Empowering Through Mentorship: Covia’s Internship Program

Covia is investing in the future of the mining and mineral industry by working to educate, empower, and provide real-world experience to the next generation. Over the past two years, Covia has revitalized our internship program – offering students across the country a chance to learn from expert mentors in disciplines across the organization.

With summer coming to a close, we want to look back and highlight our 2024 class of interns. Read on to learn more about Covia’s internship program, our interns’ capstone projects, and what we have planned for the next generation of Covia employees.

Covia’s Internship Program

Covia’s internship program relaunched in 2023 – featuring a new 10-week educational course, weekly discussions and networking opportunities with industry experts, and a capstone project that encapsulates their experience and what they learned. Two of the interns from that class have since become full-time members of the Covia team.

This year, Covia welcomed 10 college students from across the country to our team. The students were recruited from a selection of the best mining, business, and engineering programs in the U.S., including Michigan Tech, Missouri University of Science and Technology, and Virginia Tech. Over the past three months, we have watched our interns grow and flourish as they contributed to various operations and departments across Covia.

In addition to the educational and practical elements of the program, interns are encouraged to connect with fellow interns, network with guest speakers after Thank Goodness It’s Internship Friday (TGIIF) events and collaborate with each other through a dedicated channel on Covia’s intranet. Covia team members from the plant level to senior leadership helped these young professionals prepare for their future careers – from practical experience to building up their LinkedIn and networking skills.

TGIIF: Thank Goodness It’s Internship Friday

The TGIIF events were an important part of this year’s internship program – giving interns the chance to learn from and connect with Covia experts like former Covia intern and current plant manager, Brent Fremont.

“I was thrilled to be a part of the Internship Program. Having been an intern myself, it means a lot to me to see the next generation experience Covia and to have the chance to share my knowledge and experiences with these bright young people.”

During their final TGIIF, interns were tasked with putting together a final project to highlight what they’ve learned and accomplished throughout the program.

Intern Spotlight: Victoria Oginski

Victoria Oginski, who is pursuing a degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of California, Berkley, was a product development engineering intern at our Fort Smith, Arkansas, plant this past summer. Her capstone presentation highlights two major projects she worked on during her internship under the guidance of her mentor, Joe Azucena, Development Engineer.

The first project was dedicated to optimizing the amount of grinding aid for the plant’s mill. The second project involved waste reduction and recycling management. Her research and data helped the plant find significant savings over one month, with the potential for much more through further recycling measures.

Intern Spotlight: Cayleigh Ana Kruse

Cayleigh Ana Kruse, who is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing at East Carolina University in North Carolina, was an intern at our Huntersville, North Carolina, office.

During her time at Covia, Cayleigh Ana attended numerous meetings with Covia’s sales and marketing teams. One meeting that really stood out was with the marketing team from Mexico, where they chatted about a new opportunity for Covia: the hobby-ware ceramic line.

During the conversation about naming, Cayleigh Ana paid attention to the naming guidelines and came up with a few suggestions of her own—one of which was chosen as the name for Covia's new ceramic line.

Like Victoria and Cayleigh, each intern was deeply involved with the work of the Covia team during their time with the company. At the end of the program, each intern summarized their experiences and learning when they presented their capstone project to an audience of Covia executives. One theme that clearly emerged was that the interns valued the chance to contribute in meaningful ways—and their Covia colleagues valued their insights and perspective.

Shining a Light for the Next Generation

We are grateful for the incredible work and dedication of this year’s class of interns. We look forward to the future innovations that these talented students will bring to the mining and mineral industry upon graduation.

As this year’s program concludes, we also look forward to the next class of Covia interns. Covia is always looking for talented individuals to join our talented team. Whether you are a college student looking for a summer internship in 2025 and beyond, or if you are an industry professional looking for an organization that empowers its team to succeed, consider checking out our careers page to find an opportunity near you.