Category: Applied Learning

Sarah Varner spends her days interning at the Walter H. Beech Wind Tunnel at Wichita State. For an aerospace engineering major, that time is one example of how the university’s applied learning opportunities are vital to starting a career. 

“Wichita State is unique in how many excellent opportunities engineering students have to get experience working while they pursue their degree,” she said. “It’s helpful to get relevant experience on one’s resume while in college.” 

Every degree at WSU offers applied learning or research opportunities. The salary Varner earns helps her navigate studies, work and financial necessities. 

Vivian Salazar is a junior at Wichita State majoring in mechanical engineering. On campus, Salazar is a maintenance, repair and overhaul engineering intern for The Smart Factory by Deloitte. At Deloitte, she supports the smart maintenance and repair facility by managing Industry 4.0 machinery.

Her responsibilities include maintaining high-end machinery like the Metal X 3D printer and CNC machine. Salazar’s supervision of these machines provides vital support for the smart maintenance and repair facility’s operations.

These machines create new projects and parts, which are exhibited to potential clients to display Industry 4.0 technology capabilities. Towards the end of the spring 2025 semester, she got to present these technologies to clients, getting introduced to a new interest: client-facing work.

“I enjoyed connecting with other companies to share what Deloitte’s partnership is like with Wichita State,” Salazar said.

Liza Danilova is a senior majoring in integrated marketing communications. Originally from Moscow, Russia, Danilova came to Kansas as an international student and has since embraced every opportunity to grow her skills and gain professional experience in the U.S. With a strong interest in social media management, she has taken on several roles at WSU that align with her career goals. As graduation approaches, Danilova’s diverse internships have equipped her with the skills and confidence to pursue her dream job in the field.

Danilova began her collegiate academic journey at Cowley County Community College, where she was already gaining hands-on experience. There, she held the role of social media ambassador, as a full-ride scholarship and was a sports videographer for her campus job — positions that not only supported her financially but also laid the groundwork for future opportunities at Wichita State.

Karaline Scott, a Wichita State electrical engineering sophomore, is currently interning for Professional Engineering Consultants. As a power and process division intern her tasks are focused on AutoCAD software, reading diagrams and schematics used in real world electrical systems.  

Scott has also learned how to read construction documents and how to handle client relationships on the job. Her experience also includes learning standard details and company standards. All creating her engineering foundation.   

“These are all skills that would be necessary to use in professional fields of engineering, no matter the specific concentration,” Scott said.   

As a freshman, Scott had trouble envisioning herself as an electrical engineer. These concerns initiated her internship search at the Shocker Career Accelerator’s Engineering & I.T. Career Fair. Her resume was workshopped by the College of Engineering’s Wallace Scholars beforehand, with her upper-level math and physics classes highlighted. 

Gabey Norris grew up watching her father work as a K-9 unit officer for Saline County in central Kansas. That upbringing sparked her interest in law enforcement and led her to Wichita State. 

“I love listening to my father tell his stories from work,” she said. “I have always been intrigued by investigations and all kinds of murder mystery shows. My biggest motivation is being able to help the public and bring closure to families who have lost a loved one or had one injured.” 

James Wright’s work in the Environmental Test Lab for the National Institute for Aviation Research includes measuring salt spray fallout, welding and CAD modeling. 

Through each day of his paid internship, one benefit stands out – problem solving. Wright, a Wichita State University senior majoring in aerospace engineering, is from Joplin, Missouri, and works as a mechanical student assistant at NIAR. 

“It’s a lot of problem solving,” he said. “I think that it’s vital to learn how to operate in this sort of environment while you’re at school, so that once you make it into the workforce you’re comfortable learning things the hard way and clawing your way up when you’re in a new and unfamiliar situation.” 

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.”

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. 

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.