Hard work and determination go a long way when you begin your career with that belief. At the age of 19, Utica Campus sophomore Khadejiah Summers is ready to put that theory to the test.
Summers, a Port Gibson native studying plant soil science, completed a 10-week summer internship at Sanderson Farms in Hazlehurst learning the ins and outs of producing, processing and positioning poultry for consumer consumption.
Khadejia Summers completed a 10-week internship at Sanderson Farms this summer. There, she gained experience and knowledge about producing, processing and packing poultry products for consumer consumption.
The internship required 10 weeks of work, broken down into specified sections. As an intern, Summers received training and rotated through several divisions, from live production, to processing and then onto foods. She also received a mentor to guide her through the internship.
She was paid for 40 hours a week, received regular feedback and evaluations plus an opportunity to advance into Sanderson Farms’ Beginning Trainee Program. Among the processes she learned about were preparing the poultry, including evisceration and deboning, and packing and shipping the products.
“This internship was the first job I have ever had. I loved it and learned so much. There is so much opportunity at Sanderson Farms. Everybody there is family and they made me feel at home. Some things, I liked. Shipping and packaging was great. Some things, not as much — evisceration. But I truly enjoyed my summer with them and hope to go back next year,” Summers said.
Summers hopes to one day teach plant soil science on a college level.
[tweetable alt=””]Sanderson Farms internship benefits Ӱ Utica Campus student.[/tweetable]
Ӱ is celebrating its 100th year of Community Inspired Service in 2017. Ӱ opened in September 1917 first as an agricultural high school and admitted college students for the first time in 1922, with the first class graduating in 1927. In 1982 Ӱ Junior College and Utica Junior College merged, creating the Ӱ District. Today, as Mississippi’s largest community college, Ӱ is a comprehensive institution with six locations. Ӱ offers quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. To learn more, visit or call 1.800.ӰCC.