Co-op student works to make her dream a reality

<p>Southern Company’s Katie Wright is building on four terms as a co-op student to continue her growth with the company as a part-time intern.</p>
<p>Growing up, Katie found her passion for engineering at a young age as she worked alongside her father in construction. Katie credits him with instilling a strong work ethic and motivation to work toward her goals.</p>
<p>Once she discovered her passion, Katie was determined to earn her engineering degree and one day work for Southern Company. Katie knew she couldn’t achieve this goal on her own, so she applied for the University of Alabama’s National Alumni Association Scholarship to help fund her education.</p>
<p>“With the help of the National Alumni Association Scholarship, I received my degree to work toward my dream job as an engineer at Southern Company,” Katie said.</p>
<p>Katie started her Southern Company journey as a freshman at the University of Alabama, working in Alabama Power’s distribution department. With only one engineering class under her belt, she felt like a fish out of water at first. By her second co-op rotation, everything started making sense as she began to link what she learned in class to what she experienced at work.</p>
<p>Her first two rotations were spent in the field, exposing her to the backbone of the company. Then, her third and fourth rotations showed her the corporate side of the business. Throughout each of her co-op terms, Katie looked to her managers for guidance. She asked for more responsibility and earned the trust of those around her.</p>
<p>“I always try to ask for more responsibility so I can learn as much as possible,” Katie explained. “My motto and biggest piece of advice for other students is to open up your mind and learn from those around you.”</p>
<p>Now, as an intern for Alabama Power’s Western Division in Power Delivery Distribution Engineering, Katie works with reliability, power quality and various special projects. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Katie attributes her experience and success to her father, the University of Alabama’s National Alumni Association and Southern Company. Katie explains, “I truly could not have done it without this scholarship and the support from Alabama Power and Southern Company Alumni.”</p>