The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the body responsible for planning and ensuring reliable transportation across Texas, has expressed admiration for the career trajectories of its former interns. These individuals, who began their journeys as high school students, have now become leaders in their respective fields.

TxDOT describes its Summer Internship program as a rigorous one that immerses students in a business environment where they learn about engineering and maintenance. El Paso District Engineer Thomas Trevino, an alumnus of the program himself, shared his insights on the initiative. He said, "The summer program provides students the opportunity to gain practical engineering and maintenance experience, which they will carry with them for the rest of their careers. Being a participant of this program myself, it gave me the opportunity to gain valuable perspectives and experience to start my engineering career."

TxDOT further elaborates that the program is designed to aid high school and college students seeking hands-on experience in engineering and maintenance. The eligibility criteria are minimal - applicants must be at least 16 years old, eligible to work in the U.S., and must submit an employment application. The internship runs annually from May 1st to August 15th, with interns receiving an hourly wage.

According to TxDOT, several alumni of the program continue to serve within the department. Ivan Ramirez, who began his journey as an engineer assistant through this program said, "I started at TxDOT as a junior in high school and spent seven summers rotating to different sections until I completed my bachelor’s degree. The main reason I kept coming back was because I was challenged to learn from engineers and technicians in the field of work that intrigued me the most. Every semester my courses would somehow coincide with my summers, and I loved that the most." Prior to assuming his current role in design, Ramirez worked at the District office.