For Emilio DeLaGarza, the past two summers have been anything but a time to relax and take some time off from school and other responsibilities.
Last year, the Legacy in-coming senior was chosen as part of Taylor Independent School District’s first group of paid interns to work at Samsung. While a second set of interns is now completing the program for this summer, DeLaGarza was selected for a separate, post-graduate internship began in July and include additional responsibilities.
“The first time I was with the hardware innovation team,” said DeLaGarza. “I helped design plastic boxes for parts to fit in so they would be protected. I got the dimensions, I designed it, and printed it and after a couple of attempts I managed to get a working design that I could export. This post graduate internship is more directed at me having a role with the Samsung team, helping out on the team, and fine tuning these machines to make sure they are all up to code and everything is working.”
DeLaGarza described the process of manufacturing semiconductor chips as complex. “They have a really complex process and a lot of these machines oversee that,” said DeLaGarza.
“The only human element that goes into making these chips and semiconductors is making sure that the machines don’t fail or break. So, it’s very automated. I’ll be one of those people standing there making sure the machines don’t fail, or standing next to (and learning from) someone who is making sure the machines don’t fail. I’ll be there more for emotional support at first, and then little by little I’ll take on more of the responsibility.”
DeLaGarza said the post-grad internship will last for approximately two months, starting July 10, after he turns 18. With a goal of pursuing a career in engineering, he is looking forward to a valuable learning experience and networking with Samsung colleagues.
“Getting my hands on something, working with the team, taking apart and putting machines together – I’m looking forward to understanding more of the background of what they do and why they do what they do,” DeLaGarza said with a grin. “If I can learn to put together and take apart this multimillion-dollar machine, then maybe I can fix a dishwasher or something.”
DeLaGarza has followed Samsung’s arrival in Taylor from the beginning. He spoke at a joint meeting of the Taylor City Council and Williamson County Commissioners in 2021, expressing his love for technology and excitement about the possibility of bringing the semiconductor plant to our community.
“It was neat to know what was going on,” said DeLaGarza. “Seeing that Samsung was coming in was cool, and getting to speak was really cool.
I was there when they were talking about having them here. I was there for the first internship. I’ll be there for a post graduate internship and I might be there again in the future for a job. It does feel really full circle.”
