Carter Duff standing outside the Wichita-Sedgwick County Law Enforcement Training Center

Carter Duff does not waste time. After transferring from Butler Community College, where he’d already earned 60 credits, Carter hit the ground running at Wichita State and secured a cybersecurity credential and hands-on experience with federal law enforcement.

This past spring, Carter interned with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), where his daily duties ranged from organizing case files to going on ride-alongs with special agents.

“Every day varied based on the tasks or objectives of the day,” Carter said. “A typical day could be anything from sorting case files to ride-alongs with special agents.”

Janett Lerma-Reyes operates equipment during her summer internship at Shuttlewagon in Kansas City

For Wichitan Janett Lerma-Reyes, a paid summer internship at Shuttlewagon has sharpened her technical skills and confirmed that she belongs in the world of manufacturing. 

The mechanical engineering sophomore at Wichita State University is spending 10 weeks as an operations intern at Shuttlewagon, a company based in Kansas City that designs and builds railcar movers, which are powerful vehicles used to move train cars in railyards, ports and industrial facilities.  

Getting paid during her internship has allowed her the ability to feel financially stable and maintain a work-life balance. 

Karaline Scott gives a WSU Shocker hand sign to the camera

Electrical engineering major Karaline Scott is getting an early start on her career path. The Wichita State sophomore is spending her summer at Professional Engineering Consultants, where she’s getting paid to work alongside industry professionals and experiencing how engineering concepts translate to real-world impact.

Scott, a sophomore electrical engineering major at Wichita State University, is part of PEC’s Power Engineering Team. Her days are filled with hands-on learning — from assisting in the design and revision of electrical wiring systems to gaining experience in AutoCAD and reading complex schematics.

As a fourth-year graphic design major at Wichita State, Janis Hwang has found her applied learning experience to be both creatively fulfilling and professionally transformative. Through her role designing for No Choice but Action, a project that aims to preserve and highlight Kansas’ often-overlooked role in American independent and post-punk music, she has been able to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to work as a designer in a real-world context.

Her primary responsibilities have included creating apparel designs and motion graphics for the organization’s social media presence. Janis said, “it’s been a great affirmation to work in a real client-designer setting.”

Headshot of Janis Hwang with greenery and a building blurred in the background
Haylee Thurman works with the robots in the NIAR Automation Research Center.

A senior in the applied engineering program with an emphasis in management, Shocker Haylee Thurman is scheduled to graduate this fall. Her academic journey, however, is only part of the story. Since the start of her college career, she has been steadily shaping a dynamic and impactful role in the world of research and development.

Haylee currently serves as the automation technical lead at the NIAR Automation Research Center, where she oversees a team of 12 students and staff across five ongoing projects. These projects cover a range of industries, including agriculture and aerospace. Her work encompasses industrial and digital design, and her daily responsibilities blend technical design with leadership and project management.

Tutor (316) content creators pose for a photo in the Wichita State Marcus Welcome Center. From left to right, Nyai Jackson, Kelsey Hernandez, Carolyn Henderson, Ian Cook, Kendah Ballout.

Tutor (316) is an organization dedicated to enhancing children’s literacy and mathematical development in partnership with local elementary schools. Tutor (316) proudly offers paid tutoring positions to Wichita State students through Federal Work-Study funding.

Read more about five college students who serve as content creators for the Tutor (316) program to learn how this role is shaping their future careers — one worksheet at a time.

Lauren’s path from Wichita State to NASA shows what’s possible when education meets opportunity. As an engineering student, she was handed meaningful work on day one, contributing to projects for the International Space Station and Artemis missions.

Photo of Alexandra Enmark standing on the steps outside of Wilner Auditorium

For Alexandra Enmark, applied learning at Wichita State has been more than a stepping stone — it’s been a launching pad toward her dream of one day starting her own theatre company.

A BFA student in design and technical theatre, Alexandra currently serves as a student intern in the School of Performing Arts (SPA) office. Her role is as dynamic and multifaceted as the theatre industry itself. She designs production programs, manages the SPA website, creates weekly newsletters, updates digital displays and ensures essential information is accessible for both students and faculty. It’s a unique blend of creativity, communication and logistics — all within the vibrant environment of the performing arts.

“This role has been an incredible stepping stone,” Alexandra said. “It’s given me real-world experience in arts administration, marketing, and organizational management — skills that pair perfectly with my major.”

Professional photo of Luke Samuelson. Luke has short brown hair and is looking right of the camera. He's wearing a button up fishing shirt.

Luke Samuelson, a senior majoring in game design, has found a unique intersection of creativity, technology and applied learning through his role at Shocker Studios. As an LED volume and game design lab technician, he is already laying the foundation for a career that blends the immersive world of game development with the rapidly evolving field of virtual production.

Luke’s role at Shocker Studios is funded by the Applied Learning Fund. This financial support has played a meaningful role in his academic journey.

“The greatest benefit from the scholarship is truly the ease of burden of not having to worry nearly as much about the financials of college,” Luke said.

Luke’s dream job would be to produce games for either AAA companies or as an independent developer while also working to develop scenes for virtual production.

Lena working on theatre set

As a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in design & technical theatre, Lena Castro has stepped into a leadership role that combines both technical expertise and mentorship. Lena’s applied learning experience as the head electrician and student lighting supervisor has been instrumental in shaping their skills and career aspirations.

Lena’s role is pivotal in transforming design concepts into fully realized stage productions. “My job is to interpret plots given to me by designers and put it on stage,” Lena said. “This process includes organizing, hanging, cabling, powering, addressing, programming, and more to make sure that everything is operational on the day of the show.”

Beyond their own technical responsibilities, Lena also oversees and teaches students who complete hands-on lab hours as part of their practicum. “Since we are a department of two people, practicum students really help with the many-hands-make-light-work aspect to get shows done in a timely manner.”