Student Guest Blog: Southwest Internship Opens New Doors

Hello! My name is Mia Hamlin and I am a Global Security and Intelligence Studies senior graduating in December. This past summer, I was honored to have the opportunity to intern with Southwest Airlines (SWA) in their emergency response department.

Southwest Internship

Before I came into the company, I heard many great things about their intern programs and the way they take care of their employees. It was during this internship that I really was able to see firsthand the amount that Southwest cared about their interns’ future careers and making sure they are getting the best out of their 12 weeks.

During my internship, I was able to lead, create and assist in 14 different projects that were equally challenging and educational. All of my projects I created and edited are still being used by employees as they respond to hurricanes, fires and earthquakes at different stations around the nation.

New Experiences

This internship not only allowed me to see the corporate environment, but also allowed me to learn things that school cannot teach you about the real-world workforce. I was also given the opportunity to continue to work for Southwest during my last semester here at Embry-Riddle as a campus ambassador, where I reach out to fellow students and give them all the knowledge they need to become a part of the SWA family.

Even though it was only 12 weeks of being a part of the SWA family, I felt like I was a long-time colleague because of the many times my fellow coworkers (Co-Hearts) asked for my help and advice on projects getting pushed through to leadership.

My Co-Hearts also cared deeply about my future career and actively worked toward getting meetings with different departments I was interested in and allowing me to get my name out to other hiring managers.

Southwest has always been known to put its people first as a company, and that goes from higher level management to fellow team members putting each other first. This environment allowed me to not be afraid to make mistakes and to ask questions, which gave me the ability to grow in my knowledge.

Venturing into the flight deck. (Photo: Mia Hamlin)

Why pursue an internship or career with Southwest?

Free Flights

Interns get the same flight benefits as employees, with the ability to fly on any flight on standby for free! I traveled to eight different locations during my time there.

Great Opportunity to Grow

As a full-time employee, if you don’t like the position you are in, you may be able to switch to a different one. Your benefits will remain the same and it’s not such a big commitment for graduates who might not know what they want to do right out of college.

As both an intern and an employee, you can participate in “A Day in the Field,” where you get paid to work a day in your department of interest to see if that is something you want to switch to. I did two of these with two different departments to see if they were of interest to me in the future.

Connections

Every employee wants to meet you and wants the best for you. Everyone you meet will most likely drop a few names to you when you show interest in a certain field. There are many times when you walk into a conversation with someone and walk out with five different people you can email about something you didn’t know existed.

Certifications and Résumé Builders

During my internship, there were six different professional development opportunities for us, which included interview techniques, resume building workshops, feedback workshops and so much more. There were also chances to meet with senior leadership—even the CEO, Bob Jordan—in Coffee Chats, where they gave advice and talked about their experiences and how they got where they are now.

Southwest continues to grow into one of the biggest domestic carriers in the nation and they want more Embry-Riddle students! If you are interested in pursuing a career or internship with Southwest, applications for spring internships are open September 1-15, and summer internships from October 1-15.