By Elizabeth Kneisley
Staff Writer
Mira Costa juniors got a glimpse into their futures in engineering this spring thanks to Northrop Grumman.
These nine students, Alka Nath, Chris Claycomb, Jake Walsh, Jeannette Nelson, Jessica Leatherman, Lucas Bavaro, Marco Palombo, Ricky Hoft, and Riley Thomasson, got the opportunity of a lifetime and a chance to continue this experience in an internship this summer.
The Northrop Grumman Aerospace Company developed a high school program for aspiring engineers with the goal of exposing students to prospective career paths at Northrop Grumman.
“I took the Northrop Grumman program to see if engineering would interest me in the future. This program was a great learning experience and a good way to introduce myself to new possibilities,” Nath said.
One of the main organizers of the program was Carlo Cayetano, an education specialist who works in the jet propulsion laboratory at Northrop.
“Carlo was really approachable for all of us high school students, and he helped us with any questions or concerns that we had about engineering,” Thomasson said.
Northrop promoted their course to eligible juniors and seniors at Mira Costa and other local high schools. The nine students who were recomended by science teacher Charlotte Shales-Clark were selected from Mira Costa. In total, about 60 students from different high schools participated.
“We all got along well and had a great time learning about engineering through this program,” Nath said.
The students toured many of the Northrop Grumman buildings and listened to lectures about engineering. The various types of engineers, such as microelectronics engineers, robotic experts, and system engineers, informed students about the many careers in engineering.
“This program I took through Northrop Grumman exposed me to a lot of engineering careers and opportunities. I might want to study engineering when I go to college and then, maybe, join an engineering company such as Northrop Grumman,” Hoft said.
It also offers internships to students over the summer. It is a separate program in which the few students who are accept ed get to work for Northrop employees. The summer internship is a more in-depth program than the preview the students got from the 18-week program.
“After participating in the 18-week-long program, I was inspired to apply for the more in-depth summer program. Northrop Grumman helped me decide whether or not I would want to study engineering in the future,” Thomasson said.
The students chosen are paid fully for their time working during the summer internship. The internship goes on for eight weeks, and the students are required to work 40 hours each week.
“This program is a great opportunity for Northrop Grumman. It encourages students to pursue careers in math, science and engineering. We recognize students as leaders in the future,” said Maureen Byrne, a director in the Engineering Department at Northrop Grumman who hires interns.
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