Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) was thrilled to have the full return its intern program this year. This summer, 17 students from area high schools, community colleges and universities took on full-time roles at PHL in different departments. From airfield operations to marketing, the interns used the opportunity to work side-by-side with full-time staff to have the ultimate hands-on experience.

As the summer winds to an end, so does the intern program.  It is our hope that they will take what they learned to become better students, and eventually, future aviation employees.

“It is our hope that they will take what they learned to become better students, and eventually, future aviation employees,” said PHL’s Director of Workforce Development Chevelle Harrison, who invited the students to join her for lunch to discuss their thoughts on working at PHL. The positive feedback from the group was encouraging.

The interns took the opportunity to meet up with peers and share stories about things that they encountered while working at the airport. They also did some teambuilding by playing PHL’s version of “Family Feud”. CEO Atif Saeed stopped in to join the interns for lunch and ended up playing Family Feud with the teams.

An intern assigned to Operations said, “Working here this summer has been a great opportunity! Every day was different in Ops.”

From the Community Engagement intern: “I appreciate that we were seen as co-workers, not as kids who were in the way. They give us assignments that mattered instead of giving us busy work.”   

A Capitol Development intern said proudly, “I can’t believe that I work on active airfields with my supervisor.”  

After lunch, the students heard from Kyle Owens, PHL’s “model intern”. Owens began his career at PHL 10 years ago as an intern. He currently works in the Terminal and Landside Operations Department, but during his time at the airport, he has had the opportunity to work in several units, including Operations, Passenger Assistance, Public Affairs and Employee Badging.

Owens stressed that working in different departments at PHL was a way to learn about an airport’s infrastructure. He aspires to complete the education requirements needed to earn his pilot’s license and his goal is to work as a commercial pilot.

“We are so proud of the young people who spent the summer at PHL. They are hardworking and curious individuals. There’s no doubt that they will flourish – we look forward to watching their growth and development,” said Harrison. “We hope to see you in near future.”