WILLISTON, N.D. - Williston State College students Brian Ensrud and Dawson Liedle can now add Hess Corporation to their resumes when they begin their ten-week Reliability Operator Internships May 23.

Hess offered five internships in the Petroleum Production and Instrument and Electrical (I&E) areas. Thirty students from WSC, Bismarck State College, and North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) applied for Hess's internship positions. Fifteen out of those thirty were WSC students.

WSC's location for petroleum students interested Hess as several of the applicants live near or in the Tioga area where the internships will be headquartered.

"The students' familiarity with the area was a benefit that helped make our decision," Eugenio (EJ) Alemany, Hess HR Recruiting Specialist, stated. "WSC students were well prepared with the skills and training needed for a career in the oil and gas industry."

Ensrud and Liedle will be assigned a Hess Reliability Operator or I&E Technician employee mentor. Both WSC students will spend each day with the mentor learning the job duties, daily routines, and expectations for those positions.

"When applying, there were many details that students may not think of that WSC faculty and staff were more than willing to help me with," Ensrud explained. "WSC makes available all of the tools necessary to prepare students for an interview, which has been tremendously helpful to me in being chosen for this internship."

Liedle agreed, stating that professors for the petroleum program at WSC go the extra mile to prepare students for real world situations.

"It is telling that Hess received over thirty applications for five positions," stated Mack McGillivray, WSC Petroleum Technology Instructor, "and our students got two of the five. We are very excited about the future between WSC and Hess."

McGillivray invited Alemany to join WSC's Petroleum Technology Advisory Committee in the hope that developing a close relationship with Hess will encourage internships and other opportunities that will be mutually beneficial to WSC students and the Hess Corporation.