WILLISTON, N.D. - Williston State College students Dawson Liedle and Brian Ensrud were honored in a program July 27 at the Hess Corporation's office in Minot after they completed their Hess summer internships.
Liedle and Ensrud were among six interns who gave presentations on their experiences as a Hess summer intern to their mentors, supervisors, and instructors.
Hess offered six summer internships in the Petroleum Production and Instrument and Electrical (I&E) areas. Forty students from WSC, Bismarck State College, and North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) applied for Hess's internship positions. Fifteen out of those forty were WSC students.
The six interns worked in various Hess locations: Tioga field office and gas plant, the Killdeer and Keene field offices, and the Minot office.
"The WSC students worked as Reliability Operator interns at the Hess Field Office in Tioga," explained Mack McGillivray, WSC Petroleum Technology Instructor. "They began their presentations by informing us of their personal ties to Hess and the Tioga area."
Liedle grew up in Tioga and became a fourth generation Hess employee with this internship. The third well drilled in North Dakota was on Liedle's family land.
Ensrud's mother is from Tioga, where his grandfather still resides with several well pads on his land.
Ensrud and Liedle were assigned a Hess Reliability Operator or an I&E Technician employee mentor. Both WSC students spent each day with their mentor learning the job duties, daily routines, and expectations for those positions.
"Both Brian and Dawson were excellent employees," explained Eugenio (EJ) Alemany, Hess HR Recruiting Specialist. "The WSC students were well prepared with the skills and training needed for a career in the oil and gas industry."
Both Liedle and Ensrud agreed that their time spent at WSC helped prepare them for their internships at Hess. Both intend on applying for full-time positions with Hess.
Julie Vetter, Hess Training Supervisor, developed Hess's summer internship program to target students with specific training from two-year colleges in North Dakota. Because of its success, Hess is examining expansion of the summer internship program to operations in other states.
"I was very proud of our students in this program," stated Pamela Rasmussen, WSC's TREND Grant Director and Career Navigator. "We are so thankful to the entire Hess organization for the consideration of our students and their continuing relationship with WSC."
For more information on WSC please visit www.willistonstate.edu,
call 1.888.863.9455, or stop by 1410 University Avenue, Williston, ND.