Marietta College’s Alex Petrovski ’20 (Stow, Ohio) worked hard to earn an internship this summer with Chevron’s Drilling and Completions Department in Houston.
One thing the Petroleum Engineering major won’t have to worry about, though, is paying for living expenses during the three months he’ll be living in Texas. Petrovski is the ninth winner of the Robert Evans Internship Award, which was established in 2010 by Denise and Mike Salvino ’87 to honor the memory of the late Robert E. Evans and the contributions he made to Marietta College and the McDonough Leadership Program. The $5,000 award is given to a rising junior to help pay for the cost of travel, housing, meals and other living expenses while completing an internship with a major national or global organization.
“I am honored to receive this award,” Petrovski said. “I will be living in Houston, Texas, for 12 weeks this summer and this award will assist me in covering the expenses I’ll have while I am there. I am most appreciative of Denise and Mike Salvino for providing the Robert Evans Internship Endowment Award and this honor they have given me.”
A drilling engineering intern, Petrovski will work on actual projects alongside experienced drilling and completions engineers. In addition to pursuing a major in petroleum engineering, he is also working toward an Engineering Leadership Certificate, is the treasurer for the Marietta chapter of the American Association of Drilling Engineers, a certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, an active member of the Energy Business Alliance, and a cellist in the Symphonic Band.
“As a Leadership student, this internship provides an opportunity to experience leadership in action at a large corporation,” Petrovski said. “Additionally, the internship with Chevron provides a real-world experience where I will have the opportunity to experience the petroleum industry firsthand. As a petroleum engineering intern, I will be working to further my goal of contributing to the energy independence of the United States.”
Dr. Gama Perruci, Dean of the McDonough Leadership Program, was a member of the reviewing committee that selected Petrovski for the award. In order to be considered for the award, applicants must be accepted into a summer internship program with a major corporation before they apply for the award.
“Even if they aren’t selected for the award, the grant applicants are really getting a great training experience. In addition to searching out a high-level internship, the student must write a cover letter and prepare a résumé for the committee,” Perruci said.
Perruci said he is grateful for the Salvinos’ support for experiential education, which is crucial for students to have before they graduate.
“I really applaud the Salvinos for placing a requirement for the internship to be with a major global corporation because it makes our students think big — to go beyond their comfort zone,” Perruci said. “There’s a whole world out there and this internship makes our students take that step forward.”