Students, employers, educators, and community partners gathered at Boeing Center at Tech Port on July 30 for the Internship Celebration & Showcase, highlighting another summer of work-based learning across the San Antonio region.
Hosted collaboratively by greater:SATX and Family Service, the event celebrated students who completed internships across industries including healthcare, finance, manufacturing, technology, education, nonprofits, and the creative sector.
Together, the two programs connected more than 230 interns from 50 high schools across 20 school districts this summer, generating an estimated $486,325 in student wages while giving young people hands-on career exploration and real-world workplace experience.
Now in its 11th year, the SA WORX High School Summer Internship Program has served more than 53,000 young San Antonians, engaged more than 1,200 employers, and generated more than $7 million in cumulative youth wages since 2015.
The evening showcased student projects and reflections from the summer while recognizing the employers and community partners that helped make those opportunities possible. This year’s interns gained experience with organizations across the region, including USAA, Bank of America, Toyota, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Credit Human, Southwest Research Institute, SA FILM, and VelocityTX, among many others that opened their workplaces to students.
For many students, the internships provided something difficult to replicate in a classroom: the opportunity to apply what they have learned in a real-world environment.
Ryan Herber, a recent O’Connor High School graduate who completed his second internship through the program, said the experience reinforced the value of putting classroom knowledge into practice.
“Honestly, it’s just having a real-world experience,” Herber said. “You can sit in a classroom and learn all day, but it really doesn’t mean much if you can’t apply those skills.”
After completing two software engineering internships, Herber said the relationships he built were just as valuable as the technical skills he gained.
“If I ever want to come back to USAA or come back to San Antonio, it’s a great opportunity to have those people in my corner fighting for me,” he said.
Across industries, students described gaining not only technical skills but also a better understanding of workplace expectations, teamwork, communication, and professional responsibility.
Internship Celebration & Showcase
Jeremiah Silva and Jose Reyna, two students who interned at Toyota through the Alamo Academies program, spent the summer gaining hands-on experience with robotics, electrical systems, programmable logic controllers, and manufacturing operations.
Both students said some of the most important lessons came outside of the technical work itself.
Silva pointed to communication, teamwork, time management, and networking as some of the most valuable lessons of the summer, while Reyna highlighted Toyota’s culture of continuous improvement and employee involvement.
“They’ll listen to your ideas,” Reyna said. “If you see something that can improve, they’ll listen.”
The same theme emerged in the creative sector.
Audrey Trujillo, who interned with SA FILM, spent the summer helping prepare for the San Antonio Film Festival. Her work included coordinating screenings, supporting festival operations, and interacting with filmmakers and industry professionals.
The experience gave her a behind-the-scenes look at the industry while helping her build confidence and communication skills.
“Even talking to people really helped me put myself out there,” Trujillo said. “It really helps build my confidence.”
Those experiences are central to the program’s purpose, according to Trisha Garza, Workforce Development Manager at greater:SATX.
“One of the most rewarding parts of the program is watching students gain confidence as they step into professional environments and realize what they are capable of,” Garza said. “Whether they are building technical skills, developing workplace habits, or exploring new career interests, these experiences often open doors they didn’t know existed.”
The event also highlighted the partnerships that make these opportunities possible, bringing together employers, educators, community organizations, and funders committed to expanding access to paid work-based learning experiences.
“The SA WORX internship program provides San Antonio students with valuable real-world experience and skills that will help shape their careers for years to come. Bank of America invests in programs like San Antonio’s 2026 Youth Internship Programs as a win-win way to upskill the next generation of our workforce and bridge the talent gap for local employers. It’s an impactful example of how BofA works to create a robust economy. Congratulations to all the 2026 interns. We’re excited to see what you accomplish next,” said Ventura Perez, President, Bank of America San Antonio.
That collaboration creates value well beyond a single summer.
“Work-based learning creates value for everyone involved,” said Josh Scott, Senior Vice President of Talent & Workforce at greater:SATX. “Students gain exposure to careers and professional environments, employers gain access to emerging talent, and the region benefits from stronger connections between education and workforce needs.”
As students shared their experiences during the showcase, a common message emerged: internships provide more than workplace experience. They help students understand their strengths, explore their interests, build professional networks, and see new possibilities for their futures.
For employers and workforce leaders, those outcomes represent more than a successful summer program. They represent an investment in the next generation of talent and in the people who will help drive San Antonio’s future workforce and long-term economic growth.