Katie Purdy, Blackwell, recently completed a Northern Oklahoma College internship with Gose and Associates, Stillwater.
An NOC Tonkawa student, Purdy graduated this spring with an Associate in Science degree in Pre-Engineering and earned a spot on the President's Honor Roll. She will transfer to Oklahoma State University in the fall and major in civil engineering.
Purdy credits Stephen Gose for making the internship a good atmosphere for learning. “Stephen was there for support and answered every question I had about civil engineering,” the Hominy High School graduate said.
“I knew I wanted to transfer to OSU and major in some type of engineering, but spending time at Gose and Associates made civil engineering an easy decision,” said Purdy. She continued, “I gained experience in the CAD program and was included in sludge testing.”
During the internship, Purdy matched her classroom academics with real-world projects. She discovered how the CAD software assisted with designing building layouts and housing complexes and used her computer skills to create templates using Excel and Access.
“I was surprised by the amount of office work it took to keep Gose and Associates running,” she commented.
Gose was impressed with Purdy’s attitude. “Katie jumped right into the tasks we lined up for her and performed high quality work,” he said.
“We let Katie know that if she ended up in Stillwater and would like a job, we would welcome her back,” Gose continued.
Dr. Rae Ann Kruse, dean of academic services, helps NOC students obtain and complete internships. “We appreciate the local companies who assist NOC students in finding their passion. It is a win-win for the community to build relationship with the next generation of workers and for college students to meet experts in their field,” she said. For information on providing an internship opportunity, contact Kruse at 580.628.6341.