Internships Empower Students with Hands-on Experience

The benefits of an internship are substantial. From gaining valuable experiences that can’t be duplicated in a classroom to exploring a career path, networking with seasoned professionals and refining the skills they’ll need in the future, opportunities are invaluable for most students.

At Honeywell Aerospace, interns don’t get coffee or make endless photocopies, they get hands-on experiences, develop business skills, interact with Fortune 100 leaders and help solve real-world challenges.

Meet four #Futureshapers who started their Honeywell careers as interns:

Anna Perez, Customer Marketing Intern, Mexico

When I was little, I used to love movie trailers. My dad told me that's what marketing does – it makes people take notice of a product or service. Filmmakers take the best parts of the movie and show them to the audience to pique their interest, even if it's a bad movie. That was my first exposure to marketing.

As a Honeywell marketing intern, I get to see all sides of the aerospace business. From planning to handling the holistic side of marketing, not a lot of companies expose students to these opportunities, which is what makes my experience here so invaluable.

Thanks to my internship, I have met interesting people from all over the world and in all aspects of the aerospace business. I’ve associated with people and cultures that I wouldn't have been exposed to if I wasn’t part of an international company, and I've learned a lot about what I want to do for the rest of my life. I’ve also received a lot of career advice from co-workers with a plethora of business and real-life experience.

One of my most memorable projects so far was working on a campaign with Michael Eisner, the former CEO of The Walt Disney Company, who shared what it was like to have our products on his business aircraft. I got to work with various teams from outside Aerospace and find out first-hand what it’s like to work with an influencer, or in this case a celebrity.

I didn't expect a project like this to be turned around in such a short amount of time, which was surprising. I thought these types of campaigns required a lot more planning. While I didn't have direct contact with Mr. Eisner, I saw his interviews and b-roll footage and it was fun to watch the whole story unfold. This experience was eye-opening and one of the best things about working at such a big company like Honeywell.

Noah Kurus, Systems Engineer, Engines and Power Systems, Phoenix

I went to the Arizona State University and Honeywell's has always been on my radar, so to speak. My dad works for one of the main airlines as an inspector and mechanic and they do a lot of business with Honeywell.

I fell in love with aviation when I was young and wanted to be a pilot, but unfortunately my size got in the way. I am 6’5” and too tall to fly. I figured, “if I can’t fly planes, at least I could have a happy career designing them and working on them,” and what better place to work than Honeywell?

I work in the Engine and Power Systems group, more specifically on the computer that controls the whole engine. Most people don’t realize, when the pilot requests full power, the engine doesn't necessarily know what to do. There must be a translator between the two.

At Honeywell, I've done a lot of engine test and verification work to ensure we are meeting or exceeding performance standards. One of the most rewarding things about my work is knowing the impact I am making and seeing the work I do utilized in the real world.

I've done a lot of work on the T55 line of engines, which are most commonly found on the CH-47 Chinook helicopter. This aircraft has been around since the early 1960s. It's used for many things including humanitarian rescue and wildlife and disaster relief. Knowing that my work goes into helping make these missions possible is really rewarding.

One of my favorite parts about working for Honeywell is that the company invests in its employees. I've gotten to participate in several company-sponsored trainings to grow my skillset. Honeywell works on so many different products and solutions, there are so many places for a young professional to grow as an individual and find their right fit.

Amanda Jensen, Senior Specialist, Internal Communications, Phoenix

I was a media relations intern at Honeywell in the summer of 2016. It was the best internship I've ever had. What I loved most about my internship is they really treated me like I was one of the team, right from the get-go. I wasn’t “just an intern” who was doing silly little tasks. I was doing real, meaningful work.

On Day 2 of my internship, I was in a Boeing 757 test aircraft flying over Phoenix with 30 reporters from different countries. It was overstimulating – but in the best possible way. I was fully convinced after that day that this was the coolest job I would ever have.

In my time at Honeywell, I've had a couple of job title changes and new responsibilities. I’ve worked in both internal and external communications roles. Working for a big company provides many opportunities from a job development standpoint and provides chances to take on new challenges within the company.

I am inspired by the people I work with. They are smart people, and they provide the opportunity to learn so much from their mentoring and example. I am proud to say I learn something new every day. It’s one of the pieces of my job that I really enjoy.

For anyone considering a job change or taking on a new challenge, I would encourage you to be okay with change. It’s the only constant in life. Learning to see change as something advantageous, not a roadblock or something that's going to completely derail you and send you into a tailspin, has significant benefits both personally and professionally. I think that that's one of the biggest lessons that I've learned at Honeywell so far. 

Jordan Bernstein, Mechanical Design Engineer, Fans and Compressors, Phoenix

I always had an engineering, math, numbers mindset, even when I was a kid. I used to love taking things apart and putting them back together, especially with my grandpa. He was an electrical engineer at IBM back in the 1980s and he helped develop some of their first computers.

Together we'd find things around the house that were broken, and we would take them apart and try to put them back together. We weren't always successful, and we may have been left with a few extra screws or parts, but it was a great way to learn how things worked.

I really like doing hands-on activities and I think that's where my love for engineering really started. I got an internship with Honeywell in 2019. I was studying mechanical engineering and I got my master's with a focus in gas turbo machinery. Honeywell is obviously one of the leaders in that industry, so I felt fortunate to contribute to the company’s success. Once my internship was complete, I was offered a full-time position, which I happily accepted.

Right now, I am in the fan compressor group, focusing on all the design analysis testing for the rotating components in the compressor module of the Chinook engine. I feel so fortunate for the amount of knowledge that's around me every day. My co-workers have decades of experience. I think it's important to just absorb all the information around you and learn as much as you can. There are so many things you can't learn in a classroom; you must do it to really understand its impact.