Two South Carolina State students have been selected as the first to participate in the Charleston County Aviation Authority’s internship program.
Temarrick Hemingway of Loris and Claudia Thompson of Woodstock, Georgia, were chosen from among five finalists and will begin their 10-week internship on May 18.
The CCAA internship program is designed to give students from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds the opportunity for hands-on experience in airport operations and management. It also furthers the Aviation Authority’s commitment to cultivating and recruiting a diverse workforce through community and educational outreach.
This summer marks the first year of the internships. S.C. State kicks off the program, which could expand to other colleges and universities in the future.
“I’m pleased that these two outstanding S.C. State students will join us this summer,” said Paul G. Campbell Jr., director of airports for the Charleston County Aviation Authority.
“Working at an airport is an exciting opportunity to learn about the many facets of aviation and airport operations,” Campbell said. “The internship benefits students because it creates educational opportunities that will help them develop the skills needed to seek employment in the aviation industry.”
Hemingway is a working on his bachelor’s degree in business administration-management. He is currently attending S.C. State on a football scholarship and has a 3.35 grade-point average.
A member of the Student Human Resource Management Society, he also is a volunteer with the Orangeburg Habitat for Humanity and the Cedar Branch Community Empowerment Center in Little River.
Hemingway aspires to work in human resources or lead a board of directors for a major company. Later, he would like to run his own business.
“Being exposed to several different departments at the airport will give me insight into what each department contributes to the organization as a whole, and how they all interact with each other to achieve their organization’s mission,” Hemingway said.
Thompson is a 2013 graduate of S.C. State, where she earned an undergraduate degree in physics with a minor in medical physics. She is currently working toward her master’s in Transportation at S.C. State and is conducting a research on transit oriented development and greenhouse emissions.
As a member of the S.C. State marching band, she pays French horn and oboe. A scholarship recipient, Thompson has a 4.0 grade point average.
After she completes her education, which includes earning a doctorate, Thompson wants to work in the transportation field, finding environmentally friendly solutions to transportation problems.
“Airport operations will be a new aspect of transportation for me, but I look forward to gaining as much knowledge as I can,” Thompson said. “This internship will prepare me for my career by allowing me to experience different components of transportation.”
The airport interns will spend time in each of the Aviation Authority’s 13 departments, including operations, finance, engineering, police, security and transportation at Charleston International, Mount Pleasant Regional Airport and Charleston Executive Airport on Johns Island.