My name is Cynthia Jimenez, an incoming Senior at Ohio University, and this summer’s Marketing Intern at Scout Clean Energy. To highlight the program and this summer’s intern class in this article, I had the privilege of interviewing my fellow interns, including asking them all the question: “How would you describe Scout Clean Energy in one word?” You may notice several words that are bolded throughout this piece. These are the words that our 2026 cohort used to describe Scout.
On May 24th, I began a journey in the rolling hills of Appalachia in my West Virginia hometown, setting out by car for Boulder, Colorado. When I reached Boulder after four days on the road, I began a different journey, spending the summer as the Marketing Intern for Scout Clean Energy. I’m sharing this journey now with 14 other summer interns as we immerse ourselves in the renewable energy industry and the team at Scout.
Scout’s internship program is structured so that each intern is a part of a unique department and develops professional and technical skillsets relevant to their career aspirations. For 11 weeks, our teams invest in our growth through weekly check-ins, hands-on project work, bonding activities, and consistent opportunities to share ideas and feedback. Throughout the summer, we are surrounded by tenacious individuals that want nothing more than to help us succeed, engage in Scout’s “Work hard, play hard” (Four words, I know) culture, and make positive contributions towards the company’s mission:
To power the energy transition through sustainable, high-quality renewable energy projects.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work on six projects already,” said Hannah Dillon, this summer’s Geospatial Data Analytics intern as she reflected on her fourth week of work. “They’ve given me a handful of tasks to work on, and I’ve had the opportunity to create maps that have gone out to landowners or project managers.”
This summer’s interns come from ten different states and three different countries. Academically, we come from diverse backgrounds and are at varying stages of professional development. While some of us are still finishing up our undergraduate degrees, others are pursuing master’s degrees or are ready to jump headfirst into the workforce. While we support separate departments and come from different journeys, you can be confident in knowing that you will be surrounded by people who have a shared passion for making a positive impact.
“Though we all come from very different backgrounds, we came here for the same purpose,” said Sean Kim, this summer’s Interconnection Intern. “It’s been really unique to work with people that have the same goal of supporting renewable energy in their own ways.”
We were welcomed with a two-day deep dive on Scout’s company structure, where each team walked us through how they support projects from development to operation. This immediate exposure to Scout’s dedication and resiliency provided us not only with a bird’s eye view of the business, but a contagious motivation to jump in and make the most of our summer. It was clear to me and the other interns that this was a crucial piece of our integration in the team.
“They explain every aspect of the company,” said Emma Sherrill, the Environmental and Permitting/Government Affairs Intern. “You’re not just being thrown in the deep end.”
Scout offers young professionals an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the renewable energy industry. For some interns, this is their first experience getting to work hands-on in the industry, let alone their respective fields. Miles Wachsteter, an intern on the Accounting Team, described his appreciation for the level of dedication he has experienced since starting his internship.
“The accounting team and the whole corporate finance department has put in the effort to get to know me, making themselves available for me to ask questions, and to teach me things,” said Wachsteter. “I’m grateful to be on such an open and supportive team.”
Within just a few weeks, it becomes clear that Scout is as much a company as it is a community. Through coffee conversations in the kitchen or running into someone you haven’t met before in the office, you are guaranteed to feel welcomed, supported, and a part of the culture. This feeling is reinforced by the many ways Scouts come together inside and outside of work. Interested in growing plants? Scout has a Garden Committee that brings employees together to grow various plants on the office balcony. In addition to exciting team outings like our annual Rockies Game, Scouts often get together for trivia nights or lunch crosswords, finding shared interests and enjoying them together. It is these connections that show Scout’s dedication to fostering a community.
“The people are a big part of what really makes this company great. Scouts are very friendly, welcoming, smart, hardworking people,” said Kim. “It’s something that stands out about this company.”
Part of what makes the internship program special are the continuous opportunities Scout has made to bring our intern cohort closer together. There are scheduled intern events throughout the summer ranging from a tour of Jack’s Solar Garden to an Intern Dinner at CEO Michael Rucker’s home to help us build and strengthen connections between each other and throughout the company. Through these excursions, we get to experience the energetic and spunky nature of Boulder together.
“What makes the intern community at Scout unique is how much effort and planning and intention they put into the intern program,” shared Rorie Wiedow, our West Region Development intern. “We have a lot of events to connect us with each other and the area, but there’s also a lot of professional development events. It’s very intentional.”
The values that ground Scout – Mission Orientation, Intelligence, Initiative, Safety, Teamwork, and Integrity – are the same values that ground the people that support its mission. Taking a journey this summer with Scout has demonstrated to me and my fellow interns the value of being a part of a team united in purpose and goals.
“I wanted to work for a company that actually says what they mean and proves it,” concluded Sherrill. “Scout does just that.”
Pictured below: All words (plus one phrase) the 2026 intern class used to describe Scout
