This summer, our internship program was broader and more robust than ever before. Wisk welcomed 47 interns across a variety of different areas, from software engineering to global partnerships to rotor design. Our interns spent 10-12 weeks learning about the rapidly evolving field of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), gaining hands-on experience, and forging valuable connections. Here are some highlights from this year’s program.
Summer Projects
Every Wisk intern is given an overarching project to complete under the supervision of one or more mentors. The work interns contribute is directly implemented in Wisk’s operations, with much of what interns do mirroring real-world day-to-day work in aerospace.
“I worked on a project with square footage that involved dividing our space into pods. Measuring each team’s space allows us to see how we can better orient the workspace for our workforce,” says Jax Johnston, who interned in Facilities. “You can really feel that interns are valued here. The work we do matters.”
Marketing and Communications intern Jett Felder explains one of his projects involving museum outreach: “We have more than five generations of aircraft in storage, many of which made aviation history. My job was to relocate them in museums to allow our aircraft to educate the public about the cutting edge of aerospace. It’s been a very unique and rewarding experience!”
Summer projects help build professional skills and confidence. “I think it’s very easy for someone to doubt their capability if they have less experience in the industry,” reflects Thermal Engineering intern Shivreet Dhillon. “Doing work and being held to the same standard as those with more experience than you is motivating. I gained a lot of confidence.”
Mentorship
During the program, our interns work one-on-one with mentors who help facilitate learning and oversee interns as they gain hands-on experience in aerospace.
“My mentor was able to teach me a lot, not only about the tools that he was working on, but also different methods of software engineering,” says Grant Cheng, a Simulations Software Engineer intern who worked on a tool for route planning. “I especially loved his workspace environment and how much emphasis he put on customizing your own workspace.”
Mentors also help demystify the aerospace industry for interns, bridging the gap between the classroom and the day-to-day workflow of a career in aerospace. Elyse Cabrera reflects on the role her mentors played in her time as a Manufacturing Engineering intern:
“Going into college, I had a general idea that I wanted to work in engineering in the aerospace industry, which isn’t a specific career. But my mentors really helped me understand what manufacturing engineers do: We take the drawings from the design engineers and we turn them into real, tangible products. I was able to apply my CAD skills to design the schematics for part of our aircraft’s battery, which is what my mentors do in their day to day. They helped give me that understanding.”
Company Culture
Maddie Hsu, who interned as a Supply Chain Analyst, recalls: “I think one of my favorite aspects of Wisk was the people. Everybody I met was super friendly, genuine, and knowledgeable about the work that they do, while also remaining humble about their experiences and expertise.”
“Whenever anybody was working on something interesting, I was able to fully go and say, hey, that looks really cool. What are you working on?” says Shivreet. “And they would just answer my questions without any hesitation, expanding my knowledge.”
At Wisk, interns and employees are bound by a mutual excitement about the future of aerospace. Interns get to play an active role in reshaping mobility. “I think all-electric aircraft will have a massive impact on sustainability for the future, not only for company travel, but also for individual use and daily lives,” says EH&S intern Will Turner.
“I very much look forward to the future of aviation,” says Maddie. “People really like to talk about self-driving cars and electric cars, but I think self-flying planes and electric planes have even more potential.”
Learn more about Wisk internship program by visiting https://wisk.aero/internships/