By Jose Perez

During the Winter Break at UNK, several students take advantage of the three-week-long period to relax from their academics and not worry about any of their future plans. However, that is not the case for other students that still need to decide on internship opportunities. 

This is the scenario that many students deal with at UNK during the second part of their academic year. This process has been the topic of discussion for Richard Orellana, a UNK junior from Schuyler majoring in Construction Management. 

Before the end of this January, several undergraduate students in the Industrial Technology Department will make a final decision as to where they will have their internship during the upcoming summer break. Fortunately for Orellana, he knows exactly what his plans look like after the Spring 2019 semester concludes. 

“Starting in early June, I will begin my internship with Eriksen Construction based in Blair. All I know for now is I will spend my time doing office work with one of several project managers of the company and go over where new treatment plants will be constructed in eastern Nebraska.” 

For several UNK students, the process of choosing an internship if very difficult. Although all the departments through UNK provide countless options for their scholars, it takes so much time for a student to decide the right internship through the right company.

“It wasn’t easy coming up with a decision on my own,” Orellana said, “Even after speaking with my advisor and classmates, I still wasn’t sure which internship I wanted to be part of. I reached out to my parents for some advice as well.”

This wasn’t the first time Richard Orellana faced a similar conundrum. During the Spring 2018 semester, Orellana was in the process of deciding the first internship opportunity he would take part in. 

“The first internship I chose was to work with a company called Landscape Unlimited located in Omaha. I heard so many great reviews about this company through my fraternity brothers from Sigma Lambda Beta that selected the same internship before I came to UNK.” Orellana said.

The daily routine through Landscape Unlimited greatly contrasts from the internship through Eriksen Construction Orellana will take part in this summer.

“I had to help create a new golf course in Shadow Ride Country Club. I learned so much about landscaping and irrigation during the construction process,” Orellana said. “I spent almost 10 hours outside each day, five times a week, organizing a new golf course from scratch.”

Despite the struggles from his first internship, Orellana does not regret spending most of his summer break in 2018 working outside in the hot weather conditions.

“The best advice my advisor told me is to experience more than one internship,” Orellana said. “It’s not a bad idea to get different perspectives from other companies. It helps you build your character in the long run.”