It’s a matter of joining the real world, leaving the classroom behind, and embarking on a two month period of deadlines and projects. That is what students from across the state sign up for each year when participating in the Houston Airport System’s (HAS) growing summer internship program.

What they get in return is a wealth of knowledge about the career fields they have chosen and a source of reference for future employers. Depending on what field they are interested in, interns are placed in one of many divisions within HAS including marketing, community affairs, airport operations, airport management, media relations, finance and administration, and a host of other options.

Emma Winslow, from the Houston Airport System’s human resources division, has been in charge of this program for the last five years and this year she was responsible for hiring 15 interns from across the state.

“I think this is a great opportunity for these interns especially since the program has partnered with Texas Southern University (TSU),” says Winslow. “Students are able to put what they have learned in the classroom environment into the real world, and depending on their performances they are also able to see consequences.”

Although TSU is the primary university that supplies students, Winslow has also placed candidates from higher learning institutions such as Texas A & M and the University of Houston. Once the internships are completed students return to the classroom with a better understanding of the fields of study they have chosen as careers.