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Electrical Engineering Internship Story | Southern Nuclear

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Hannah Helme
Electrical Engineering

What company did you work with and where were they located?

Southern Nuclear in Waynesboro, GA (Plant Vogtle)

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

I was first introduced to Southern Nuclear career opportunities through an Auburn Student Branch IEEE meeting. Then, I followed up with them at the Fall engineering career fair in 2024. After receiving my offer in 2024, I did not have to interview again to obtain future internships with them, only needing to express my interest to leadership and my recruiter. That is how I received this summer's position at Vogtle 1 & 2.

What was the application process like?

After speaking with recruiters at the 2024 fair and handing out my resume, I had two rounds of virtual interviews: a scoping round and a final round. Both interviews were behavioral (no technical questions).

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?

My experience with Southern Nuclear has been nothing short of wonderful! Despite it being my fourth internship term with them, this summer was my first time working at one of the plant sites. Getting to lend engineering support to daily operations, upgrades, and emergent issues was a completely different perspective to my previous terms, which helped develop my technical proficiency.
I worked with the Electrical Systems group. While I saw a bit of every system, I mainly worked with transformers. Among other things, I drafted functional test procedures, monitored a main generator current transformer, and contributed to the Plant Health Committee's response to hot voltage regulating transformers. Thus, there was a mix between office-type work and plant-type work, which was awesome.
All of my projects provided growth opportunities, and at the end of my rotation, I felt both technically stronger and more confident as an engineer!

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

Over this summer, I have gained more confidence diving into new situations, working with many different people, and asking questions. This experience helped me to realize that even though I'm only entry-level in experience, my participation and hard work are valuable.

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

Auburn prepared me well for my role: the awesome professors in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department generally emphasize the importance of understanding the material we learn—not just memorizing things—, and carrying this approach forward to my job helped me to contribute meaningfully. Also, my minor in B.E.T. (Business Engineering Technology) contributed problem solving and leadership skills to my toolbox, which definitely helped me to tackle challenges.