Past Illinois Tollway Interns Share Their Experiences
The Illinois Tollway is inviting college students to apply for its 2024 Internship Program with opportunities to learn firsthand about engineering, information technology, finance, communications and many more professional careers in the transportation industry. Eligible students can apply online on the Tollway’s website through March 31.
The Tollway’s internships pay $17/hour and include an annual summer Professional Services Internship that offers students an opportunity to work with assigned mentors to develop and apply new professional skills.
Additionally, year-long Engineering Cooperative Education Internships are available to provide engineering students with a collaborative learning experience that enables them to use their academic knowledge while they work on specific construction projects under the guidance of Illinois Tollway engineering project managers.
We asked past Illinois Tollway interns for their thoughts on the internship program.
Q: How did the internship help you advance your career goals?
Paige Smart, Illinois State University: It definitely provided me a more structured idea of what my goals should look like. I thought before, “I want eventually to have a good job.” But now I know what my interests are.
Q: What is the culture like for interns at the Illinois Tollway?
Lluvia Hernandez-Aguirre, Governors State University: There are a whole bunch of people from all over the organization that are more than willing to help you, to push you to learn different things you want to learn. This is a very supportive, positive and very helpful group here.
Q: Did you gain any new skills through the internship?
Drew Shadle, Illinois State University: Before coming in, I was very reserved. I didn’t have much experience doing anything business-wise, talking in front of people in a business setting, kind of getting comfortable exactly what to do, what to say, what to not say in a work environment. They kind of gave me the confidence to understand exactly how to flow in a business setting.
Q: How did this internship help you as a future transportation industry professional?
Tisa Patel, University of Illinois Chicago: Really helped me get my foot into the engineering field and meet a bunch of new people. I think this is a great start for my first internship. So, I’m really excited to see what happens next.
Students interested in learning more about the Illinois Tollway Internship Program can sign up for a live online information session on Wednesday, March 13, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., or view a recording of the session in the Careers section on the Tollway’s website.