Each year on the last Thursday of July, National Intern Day celebrates the important role internships play in helping students gain real-world experience. But for College Possible students Shania and Grace, internships do even more—they offer a chance to explore careers, build professional networks, and gain exposure to the hidden curriculum of college success.
We’re proud to highlight the incredible work these two students are doing as they take bold steps toward their educational and career goals.
Shania: Strengthening Communities Through Economic Development
A student at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, Shania is a year-round marketing and sales intern at Union Pacific, where she works with the economic development team. Her work focuses on building relationships with economic development organizations across the company’s network and identifying rail-accessible sites that could serve as future locations for Union Pacific customers.
In addition to her core role, Shania is deeply involved in Union Pacific’s intern culture—she participates in intern committees, supports employee-led initiatives through the Latino Employee Network resource group, and serves as a student ambassador for the intern program. Recently, she represented the company while recruiting with the marketing and sales team at UNL.
Grace: Learning the Business of Logistics
Grace, a student at the University of Nebraska Omaha, is interning year-round at Loup Logistics, a Union Pacific subsidiary that focuses on logistics and transload services. As a transload facilities intern, Grace supports the back-end management of facility operations and gains exposure to both the financial and legal aspects that keep each transload site fully functional.
Her experience has taken her beyond the office—she’s attended community events like the College World Series with fellow Union Pacific interns and spent time volunteering at the Food Bank for the Heartland with Union Pacific employees. These moments reflect the broad scope of learning and connection internships can provide.
The Bigger Picture: Internships and the Hidden Curriculum
Internships like Shania’s and Grace’s offer so much more than hands-on experience. They introduce students—especially first-generation college students—to the unwritten norms of professional life: how to network, navigate workplace expectations, and advocate for their goals.
College Possible encourages students to pursue internships not only to gain experience, but also to build confidence and access opportunities that may otherwise feel out of reach. By helping students navigate internship application timelines, prepare resumes, and practice professional communication, College Possible supports students in stepping into spaces where they can thrive.
On this National Intern Day, we celebrate the ambition and dedication of students like Shania and Grace—who are not just imagining their futures, but actively building them.
