The shirts on loan are still too big, but Erik Medrano and Armando Chavez have theirs on order. Medrano and Chavez are freshly graduated high school students and the second pair who have decided to not only pursue a water technology Associate Degree, funded by Las Cruces Utilities (LCU), but also gain a working knowledge of the trade with the LCU Internship Program.
“We had a graduation orientation where LCU presented and I saw it as an opportunity to get a career,” said Medrano, who admits that he had previously never really thought about working in Utilities as a career path open to him. In fact, he considered waiting on college while continuing to work his three jobs to save up.
“Now it’s a path for me to get an Associate Degree and a good job right after college,” he said.
LCU’s internship program pays for tuition and other reasonable education-related expenses at Doña Ana Community College, including a monthly stipend and paid on-the-job training to assist with educational and living expenses. Interns work up to 20 hours per week during semesters and 40 hours per week maximum during academic breaks.
“We hope to invest in the community we have here and give students who want to stay local, the opportunity to have good jobs here. The program is tied to an education that allows them take ownership of their careers,” explains Water Administrator, Adrienne L. Widmer, P.E.
In return for fiscal help with their schooling, interns commit to working four to eight years with the City of Las Cruces as an operator or lab technician after graduation. The intern graduates will work at LCU in the Water, Wastewater, or Regulatory Environmental Services Sections.
Chavez was originally set to go to New Mexico State University as an engineer but had a change of mind. Now he is taking five different water classes – including: Small Water Systems, Water Chemistry, and Chemistry Analysis. “You don’t think about what goes on behind the scenes, you just turn on the tap,” said Chavez. Medrano continued, “But in the last four weeks here, we can observe and see the different sampling and testing, so much goes into it.”
If you or someone you know might be interested, learn more about the internship online at: http://www.las-cruces.org/en/departments/utilities/internship
Submitted by Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.