Part of having an internship is learning the culture of your organization. So it’s no surprise that OUC’s interns marked National Intern Day (held on the last Thursday in July) by giving back to the community.

National Intern Day is a day to celebrate interns and recognize their contributions to organizations. OUC’s internship program is called the Emerging Student Program. (Meet some of our interns in this video.)

We celebrated the National Intern Day through a volunteer effort at Second Harvest Food Bank in Orlando. More than 50 interns packaged meals for Central Florida children with food insecurity.

“It was so fun to volunteer with OUC and give back,” said Jayssa Williams, Financial and Support Services intern. “As the hometown utility, it’s nice to go above and beyond for our community.”

Then, the interns spent the afternoon at OUC’s Pershing facility where they were joined by Tim Strimel, Manager of Talent Development. Strimel divided the interns into teams for a friendly light bulb circuit competition.

“It was nice break to the traditional work week,” said Jack Teegarden, Corporate Analytics and IT Intern. “The event allowed us to build camaraderie with other interns while providing a nice service to the community.”

The day also gave the participants an opportunity to reflect on the past few months working at the Commission.

“My time at OUC has helped prepare me for the real world,” said Savanna Ogburn, Corporate Communications Intern. “I know how important it is to gain valuable experience while in school, and I’m so thankful to be given this opportunity.”