The Intern Report: A Summer at SPP
For the 2026 Summer Internship Program, SPP hosted 21 students from across the country for six weeks of learning, asking questions, team outings and of course, Fun Fridays.
Departments mentoring the interns included Engineering, IT, the Market Monitoring Unit (MMU), Settlements, and Communications.
Tyler McCann, a senior studying electrical engineering at Arkansas Tech University, worked with the Operations Planning group.
"My project this summer was [helping map] the West," McCann said. "With the western expansion [of the SPP footprint], a lot of the models we get from the generator owners don't necessarily line up with what we have mapped for them. To complete the stability studies each day, the models need to match."
To cap off their time at SPP, interns celebrated their graduation from the program July 31 with staff and officers when each intern presented on the work they took on, both on and off campus.
President and CEO Lanny Nickell, kicked off the event by talking with interns about finding their ideal job and what to look for in an interview process. He shared what he believes are the three keys to success: passion, effort and mindset.
“Be excited and have passion for what you’re doing,” Nickell said. “It could take time to build that excitement but feel good about what you do and accomplish at work each day. Bring your best every day and keep a good mindset. If you have all three, you’ll be successful wherever you go.”
Coming into the program, many interns had their own idea of what the energy industry and an internship looked like. Six weeks in, most left with a different picture.
Carson Robichaud, mechanical engineering student at the University of Arkansas, worked with the Resource Adequacy department.
“I was surprised with how much goes into the power industry and what it really means to keep the lights on,” he said. “You need a lot of hands to do that.”
He added, “I thought the internship would be more hands off. Coffee grabbing, going to the printer, watching over someone’s shoulder while they work, but that was not the case. It was very hands-on. As soon as you start, you’re a full-time employee. You’re treated the same as everyone else, but your team still has the understanding that you’re an intern and still learning."
Kurtis Denton, supervisor of talent acquisition, has overseen the internship program for two years, recruiting top college candidates through career fairs, word of mouth, social media and returning talent.
“As our early-career strategy has evolved and starts to take shape, so has our approach to internships,” Denton said. “We view these students as the future of the energy industry. The internship gives them a chance to test the waters and gain valuable hands-on experience, while allowing us to see the unique insights and work ethic they bring to the table. It’s a proven pathway to long-term success, highlighted by the fact that over the last 16 years, we find that 82% of interns are still employed at SPP.”
As interns head back to their college campuses, they leave SPP with more than a summer of work experience. SPP internships feature real projects, real relationships and a firsthand look at what it takes to power the grid. We’re proud of what this class accomplished in their short six weeks and we can’t wait to see where they go, or come back to, next!
