POV: You’re a summer intern at Hawaiian Electric

Whether it be going to a substation visit or working in the office, summer interns at Hawaiian Electric get a chance to learn about what it takes to power the five islands the company serves. As a student majoring in marketing, I am very grateful for the opportunity to gain valuable, real-world experience in the field I’m interested in. Marketing can be a very broad field, which is why internships are a great way to learn new skills and apply them outside of the classroom. This summer I found myself working closely with the digital communications and social media team. They taught me about what they do and useful skills to have, such as how to develop meaningful and engaging content.

This year, Hawaiian Electric had 32 summer interns in various departments. I was able to speak with and create videos featuring some interns from Emergency Planning and Preparedness, Substation Engineering, and other departments! As someone who stayed home for college, it was great to connect with students with different backgrounds and hear about their experiences.

“I believe being able to meet with people from different departments and majors has expanded my outlook on what makes a company operate and has made the whole experience a lot more fun!” said Andrew Yang, a summer intern for the substation engineering department. “Throughout the summer, I’ve worked on various projects. One of them included helping with the installation of fast trip systems into our substations.”

As part of my summer project, I was able to collaborate with Andrew and Cameren Banis to make a video explaining what Enhanced Fast Trip (EFT) is. Every intern I’ve asked about their internship has expressed how they found it fulfilling to gain the experience needed to pursue their careers after graduation.

For me, I was fortunate to get hands-on experience in and out of the office. During the second week of my internship, I followed the social media team for a day trip to Maui to provide training and learn more about the operations there! I was born and raised on Oahu, and I haven’t visited Maui since 2016. At the Kahului base yard, we met with various employees on Maui, who showed us around and introduced us to some of the teams working there. We took the time to also film videos featuring the line crews from Maui for National Safety Month and National Lineworker Appreciation Day.

I learned more about how the electrical grid works in laymen terms, which was very helpful since I was not familiar with energy infrastructure. It was interesting to hear how different the operations are on Maui compared to Oahu, and I also enjoyed taking photos of linemen from other islands like Molokai and Lanai who happen to also be in Maui for future social media posts. Some things that stood out to me was how close the community felt and being able to see the fun personalities of the linemen who are continuously working hard to keep the power on for customers.

It was exciting to see the process of how content ideas come to life from the actual production and editing process to the satisfying feeling of it being posted! Hawaiian Electric also organizes different events for interns to network and connect with other departments, such as the Waiau Power Plant tour, a Career Pathways Panel, and other activities.

Applying to internships can be nerve-racking or sometimes overwhelming, but everyone in the company was welcoming and encouraged asking any questions you may have. I’m so grateful to everyone who mentored me and allowed me to get a glimpse of what happens at Hawaiian Electric. I highly recommend everyone looking for a hands-on learning experience to apply to next year’s summer internship program!