As the summer begins to wind down and students gear up for another school year, our 2026 summer internship program is coming to a close. LECO has hosted fourteen interns across several departments at our St. Joseph, MI headquarters, including one intern overseas at our LECO Europe office. They have all done some incredible work this summer, and we wanted to take a moment to recognize them. With National Intern Day being July 30, we couldn’t think of a more perfect time than now to say, “Thank you!”
Every year we are excited for the opportunity to work with and shape bright young minds who are eager to learn and grow. This year’s group was a fun bunch, with many aspirations and the willingness to work hard to achieve them. Interns worked in roles that spanned all kinds of careers, including supply chain, marketing, research and development, mechanical engineering, and more. Their fresh perspectives brought new life to our offices, and their presence allowed many of us to take a step back and remember why we do what we do.
As valuable as the interns are to us, it’s equally important that an internship at LECO feels valuable to them. We take pride in being an example to the next generation—our interns are never just “errand runners”. As a LECO intern, you get hands-on experience and a chance to experience what real day-to-day work looks like. Read below to see what a few of this year’s interns had to say about working at LECO for the summer.
What is one specific skill you’ve improved since starting this internship?
“One specific skill I’ve improved since starting this internship is the ability to design and fabricate sheet metal parts. Because of LECO’s expansive manufacturing capabilities, I’ve gotten to design and produce products that aren’t available for me in college.” – Isaac Zahrt, Mechanical Engineering
“Project management. In college, you focus mostly on assignments, but here I’ve learned how to manage real timelines and adapt when things shift.” – Collin Yonker, Marketing and Communications
“Communicating the specific details of my work into language that’s easily digestible by customers and people who are rarely exposed to the materials science field.” – Tommy Weykamp, Technical Services Laboratory
What made you want to apply for an internship at LECO?
“Having interned at LECO previously, I already knew how great the people and company culture were. I wanted to come back, learn more about the company, and directly apply the skills I’ve learned in college to real-world projects.” – Collin Yonker, Marketing and Communications
“I always knew LECO would be an amazing place to work… I’ve heard good things about the company since I was born! I knew getting my foot in the door here would do wonders for my future career in the sciences, and I am beyond grateful for the experience.” – Keziah Metz, Technical Services Laboratory
“What originally drew me to this company was the welcoming community and how close it is to home. Everyone I talked to about this company before applying told me about how kind the people are here, and it’s been proven by all that they have taught me.” – Isaac Zahrt, Mechanical Engineering
What is the most surprising thing you have learned about our industry so far?
“I’d say the diversity of it all. Seeing LECO’s technology used across so many different industries has been really interesting, especially knowing how many everyday products rely on that kind of analysis.” – Tatenda Rukunda, Marketing and Communications
From the sounds of it, the interns are going to miss being here just as much as we will miss them. We look forward to welcoming a new group of eager learners in 2027, but until then, we’ll say thank you one more time to our awesome 2026 summer interns:
Austin Archer, Software Engineering
Alayna Chrispell, Supply Chain
Joshua Conley, Research and Development
Evan Gatz, Marina Services
Luke Larson, Ceramic Engineering
Austin Lucas, Maintenance
Ronan Marsh, Research and Development
Keziah Metz, Technical Services Laboratory
Erin Moerler, Research and Development
Kaleb Thornton, Software Engineering
Tatenda Rukunda, Marketing and Communications
Sophie Waller, Research and Development
Tommy Weykamp, Technical Services Laboratory
Collin Yonker, Marketing and Communications
Isaac Zahrt, Mechanical Engineering
