Selma High soon-to-be senior Frankie Alvarez-Alvarado worked alongside experts as a paid intern through the Valley Regional Occupational Program.
He was able to shadow different positions within the Sanitation District, including operations, engineering, lab, administration and sewer maintenance.
He said his favorite part was being in the truck and on the streets.
"It was the most interesting because you get to go places, you notice that there's way more manholes than you thought, and where all the stations are, and what they do that you never noticed before," Frankie said.
Frankie is one of dozens of students who took part in a summer internship.
Each is matched with companies that align with their educational pathway. For Frankie, that was design and engineering.
Every student had to create a resume and interview with people like General Manager Veronica Cantu Cazares.
She says it's the seventh year they've worked with VROP interns, and it helps expose students to future careers.
"They can be an operator, and that's the person who operates a plant. They can even be an admin. We have an accountant, we have a general manager, we have human resources. There's a plethora of careers that they can avail themselves to that don't necessarily require a degree," Cantu Cazares said.
For Frankie, through this experience, he created his first resume, had his first job interview and held his first job -- all valuable skills that will help him reach his goal of one day becoming a mechanical or civil engineer.
"Everything that applies to getting a job, I got from here," Frankie said.
Because he worked at the sanitation district, he'll think twice about what goes down the drain.
"Now I know how it works. I will always be more mindful about it. I'll probably never forget this," Frankie said.
After their 80 hours were complete, students presented what they learned.
They shared with the wastewater board all of the details of their experiences and the skills they built during their internship.
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