Chemical Engineering Internship Story: International Paper

Sophia Halstead

Chemical Engineering

What company did you intern with and where are they located?

International Paper in Prattville, Alabama

How did you identify and apply for your internship? Are there any specific resources you used to find the opportunity (i.e. Handshake, career fairs, other recruitment events)?

Career fair/previous internship at the same location.

What was the application process like?

Last summer the application process looked like talking with IP representatives at the career fair and applying online. At the end of last summer's internship, I got an offer to return for this summer.

Tell us about your internship experience. What types of tasks and projects did you engage in? Was there a particular project or part of the experience you learned the most from?

I have had a great experience. I got to aid in routine testing, making informational videos for the mill, quality assurance projects and helping to better understand some process controls.

In what ways did this internship help you prepare for your next destination after Auburn?

I plan to stay within the pulp and paper industry after graduation so this summer internship helped me gain more technical knowledge and connections related to the industry.

In what ways did your coursework or other experiences at Auburn prepare you for your internships? Are there specific topics or skills you learned from classes that you put into practice on the job?

I have taken pulp and paper courses, as well as fluid/mass transport and thermodynamics classes at Auburn that were helpful for my projects.