As Umatilla Electric Cooperative's (UEC) 2026 summer internship program wraps up, UEC has spent the month recognizing the students whose contributions and hands-on learning experiences helped support projects across the organization this summer. The final intern featured in this year's Meet the Intern series is Jacob Finch, an Engineering Intern from LeTourneau University.
Finch is entering his senior year at LeTourneau University, where he is pursuing a degree in electrical and computer engineering with a concentration in mechatronics. Throughout the summer, he worked alongside UEC's engineering department, assisting with projects that supported daily operations while expanding his technical knowledge and industry experience.
"As an engineering intern, I help with various projects that are learning opportunities or anything that needs extra hands," Finch said. "This could be a variety of things, such as collecting data, coding, making automation tools, drafting reports, and more."
Much of Finch's summer was spent helping set up SCADA systems and working with data management projects. One of his primary assignments involved developing a historian tool designed to help employees retrieve historical power usage information more efficiently.
A highlight of the internship was participating in an intern exchange program with fellow Engineering Intern Joseph Markwith. The pair spent a week with Potelco, Inc. in Sumner, Washington, learning about project management, transformer and cable replacement programs, team structures, and other aspects of utility operations.
Reflecting on his experience, Finch said adaptability was one of the most valuable lessons he learned.
"Most of my engineering projects this summer required me to learn something new," he said. "I had to be flexible and ready for whatever the next project might be."
As the 2026 internship program concludes, UEC extends its appreciation to Jacob and all this year's interns for their contributions throughout the summer. Through experiences across various departments, interns gained exposure to the cooperative industry while supporting the work that serves UEC members and communities each day.