August 9, 2024

Tri-State Recognized Summer Interns on National Intern Day

Tri-State recently celebrated National Intern Day on July 25. Tri-State wants to acknowledge the contributions of our interns, who play a crucial role in our company's growth and success. The Tri-State Internship Program welcomed eight interns this summer.

This program provides students with an in-depth experience in their assigned departments and introduces them to various aspects of the cooperative business model. This summer, interns toured Dispatch and Energy Markets, the Niyol Wind Energy Center, J.M. Shafer Generating Station, Craig Station and Colowyo Mine. These tours offer them a comprehensive understanding of Tri-State processes and opportunities to venture out of the office and travel.

Learn more about our summer 2024 interns below:

Jeison - IT Service and Assets Intern, Senior at Colorado State University

I am working in the IT assets team at Tri-State, handling all types of software and hardware assets, including requests, purchasing, tracking, dispersion, disposal and renewal of items like laptops, phones, monitors and new software applications. My current responsibilities include gathering old contracts for software and hardware support/maintenance, logging them in ServiceNow, and contacting manufacturers for product reconciliations.

My favorite experience so far has been an IT Operations tour with Greg Lafave, where I saw the data center and how all our servers run, how a data center is managed and everything that goes into the networking and server side of a business. I am excited for making good connections this summer within Tri-State, whether it’s people in my department, across the company or the other interns.

In five years, I see myself working in network administration, database management or as a data center technician. While I'm unsure about pursuing a managerial role, I aim to be involved in these technology fields. Tri-State has helped shape this vision by exposing me to relevant resources and people, as well as providing a corporate environment where I could gauge my potential for success and satisfaction.

I would describe Tri-State’s Internship Program as more than what meets the eye. Initially, I assumed as an intern I would be given insignificant tasks. However, my boss has emphasized that while the internship benefits the company, it is primarily intended for my personal and professional growth. He is committed to providing the help and resources I need to further my learning and development.

Sydney – Substation Civil Engineering Intern, Master’s student at Colorado School of Mines

This summer, I am turning 2D hardware drawings for substations into 3D drawings using Inventor and helping change drawings in Civil 3D due to the United Power withdrawal.

So far, I’ve really enjoyed learning about different groups and their responsibilities, and the site visits to see the hands-on components applied from the concepts I see on a computer, and all the different processes that can be used to make electricity.

In five years, I am hoping to still be enhancing my engineering skills and continually learning as I am at Tri-State.

An internship at Tri-State is a wonderful opportunity to gain experience within a utility and to make meaningful connections.

Will – Instructional Design Intern, Graduate of University of Colorado Denver

At Tri-State, I have been supporting the Learning & Development team in building presentation slides and interactive materials and referencing media for employee trainings.

It’s been fun being in a department that gets so much facetime with the other departments; within the first two weeks, I worked with Communications to film videos, Transmission to deliver expense trainings and HR to collect information for an upcoming class.

Tri-State has given me a clear understanding of the responsibilities of an instructional designer in a complex and successful business. The senior designers on my team handle a diverse range of tasks, including film production coordination, graphic design, in-person instruction and animation. I had envisioned myself taking on such roles in five years and my experience at Tri-State has reinforced that goal.

With the great team I work for, the perks, tours and trainings, fair wage and flexible schedule, I would classify this internship as cushy. I feel spoiled as an intern at Tri-State.

Dylan – Transmission Line Engineering Intern, Senior at Colorado School of Mines

For this internship, I am designing an installation of shield wire on a transmission line in the San Luis Valley and updating transmission line standard drawings to help with future projects this summer.

I have enjoyed the site visits this summer as it is a great way to see the parts I have been working on in the real world.

In five years, I still see myself working in the energy sector. Tri-State has helped shape this vision by providing me with practical experience and lots of knowledge on how this sector operates.

An internship at Tri-State is a great way to learn about the utility industry. It exposes you to all aspects of a utility and gives you experience on a wide range of projects.

Sean – Power Plant Engineering Intern, Senior at Colorado School of Mines

Interning at Craig Station, my role involves supporting the plant’s daily operation by balancing fans or sourcing replacements for components that are up to 40 years old. I’ve also helped implement quality-of-live improvements like increasing ventilation in locations or making access or streamlining equipment maintenance access. Alongside these responsibilities, I've contributed to analyzing system issues in preparation for the plant's eventual decommissioning.

I greatly enjoyed performing a failure analysis on a fan impeller and am excited to continue learning from my amazing co-workers with their extensive backgrounds.

In five years, I will have graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and hope to be well into a successful career in the power generation sector.  The power industry has always been an attractive sector to me and my time at Tri-State has helped reinforce that.

I would describe Tri-State’s internship program as impactful as it has allowed me to learn and grow as an engineering student while doing meaningful work for the company.

Will – Communications Intern, Junior at Metropolitan State University of Denver

This summer, I have helped with internal and external communications and public relations. This has involved creating videos for social media, writing summaries for The Grid, performing outreach to rural radio stations, researching best internal communications practices and much more.

My favorite experiences have been my writing assignments and observing a commercial shoot. I am glad I am learning from such a kind, creative group.

In five years, I hope to be a Communications Specialist for a nonprofit or the government. Enjoying my role this summer has reinforced this vision and given me career confidence.

An internship at Tri-State is a great introduction to your field with an innovative team, as you complete relevant, meaningful tasks for a company leading the way in the future of electric power.

DaiJane – Transmission Business Strategy Intern, Senior at Colorado State University

As an intern in the Transmission Contracts group, I am gaining insight into the processes and tools involved in developing, executing and managing transmission contracts with Tri-State members. My responsibilities include reviewing, editing and formatting procedures, trackers and matrices. Additionally, I have conducted audits on the Wholesale Electric Service Contract (WESC) Schedule A and Schedule B for multiple Tri-State members. A key project I am leading involves conducting a thorough review of member contracts on the Member Information Center (MIC).

My favorite experience this summer has been the site visits. As a newcomer to the utility industry, it’s been awesome to learn firsthand and witness these operations in person. Another highlight was the demonstration by Hawk Quest for Employee Appreciation Day.

In five years, I hope to have my J.D. and be a practicing attorney. Tri-State has helped show me what a legal career in the utility industry could look like and has also helped prepare me for my future contract law course I will be required to take in law school.

An internship at Tri-State is eye-opening. Prior to this experience, I didn’t give much thought to why the lights in my house were on or what happens when I power on the AC. However, working at Tri-State has shown me the complexity of the utility industry and the multitude of components that contribute to it.

Henrik – Air Quality Intern, University of Colorado Boulder

I have been reporting to the Air Quality team this summer, calculating emissions for Tri-State’s generation stations and looking at the number of emitted pounds for varying compounds. By using emission factors and heat input values, we can assess how much a certain chemical pollutant gets emitted yearly. This is critical as the state regulates and monitors air quality.

I have enjoyed the team I am working with this summer. By communicating clearly and concisely, I have been able to learn efficiently.

In five years, I see myself either pursuing graduate school or working in the utility sector. Tri-State has played a pivotal role in shaping this vision by giving me many opportunities to develop my skills and gain a deep understanding of the industry.

An internship at Tri-State is an incredible learning experience because it offers valuable opportunities for hands-on-learning, exposure to industry professionals and the chance to apply academic knowledge to real-world settings. Through the workshops and tours that the company organizes, it enables interns to get a deep understanding of how the industry operates and creates more of a feeling that the work they are doing is valuable and impactful.

Thank you to all of the interns and individuals who organize and support Tri-State's summer internship program.