As a field services intern, Olsson’s Mia Toigo enjoys the variety of her days. You can find her in the field gaining technical expertise, working on site maps and geotechnical reports, or – her personal favorite – building relationships and learning from her co-workers. 

Mia recently gave us a sneak peek into her day as an Olsson intern:

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We’re glad Mia enjoyed a summer of new experiences and had plenty of fun along the way. When asked about her internship, she said “It has opened my eyes to different possibilities for my future.” 

We believe those possibilities are endless. An aspiring engineer, Mia enters her junior year this fall studying civil engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She’ll continue year two of her Olsson internship on the Field Services team. 

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Q: What led you to apply for an Olsson internship? 

Olsson was the top company that I wanted to intern for because of the amazing reports I heard about their work culture. As a woman in engineering, this is something that I deeply value in a potential internship. I am happy to say that this supportive and respectful work culture lived up to the reports.  

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Q: What has been your favorite part of your internship this summer? 

My favorite part of my internship is how I am challenged. As I become comfortable with different aspects of my internship, I am soon offered new tasks to work on and master. I am constantly given new opportunities to push myself, and yet I never feel unprepared for the tasks I am asked to take on. From starting in the soils lab running tests to writing small sections of simple geotechnical reports, this internship has given me so many opportunities to grow in my technical skills.  

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Q: What does a typical day or week of work look like for you? 

My schedule is flexible, but I begin most days in the office by checking emails; from here, I see what items the engineers need me to work on and plan out my schedule. In my internship, I work on the appendix of the geotechnical report that an engineer sends out to a client and to a contractor. This means I create site location maps, boring location maps, boring logs, and profiles. Creating these items is the bulk of my work. However, during the summer I can attend more meetings. I enjoy sitting in on meetings because it gives me a look into the collaborative nature of projects and what that looks like in a professional setting.  

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Q: What insights did you gain about your career path through your internship? 

My favorite days are the ones where I get to go to meetings, get trained on something, go to the field, or do anything that involves interacting with others. Through coaching sessions with my supervisor, I’ve started to debate getting an MBA. Possibly attending graduate school and pursuing a career that lies in client relationships or team leading isn’t something that I expected to get out of this internship, but it is something I am incredibly grateful for. It has opened my eyes to different possibilities for my future.  

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Q: Advice for students looking for an internship? 

My biggest advice to students looking for an internship is to start early and to use your resources. Your university has career services and other programs available to help you connect with recruiters and companies. Preparation is key and gives you the greatest chance of success. Most importantly, have confidence. Remember what makes you a valuable candidate and showcase those talents to potential employers. Recruiters are excited to talk to you as well, so be brave and put your best foot forward!