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Where are they Now? Former Campus Reach Intern, Mikayla Kim

mkim
Employee
Employee

We’re often asked if Campus Reach Interns are ever hired for full-time employment after their internship. Our answer: we love hiring Interns! The Campus Reach Program has built a talent acquisition pipeline here at Southwest, so you will see many of our former Interns roaming the hallways now as full-time Southwest Employees. 

 

Mikayla Kim interned in the Central Publications Department's Technical Operations Team back in Fall 2016 and Summer 2017, and is now a Technical Writer I in the Central Publications Department's Technical Operations Team. Read on to learn more about her journey.

 

     Heart     Interested in becoming a Southwest Employee? Visit our Southwest Careers Discussion Forum to learn more about joining our Team. 

 Former Intern Mikayla, age six, sleeping on a Southwest Airlines flight.Former Intern Mikayla, age six, sleeping on a Southwest Airlines flight.Year/Semester of internship: Fall 2016 and Summer 2017.

 

Department/Team interned for: Central Publications/Technical Operations.

 

Department/Team and current job title: Central Publications/Technical Operations, Technical Writer I.

 

Years at Southwest: Officially, about five months, but my parents have pictures of six-year-old me sleeping on the seats of one of our retired 737-300s, so I like to think I’ve been around a lot longer. 

 

Favorite Southwest city: Portland, OR. I’d never “fallen in love” with a city before I visited Portland, despite having traveled around my whole life. This city and the area around it have everything: great food, craft beer, mountains, beaches, and a flavorful local culture. I can’t wait to go back.

 

Most memorable Southwest moment/event: Getting offered a full-time position the day before I graduated from college. Knowing I was going to be a part of the Southwest Family made the celebration even sweeter!

 

First ever job: I started teaching private piano lessons to elementary students at 17. I had no idea what I was doing, and wasn’t even sure if I would enjoy it, but after a year, I had over a dozen students and loved teaching each one! Even though I’m not teaching at the moment, music continues to be a huge part of my life.

 

Proudest Southwest moment: Greeting my Manager and Supervisor the morning I walked in as a full-time Employee. Both had mentored and trained me when I was an Intern, so it was a proud moment to celebrate with them.

 

Words to live by: Work hard, play nice, and live so that you won’t regret anything.

 

Reasons other people should Intern at Southwest: Oh, so many reasons. The Campus Reach Team works hard to make the program a well-rounded, Fun-LUVing experience for each class. In addition to receiving valuable professional experience, I participated in activities that ranged from water gun fights and scavenger hunts to resume workshops and mock interviews—and those were only the Monday through Friday activities. Traveling the continent was also a huge perk.

 

Ultimate Travel Tip: Pack light. I love to spend as much time as possible exploring new cities, so it’s easier if I have less stuff weighing me down. For day and weekend trips, I pack only as much as I can carry with me for a day of sightseeing.