
Most people who live in the Valley know someone who works at Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin company. Most people know that it is one of the largest defense contractors in the world, and the jobs are more valuable than gold.
During their Spring Recess, three juniors at Ansonia High School were notified that they would receive one of those golden tickets in the form of a paid internship this summer – and they are smiling from ear to ear.
Matt DeFelice, Ian Gifford and Anna Msciwujewska are Ansonia High’s first students to be accepted into the Teamsters-Sikorsky Career Pathways Union Mentoring Program. AHS is one of only eight schools in the region to be part of this program, in which they will work hand in hand with highly experienced union mentors learning the tasks and procedures necessary to build the finest and most sophisticated helicopters at Sikorsky’s world-class factories.
The students will now begin the official Lockheed Martin application process. A Parents’ Night event on June 20 will be hosted by the Teamsters-Sikorsky program, providing an overview of the summer experience for the new mentees.
“This is what happens when business and labor organizations partner to increase opportunities for our students,” said Dr. Joseph DiBacco, Assistant Superintendent of Schools. Dr. DiBacco worked with AHS Principal Paul Giansanti and Dennis Proto, the district’s Career and College Advisor, to get Ansonia High on the list of high schools in this program. “This program answers the question for the student who is taking an engineering or manufacturing class in high school: ‘Why am I taking this class? Where will it lead?’ These three students will get their answers this summer. And it could change their life’s trajectory forever.”
There are significant requirements in order to be accepted into this program. Students crafted a resume outlining their school and volunteer work, obtained two letters of recommendations from teachers, wrote an essay about why they want to work at Lockheed Martin, and provided a record of their grades. All three students earn As and Bs, are presently enrolled in either an engineering course or a technology education class at AHS, and have volunteered in the community. All three are members of AHS sports teams and several clubs.
When asked why they would want to work at Lockheed Martin, they responded, “The benefits.”
“The hands-on experience.” “It is a reliable job where you wouldn’t have to change jobs every three years; you can be there for the rest of your life.” “They may pay for college.”
All of those reasons, especially the last one, has made their parents very happy, they said.
Mr. Proto, who retired from Lockheed Martin several years ago, said this is an exceptional opportunity for Ansonia’s students. “This program has long been recognized as a premier internship program for high school students wishing to pursue a career in manufacturing,” he said. “The selection of
Anna, Ian and Matt is a reflection of their commitment to academic excellence, attendance, a positive attitude and their community.”
The student interns will work up to 40 hours a week for eight weeks this summer, starting as early as 6 a.m. They have applied to work in the riveter department (where parts are put together) and the tool crib (where tools are assigned throughout the day). They know they will be watched carefully, in order to determine if they improve their efficiency, learn to work independently and accurately. All three are interested in working as an electrical, mechanical or computer science engineer – and they said, with confidence, that they are up to the challenge this summer.