SAN ANTONIO, TX — A group of bright students are part of Port San Antonio's third cohort of summer interns. The young women and men, who will be seniors this fall, gained new skills that will help them with their eventual career paths. 

The ten students from the Edgewood and South San Antonio independent school districts spent six weeks this summer as paid employees alongside the Port team. During this time, they supported various departments, including construction and property management, information technology (IT), business development and communications, as the organization continues to expand its 1,900-acre technology innovation campus southwest of downtown while attracting and growing major industries. 

The students also had the opportunity to see first-hand several of the technology innovations being developed on the Port campus. This includes meeting with industry professionals in the aerospace, cybersecurity and space exploration sectors. 

Below is a week-by-week first-hand account of the students' experiences during the 2024 summer internship program. 

Week 1 (June 10 - 14)

This week was the start of our journey as summer interns with Port San Antonio.

Representing the South San Antonio Independent School District and the Edgewood ISD - San Antonio, Texas, we are gaining valuable workplace experience in areas such as communications, IT, leasing and property management while helping to grow the region's largest tech hub.

During the week, we had the opportunity to visit the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology's AREA 21 museum space, where we got to experience interactive STEM-based exhibits that are teaching students about the different career opportunities that exist in industries such as aerospace, robotics and cybersecurity.

We also got to visit XYREC's U.S. headquarters, which is located at the Port.

We got to see the world's largest industrial robot, which strips paint off large ships and airplanes in a way that is environmentally friendly.

Thank you to everyone who has welcomed us so far. We look forward to a fun and collaborative summer at the Port!

Week 2 (June 17 - 21)

As we continued our journey as Port San Antonio Interns, we were thrilled to be invited to visit the Alamo Regional Security Operational Center (ARSOC), where we learned more about their cybersecurity operations and facility.

We gained valuable insight as to how

ARSOC helps to protect the critical infrastructure of the city and local community by ensuring confidentiality and proper authentication of our networks.

Special thanks to Patsy Boozer and Sunny Khemalaap of ARSOC for the amazing tour and the descriptive insight into their operations.

As we move further along in our journey, we look forward to gaining more familiarity with the Port campus and the different industries that are thriving here, as well as the ways we showcase their operations to the world (which includes producing and editing video packages).

Week 3 (June 24 - 28)

This week gave us a glimpse into how industries at the Port work hand-in-hand with one another.

We were invited to visit the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManii) to learn how manufacturers use cybersecurity to keep their operations safe - such as by mimicking hackers in order to strengthen the integrity of their networks.

We were also introduced to a mobile training simulation truck that utilizes gaming to identify cyber threats. Special thanks to the CyManll team for welcoming us with open arms.

While on the CyManll tour, two members of our team - Belen Alvarado and Antonio Roque - were even interviewed by the KSAT 12 & KSAT.com news crew about their experiences as summer interns at the Port. Watch for us on the news soon!

We then visited the Boeing Center at Tech Port and got a first-hand look at the state-of-the-art LAN Gaming Center which, along with the arena, has hosted some of the area's largest esports competitions. We also experienced the thrill of flying an airplane simulator at the The Boeing Company's Aerospace Adventure exhibit located at Area 21. It was a fantastic time, and we had a blast exploring everything the Boeing Center has to offer! 

Week 4 (July 1 - 5)

This week, we visited two innovative companies based at the Port whose technologies are improving the world.

First, we had an incredible experience at Plus One Robotics, where we learned about the company's cutting-edge software and how it is making fulfillment centers more efficient. This technology allows humans to focus on more high-level work while the robots perform repetitive tasks such as sorting and picking packages.

We also assisted the communications team with a photo shoot at Knight Aerospace, who is developing life-saving innovations by combining aerospace and medical technology. The photography will be part of an email and social media campaign that will help the company advertise several career opportunities as it continues to grow at the Port. We look forward to a more in-depth tour at Knight next week!

Week 5 (July 8 - 12)

As we wind down our summer internship experience, we got to take part in Rotation Week - where we walked in our fellow interns' shoes by working within a different department each day! We saw exactly how our job duties are helping the Port run successfully. We also gained new skill sets that will help us in our future careers, and we worked on our networking skills by teaming up with Port employees we previously had not interacted with.

We also continued on with visits to various sites across our campus.

The first place we visited was the airfield - one of the Port's most important assets - which we actually got to drive onto! During our tour of the airfield, we learned about its history and other interesting facts surrounding it. We were also briefed on the protocols the Port has in place for keeping the airfield safe while preventing damage to the aircraft that occupy it.

We also got to visit Knight Aerospace, which is based at the Port and is combining medical and aerospace technology to improve our world. We got a first-hand look at one of the medical modules developed by Knight that transports critically ill patients while providing them with hospital-grade medical care in mid-air - an innovation that is currently being used globally. These modules serve as hospital-grade 'flying emergency rooms' and can be quickly loaded on and off cargo airplanes.

We look forward to returning to our mentors next week as we prepare for our graduation ceremony!

Week 6 (July 15 - 19)

This week marked the conclusion of our incredible internship at Port San Antonio, culminating in our graduation.

Throughout this journey, we gained invaluable experience and insights into different departments here at the Port. Our final week was especially memorable, as we had the opportunity to visit StandardAero and Bario Aviation, witnessing firsthand the innovative work being done in the aerospace industry. These visits, combined with the skills and knowledge we've acquired, have prepared us well for our future endeavors.