When Vincent Prieto began his Summer Youth Employment internship with Ontic MRO, he had a clear goal: he wanted an internship that could potentially lead to a job offer. At the time, however, he had little awareness of or interest in the aviation industry.
That changed through his internship experience.
Vincent quickly became immersed in Ontic’s workplace culture and developed a genuine interest in the aviation field. Through hands-on experience, he gained exposure to payroll, cross-department communication, team meetings, business operations, and how different departments work together to support a company. Vincent shared that seeing the “behind the scenes” of the organization helped him understand how departments function together, while attending meetings gave him valuable exposure to the professional corporate environment.
Throughout the internship, Vincent strengthened key workplace skills, including communication, adaptability, setting priorities, organization, typing, and Microsoft Excel. His supervisor consistently recognized his positive energy, eagerness to learn, strong time-management skills, and daily contributions. He also demonstrated growth in Vincent’s attention to detail and in balancing productivity with the quality and accuracy of his work.
Vincent made a meaningful impact on the business as well. His supervisor shared that he was able to step into a department function and assist with business-critical, time-sensitive tasks, providing valuable additional support to the team. One of his standout moments came when he successfully handled a human resources management project during an in-house event while his supervisor was absent, demonstrating initiative, responsibility, and his ability to step up when needed.
Ontic’s team also valued the opportunity to coach Vincent as he explored his future career aspirations. His supervisor described him as an ideal fit for the company and noted that his exposure to different areas of the workforce helped him begin envisioning new possibilities for his future.
By the end of the internship, Vincent’s experience had exceeded his original goal. He was offered the opportunity to continue working with Ontic and ultimately transitioned into a full-time Customer Service Representative.
For Vincent, the internship did more than lead to employment—it helped him discover a career field he had never previously considered.
As Vincent shared in his final evaluation, “I never thought aviation was in my career interest, but now it certainly is.” He also described the JA experience as an amazing connection between students and real-life work experience and said that he was “loving” his new position with Ontic.
Vincent’s journey demonstrates the impact of meaningful work-based learning: a summer internship can build professional skills, expose students to new industries, strengthen career confidence, and ultimately open the door to long-term employment and a new career path.
