Summer Interns Gain Valuable Experience at UGI

July 31, 2025 is National Intern Day, dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the future leaders of the world. UGI Utilities is proud to welcome interns this summer to gain experience in the energy industry.

UGI interns are learning new programs, software and procedures, as well as getting a taste for expectations of how one should dress, behave, and interact with others in a professional setting.  Apart from these necessary workplace skills, many interns are gaining an understanding of how the natural gas and electric industry works and the vastness of our service territory. This year, all of our UGI interns have a focus in Engineering, which is a critical component to the safe delivery of energy to our customers.

Joseph M., Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University Class of 2027

I’m a design engineer intern working on projects in the Lehigh area. Through this internship I can work on the planning of my own project, being a main extension and meter relocation, along with working more collaboratively, helping to prep and pull the needed documents for the uprating of a subsystem in Hazelton. The experience I’m gaining here – working as part of a bigger team and coordinating with operations, asking other engineers for help, and planning with and around various other crews and seeing that process from behind the desk to out in the field – are some of the most valuable lessons I’m learning.

Natalie K., Electrical Engineering Technology – Penn State Wilkes-Barre Class of 2026

I’m a Distribution Intern, learning about overhead and underground distribution in the Electric division. I’ve learned how to trace the services coming off of a transformer. This was done to check how many customers were on each transformer to determine if the transformer was overloaded. This internship helped me broaden my knowledge and experience in the electrical engineering field. I was able to gain more practical knowledge on how my coursework is applied in a career setting. I would like to continue my pursuit of a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology after this internship.

Luke M., Mechanical Engineering – University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Class of 2026

I am an engineering intern at the Middletown, PA office and have been working on evaluating our current odorant test locations, correcting data on vintage PE mains, and the design for a bare steel replacement project. I have learned how to use multiple new programs like Civil 3D, Design Manager, and Synergi. My previous internships were in manufacturing and test engineering, so I was interested in trying out something new. I had heard great things about UGI Utilities, and it has turned out to be a great fit.

David B., Mechanical Engineering – Penn State Harrisburg Class of 2026

As an engineering intern, my responsibilities include designing regulator stations on CAD with their respective bill of materials, designing standards for rotary meter sets, organizing farm tap information, attending project meetings, and working with other engineers in my department. I had very little knowledge of the gas industry prior to the job, and I feel I have learned an immense amount. I wanted this internship to challenge myself in an industry I had little prior knowledge of. The knowledge I have gained will be irreplaceable in the gas industry, and the real-world experience will help me finish my last year of college strong!

At UGI, interns play a crucial role in the organization, bringing new energy, fresh perspectives, and innovative ideas that help fuel our growth. Not only do our interns benefit from real-world exposure and industry-specific knowledge, but our UGI staff also benefit by playing mentorship roles, thereby enhancing real-world leadership skills.

Furthermore, UGI is proud to say that students have used their internships as a stepping stone to full-time employment by UGI. Steven, Jordan, Jena, and Ashley are excellent examples of employees who demonstrate that the internship program does what it should: provides a training ground to learn what it takes to become a future leader of the business.

Stephen W., Manager Operations Program, was an intern in 2015, 2016, and then hired full time in 2017.

I enjoyed my time as an intern. I got to spend time traveling to several of our different offices which allowed me to meet many different people. Those connections accelerated my full-time career when I started because I was working with those same people in my full-time role. Having spent a lot of my internship time in the field put things into perspective for me early on to move away from only theoretical thinking that generally is in an engineering course of study to a more practical mindset for problem solving.

My path at UGI has been built step by step off the previous roles I had. Learning about regulator stations in my first internship to then learning about meter sets in my second internship prepared me for my role in the Measurement and Regulation department, writing and standardizing processes across the company. That then teed me up to be an Operations Analyst overseeing a contractor that completed field work on meters, which set me up to manage the team of analysts that support Operations in various projects and programs.

Jordan F., Engineer III, was an Engineering intern in 2018.

My internship at UGI was truly developmental. Coming from two previous internships, I enjoyed UGI’s the most. I gained field experience with real engineering projects, learned about the utility industry’s unique challenges, and developed technical skills in distribution system design. The mentorship I received was exceptional – the senior engineering manager at the time took time to explain not just the “how” but the “why” behind our work. This experience shaped my problem-solving approach and taught me the importance of safety and reliability in the gas utility industry.

My journey from intern to 6-year Distribution Integrity professional has reinforced that UGI invests in its people. The technical knowledge I gained as an intern laid the foundation, but the company’s support for continuous learning has been invaluable. I’ve been able to pursue my master’s degree, attend industry conferences, and take on increasingly complex projects. For any intern considering a career in utilities, I’d say the industry offers stability, meaningful work that serves communities, and more innovation than people might expect.

Jena S., Director – IT Enterprise Solutions, was an intern in 2005.

My career with UGI started 20 years ago, as an intern for the Information Technology department, FLAME Project.  I was attending Alvernia University at the time, majoring in Computer Science.  My key responsibility as an intern was prepping the field computers (MDTs) with required software.  Being exposed to the FLAME project also highlighted the key concepts of project management and change management.  Once graduating from Alvernia, I was hired full-time into UGI’s IT Department as a Packaged Application Specialist.  In my full-time role, I was supporting field applications like CAD, MapFrame, and AMR.

UGI provided me with huge growth opportunities, both within my career and personal life.  As an intern, I met my role model, Jim K., as he taught me many technical skills/troubleshooting techniques that college did not cover. I’ve also met many incredible colleagues along the way!  Within the IT Department, I’ve also had many opportunities for growth & learning.  Over the past 20 years, I have served in IT as well as in the business as a Sr Analyst – Energy & Rates Mgmt., with my most current role back in IT as Director – IT Enterprise Solutions.

If I had any piece of advice for an intern, take as much opportunity to learn the professional “real world” in your internship.  Higher education teaches a great deal about theory and ideal situations, but internships and hands-on work will help you develop the logic & analytic aspects higher education may not teach.

Ashley K., Director – Business Process Improvement, was an intern in 2008

I started as an intern in Technical Services working on a number of operational support items. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of individuals who I still work with today. After I graduated, I sent in my resume to UGI and was surprised to find myself land in Gas Supply!

I’ve been blessed to be challenged by my direct managers in ways that continue to expand my skillset and have afforded me opportunities to work in so many different areas of the business. The relationships formed at each stop continue to help fuel my desire to keep improving UGI.

My advice to interns is to be intensely curious. Ask questions. Connect the dots. Solve the problems that impact others. Say yes to the opportunity.

Thank you to all of our interns for choosing to spend this important time in your career with us. You’ve left a lasting impression, and we’re grateful for everything you’ve brought to our organization!