getting to understand them better, knowing what their needs are, what their capabilities are, etc.” Gray said. “One thing my manager said to me is that EHS has everyone's best interests in mind, whether that be the environment or the operators.”

Gray will return to GE Aerospace for a third rotation this upcoming summer and he believes that his time at the company has taught him about engineering and life. The budding inclusive environment that GE builds is one of the reasons why he continues to choose GE; they build a community that comes together to break down intimidating barriers. With an environment like that, DeAnte’s advice is to be as authentic as possible, every step of the way.

“I think that communicating is probably the most important aspect of working at a company, especially GE, so if you can, develop those communication skills. Speak up, be confident in meetings, ask questions, etc., but also be honest about what you know, what you don't know, and where you're at because they want to help you succeed.”

Gary Neal Jr.

Gary Neal Jr. is a junior mechanical engineering student at Wright State University. In addition to being the President of the Black Student Union and the National Society of Black Engineers, Neal is a Big Brother for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America youth organization and a volunteer for a Christian youth association, Dayton Young Life.

With all this leadership experience, Gary wanted a hands-on experience that allowed him to explore different career avenues. He achieved this goal during the summer of 2022 as a supply chain intern where Gary was a part of the operations team, handling projects that tapped into the creative side of engineering, improvement of shop operations and helping with the automation of demand forecasting using Excel Macros.

These projects were long and eventful but the environment that GE Aerospace curates allow interns to feel comfortable handling large projects and learning how to best collaborate effectively. Gary described an experience where his assignment leader: Jake Haas, the head of operations allowed him to job shadow him for the day simply because Gary was curious about what day-to-day life would look like in that position. Case in point, Neal described how GE encouraged a variation of events, site-wide lunch and learns, friendly but competitive pickup basketball games, a Juneteenth cookout to honor African American culture and a pride walk to support the LGBTQ+ community, all of these events played a significant part in the bonds he formed at GE Aerospace. Thus, it was no surprise to me when he told me that the favorite aspect of his internship was the people.

“I don't think I could ever find an internship again that has that quality of environment and culture and how much everybody at the site gets along,” Neal said. After Neal graduates in the Spring of 2024, he plans to continue his career with GE under their Operations Management Leadership program so that he’ll be able to network and gain experience simultaneously. The two-year program offers three eight-month rotations that explore different roles at different sites.

Neal’s advice to future interns who might be slightly introverted or are unsure of taking on too much, is to do diligent research on the path you want to take and put yourself out there. “Get involved in more than just your daily job,” Neal said. “Even if you're less social … just make that effort to talk and have conversations because you never know. Everybody's different; everybody's unique and may agree on something or have a similar interest, and you wouldn't have known unless you just spoke up or went on an outing.”

I’ve noticed that these interns illustrated a desire to belong that was fulfilled by the end of their internships. They have all decided to return to GE Aerospace soon to explore more avenues and gain more experiences that elevates their collegiate performance and helps prepare them for a professional career. This knowledge is invaluable and a rare gem in their lives. Interning at GE Aerospace has exposed them to networking with mentors that can provide a direct link to the field and has also created long-lasting bonds with peers from different cultural backgrounds. Whether they were battling in the Hispanic Forum’s salsa competition, hosting Top Gun Maverick watch parties, or addressing concerns at public council and safety meetings, that sense of community was crucial to their experience.

I hope that you now have a better understanding of how careers can “take flight” at this company. At GE Aerospace, everyone must work together towards a common goal because that is what it means to “lift people up”. The next time someone asks you, “What does an engineer do?” tell them that an engineer not only designs or builds, but they can play a critical part in creating a thriving culture and community for their organization.

About the Author

Cariane Geffrard is a second-year Broadcast Journalism major attending the nation’s #1 public HBCU, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. As a first-generation college student and immigrant from Haiti, Cariane went from only knowing how to speak Haitian-Creole to spinning stories in English. With her writing, Cariane seeks to spread knowledge by impacting just one person because she knows that if just one person hears what she has to say, then she’s connected to one mind that could eventually start a movement. This is because she firmly believes that knowledge is paramount to defeating ignorance. Post-graduation, Cariane plans to work as a cultural writer for either the New York Times or Vogue.