My journey with Southwest have been nothing short of amazing!
As a Supply Chain Management and Finance major at Rutgers University, the Fuel Management Department at Southwest is a perfect fit to apply my classroom knowledge to vital projects that continue to uphold our reputation as a low-cost airline. I work firsthand on tracking the amount of excess jet fuel on our planes by using Macros and V-lookups in Microsoft Excel. I have become fluent in using macros and v-lookups to streamline data, which in turn, has made it easier for upper-level management to pinpoint issues on the spot. I’ve never had the opportunity to use those skills to discern actual data. It is so rewarding to know that I am making a difference.
Before starting my internship, I had a feeling I would enjoy my work, but I didn’t expect my internship to impact my home life. Because of our travel privileges, I was able to visit my sister in San Diego. It's surprising how much you can do in a day – we visited the Spanish Art street fair in Balboa park, saw an Imax movie at the Fleet Science Center, drove through the Torrey Pines scenic reserve, caught the sunset at La Jolla, and ate the best fish tacos at Rubio’s for dinner! Many people would say visiting California for a day is crazy, but having the privilege of flying made it possible to reconnect with family-even if it was just a short 24 hours. My family is very close knit, so it was difficult to move away from home for the first time. From grocery shopping, to having Street Fighter tournaments, my siblings and I truly did everything together. Fortunately, with the privilege of flying to any Southwest city, I can visit my family whenever I get homesick.
From the intern orientation on our first day where we played “human bingo” and performed skits to attending meetings with vendors and monthly fuel team meetings, Southwest’s Campus Reach Program is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.
... View more
