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"It's a good way to get new employees and try
them out," he said. "So you bring them in on a
12-week internship, see how they work, see how they
interact with everyone."
From Legos to engineering
In addition to engineering students from local
colleges, Protonex also hires interns from high
schools. These teenagers' job duties often include
handling ordering, assist engineers in drawing cable
designs and running lab tests, and research
European directives the company needs to comply
with – not to mention putting their time in English
class to good use.
"Usually their grammar skills are better than the
engineers'," Bonnie said. "Engineers are notoriously
bad at that."
Nadia Wong, a Southborough 16-year-old who's
interning at the company this summer said she took
on real responsibilities right away, including order-
ing parts and logging receipts.
"It's a bit stressful, to be honest, because people
are relying on you to do the work right," she said.
"But I feel like it's been a really good experience."
Wong, who's following in her older sister's foot-
steps interning at Protonex, said she's been drawn
to engineering since she was playing with Legos as
a kid.
"I'm kind of looking to get a major in
engineering in college, so this is definitely bringing
me closer," she said.
Engineering & business
Meanwhile, at Cogmedix, a Worcester medical
device company part of the Coghlin Cos. group,
Laura Sacco of Southborough is doing her second
summer internship, working in quality and
compliance.
Continued on page 14
Nadia
Wong, 16
Intern,
Protonex Technology
Corp., Southborough
Lives: Southborough
Makes: Portable
power solutions
Career aspirations:
Engineering career
Pay: Above minimum
wage, with potential
for raises
P H O T O / N A T H A N F I S K E
