This summer, the City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation welcomed 25 college students for its nine-week IX24 Internship Experience. The program features mandatory and elective workshops, meet and greet sessions with the airports’ leadership, and outings designed to enrich and broaden the interns’ experience. IX24 connects college students with work in their desired fields, teaching the students how each department fits into the larger city government system. This ultimately creates profitable and positive experiences within the industry in Philadelphia.
IX24 is led by Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Donna Stephens and Training and Development Manager Linda Ivey. “We have developed a mix of informational as well as recreational learning experiences that will provide our summer interns with vast exposure to the various components and units that make the Department of Aviation successful,” said Ivey.
IX24 started on June 10 and ends on August 2. During this period, interns were assigned a team project to design an “Airport of The Future.” Collaborating with their departments and colleagues, the students created a mock $5 billion five-year plan for the “perfect” Airport of the Future. The knowledge gained from the Department of Aviation was applied to ensure the Airport of the Future would function efficiently and smoothly. The interns presented two visions to the Department of Aviation’s leaders on July 19. Some highlights were: establishing a transportation monorail system to and from the economy and employee parking lots; building sleeping pods for travelers with extended wait times; and installing a gym for travelers, where the energy generated from the exercise equipment would be harnessed to help power the airport.
These statements show how interns found their time at the airports to be fulfilling and look forward to applying what they learned over the summer to their classroom coursework.
"I really enjoyed the IX24 internship experience! I loved how we were not only able to work in our own departments, but also had the opportunity to collaborate with other interns and supervisors giving us a really well-rounded experience at the airport,” said Giselle Kiriacos. “It was also really fun to go on field trips [with Sherry and Linda] and get a taste of Philadelphia culture by exploring the different famous cheesesteak restaurants. Even after travelling through the airport dozens of times and living in the city for the past four years, I learned a ton throughout this internship and recommend it to future students. I'm so grateful for this opportunity and hope to take my knowledge and apply it to my Public Policy degree at Temple."
“IX24 was a great time! It was a wonderful comprehensive experience to see and learn the ins and outs of one of the best airports in America, and the city it supports,” said Darius Garbacz. “Additionally, the ‘Airport of the Future’ project offered a great opportunity to be proactive and collaborate with students from different schools, backgrounds, and departments. My supervisor was also great, teaching and guiding me through my first professional environment, and offering me chances to participate in all sorts of opportunities. Overall, IX24 was a great program which I am glad to have had the pleasure of participating in."