Five interns at the Port of Tacoma and The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) spent their summer doing meaningful work and learning about the inner workings of a busy port. 

“I was surprised by the scale of everything and how much work goes into operating the Port,” said Anastasia Tokar, a University of Washington (UW) Tacoma student and intern on the Port finance team. “I’ve lived near Tacoma for ten years and always assumed it was just cranes unloading cargo.”  

“I had no idea about the vast number of different fields that Port employees work in,” said Millie Mi, a Port environmental intern from Johns Hopkins University. “There’s just so much going on here.” 

Kate Beardsley, NWSA operations intern and recent UW graduate who studied industrial and systems engineering, said she used her engineering and analytical skills to work on important projects with the operations team.  

“My manager was really thoughtful about putting together a project that was both within my skill set and something that the department was looking to use going forward,” Beardsley said. “It's nice to be able to say I worked on something that mattered.” 

Port and NWSA interns said they did purposeful work like writing grant proposals, creating reporting dashboards, and surveying habitat sites. They also appreciated working alongside experienced professionals and gaining valuable career skills. 

“It was a good learning opportunity,” said Isaac McCracken, UW Tacoma student and Port community affairs intern. McCracken’s work included planning and organizing popular events like boat tours and connecting with the community at outreach activities around Pierce County. “I did a lot of things they don’t teach about in class. And I’m much more comfortable with public speaking now.”  

They also enjoyed the unique perks of working by Tacoma's waterfront, including climbing a 200-foot crane overlooking the Blair Waterway and touring the Port by boat, blending meaningful tasks with a little fun. 

Emma Johnson, Washington State University student and Port environmental intern, said one of her favorite activities was visiting the Port’s habitat sites. 

“We saw so much wildlife. It was crazy! We saw seals, porpoises, and tons of different birds. It was fun!” 

The Port’s internship program gives enrolled college students opportunities outside of the classroom, with specific offerings varying from year to year based on the needs of Port departments.  

All internships are paid and are likely to be posted in early spring for the following summer.