Three students from High Tech High School’s Design and Fabrication Academy (D|Fab) completed an intensive summer internship with STS Aerospace, a global leader in fluid conveyance products for commercial and military aircraft, as well as energy, space, and marine industries.
This unique opportunity was made possible through High Tech alumna Angelique Rivera (Class of 2018), a graduate of Mr. Gregory Simon’s architecture program who is now a Manufacturing Engineer at Kreisler, an STS Aerospace company. Angelique Rivera, who is pursuing a Master of Engineering in Engineering and Industrial Management at Stevens Institute of Technology, reached out to Simon in May to invite High Tech students to intern at the company.
“High Tech gave me so much, and I wanted to give back by offering students real-world experience in a field that’s growing rapidly,” said Angelique Rivera.
The interns—Kholoud Lahcini, Oviya Benington, and Aalaya Benington—each had unique experiences during their time at STS Aerospace, working closely with different departments.
Aalaya focused on facility planning, creating floor plan layouts for a new addition to the facility and proposing machinery placements using LEAN 5S principles to improve efficiency. She also applied GEMBA protocols to help identify and correct a manufacturing flaw and earned her Yellow Belt in the Belted Programme in Lean Six Sigma during the internship.
Kholoud supported a team preparing for a certification audit by developing detailed spreadsheets and pivot tables to track part information. She also observed orbital and manual welding processes and learned how to identify weld contamination on titanium and other metals.
Oviya worked in shipping and receiving, ensuring that all products entering or leaving the facility met strict quality standards. She used calipers, thread gauges, pins, and her favorite tool, the optical comparator, to inspect parts with precision.
At the conclusion of their internships, each student presented their work to STS Aerospace staff, Angelique Rivera, Gregory Simon, D|Fab Supervisor at High Tech, and Linda DiGiacomo, Work-Based Learning Coordinator.
“Each student’s presentation demonstrated how much they had grown professionally in a short time,” said Simon. “They applied classroom learning to real-world challenges and developed skills they’ll use for years to come.”
STS Aerospace leadership expressed how impressed they were by the students’ technical skills, professionalism, and eagerness to learn. The company looks forward to continuing its partnership with High Tech to provide more students with opportunities in aerospace engineering and manufacturing.
Angelique Rivera will also join the advisory committee for D|Fab’s newest program of study, Engineering Technology, which will feature an aerospace engineering component.
STS Aerospace continues to lead the aerospace industry by providing top-quality, reliable products and engineering expertise to solve today’s challenges and anticipate tomorrow’s needs.
