Posted on August 19, 2015 by KC Gonzalez
Matthew Chavana at JetBlue's Headquarters
Business student Matthew Chavana left San Antonio this summer to pursue an internship opportunity with JetBlue, a Fortune 500 company.
Chavana, a junior majoring in finance, was one of only 28 interns selected to work at JetBlue’s New York headquarters this summer from 3,000 applicants.
“I’ve always been interested in aviation,” said Chavana, a college crew intern in strategic sourcing. Using the power of Google, Chavana applied for the JetBlue position online and received the offer after numerous phone and Skype interviews.
Chavana worked on two major projects during his internship. First, he developed a comprehensive system for managing high-value contracts at JetBlue. Then, following personal ambition he researched cost saving measures for the airline.
“At an airline input costs are very high,” he said. “When you can keep costs down that is very important. By changing one aspect of an operation you can save money for the company.”
Through modeling he found that if they could remove just one can of soda from each aircraft they could save $29,000 in fuel.
And, the perks of working at an airline were not lost on Chavana. He was flown to Orlando for orientation and even got to pilot a flight simulator. “The office culture is that employees come to work on Friday with a suitcase so they can head to the airport after work and utilize the company’s free flight benefits,” he said.
“It’s been an amazing experience,” he said. “I’m laser focused on a career in aviation now. This internship has been a valuable experience for me. I’ve learned a lot about the industry, and I’ve developed networks that will be invaluable to my career future.”
Wendy Frost—
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— KC Gonzalez
