If you’re a college student, we may have an internship for you.
We offer internships in fields including business, engineering, transportation and land-use planning, environmental, public affairs, legal, construction and digital communications.
Hear what some of our interns had to say about our program, and sign up to receive email alerts when internships matching your interests are available:
Katlynn Backus, Legal
Now in her third and final year at University of Oregon School of Law, Katlynn’s legal internship offers hands-on opportunities to experience a variety of topics. Her day-to-day responsibilities include assisting attorneys with research on legal matters and issues as they arise, writing memos to discuss these issues and how they affect our organization, and attending meetings with the attorneys.
“The projects I’ve worked on with the attorneys have been really interesting as they incorporate matters that I’ve studied in law school. My favorite aspect of the position is the range of legal topics I get to work on and seeing how they intersect. These are important skills to learn as an attorney, and I hope to use them after my internship as I study for the bar exam.”
Zachary Korotkih, Business and Properties
Zach’s internship is in concessions operations. Zach works with the street pricing program in Portland International Airport, which ensures tenants keep prices the same in the airport as they are on the street. He also works with concessionaires to execute events and promotions, and creates forecasting plans for both tenants and his department. He has a double major at Portland State University in business administration—management/leadership and human resources.
“Seeing the direct results of my hard work gives me a sense of workplace accomplishment and meaning. When people send in their comments and reviews stating how much they love traveling through PDX because of the easygoing experience and cheap prices, it makes my work that much more meaningful.”
Kevin Roberti, Engineering
As an electrical engineering intern, Kevin works with the safety and delivery teams, and engages with a multitude of disciplines—power, telecommunications, controls and more. He also has the opportunity to participate in team meetings and ask questions, touching base with mechanical, plumbing and construction, as well as the customer service and business side of projects. Kevin is studying electrical engineering at Washington State University Vancouver.
“While I’ve enjoyed and am grateful for many opportunities through my internship, my favorite aspect is being involved in projects and having a hand in some of their designs. It’s a great feeling knowing that my say—albeit not as experienced—is being used in projects and will eventually come to fruition. I’m currently working on closed-circuit television, Wi-Fi, distributed antenna system, and whatever else comes across my desk.”
Sammy Magaña, Community Affairs
An integrated strategic communications student at Washington State University Vancouver, Sammy’s community affairs internship involves community outreach, research for upcoming committee meetings and assisting with tours. Sammy supports projects like the update of the Hillsboro Airport Master Plan and helps us interact with the community by organizing events including Hillsboro Air Fair and our participation in Sunday Parkways.
“I enjoy helping wherever I can and meeting new people from other departments. I’ve been told countless times that networking is the most important part of a successful career and my networking skills have improved since I started here. There are so many opportunities to meet new people. This internship has helped me be more adaptable, intuitive and use my problem-solving skills to complete any task or project.”
Rochelle Regutti, Environmental
Rochelle is a first-year graduate student at Oregon State University pursuing a professional science master’s degree in environmental sciences. Her environmental/geographic information systems (GIS) internship responsibilities include updating the natural resources inventory, creating and updating maps for stormwater permits, creating maps of stormwater infrastructure and treatment facilities, and maps to assist in wildlife management.
“I enjoy creating maps that display spatial data in a manner that helps communicate data to the user in a meaningful and easy-to-understand way. My cartography skills have significantly improved since interning here. Interning has introduced me to web-based mapping, as well as new software. I have strengthened my knowledge in data management and spatial analysis, while learning about the various aspects of airports and marine terminals.”
Dana Lawson-Rivera, Engineering
Through her engineering internship, Dana is exploring her interest in energy efficiency, an aspect of her major in mechanical engineering at the University of Portland. With help from her mentor, Mia Yang, Dana assists with day-to-day duties around strategic energy management as well as various projects that push our organization to excel in energy efficiency and conservation.
“The collaborative work environment here has allowed me to grow my interpersonal skills and develop both professionally and personally. The ability to approach coworkers and ask for help is a fundamental tool in the team-based atmosphere that guides engineering work. By participating in this environment, I have gained the confidence and skills needed to pursue future positions in the engineering world.”
Gabriel Rodriguez, Web Development
Gab is a digital media intern and spends his days adding and updating functionality to our various websites and exploring new languages or libraries related to full-stack development. He’s finishing an associate degree in computer information science while working toward a transfer degree in computer engineering through Portland Community College.
“My internship has been an amazing experience. It would be very difficult to choose my favorite part about this internship. Every morning, I wake up excited to come to work, and I spend all day working with and around some of the best professionals. To add to that, I get exposure to different aspects of the development process that is ever-changing and always seems to push me with new and exciting challenges.”
