Rebecca Berry

by Valerie Kimble

SOCORRO, N.M., Feb. 7, 2000 -- Rebecca Berry hopes to spend the summer of 2000 in Portland, Maine as the first student in New Mexico Tech's Management Department chosen for a summer internship with United Airlines.

"I'm really excited about this opportunity," said Berry. "This would enable me to use what I've learned in class in real-life situations, and would definitely motivate me academically for the next two semesters."

Berry, 21, inquired about the internship shortly after it was established. She filled out an application and sent to United Airlines a formal resume and cover letter. "United called me up six weeks later and set up an interview," she said.

During the semester break, Berry was flown to Chicago for an interview with the general manager there, and returned to New Mexico the same day. Chicago is United Airlines' headquarters for operations in the New England states.

Berry has since started the Spring 2000 semester at Tech, and is awaiting word on her selection. She came to Tech in the fall of 1996, after her graduation from Lordsburg High School the previous spring. "I came here as a computer science major, but I switched to management a year later," she said.

"It's a good program," said Berry. "The management faculty really want their students to do well in classes, and they help you as much as possible."

Berry said she chose Tech because of its small size and low faculty-to-student ratio. "Everybody knows each other," she said. Berry paused and smiled. "I guess that can be a good and bad thing!"

She is working her way through college, carrying a class load of 15 credit hours, and holding down a part-time job at Pizza Hut as a server and shift manager. "I've worked in restaurants for seven years," she said. "That's one of the reasons I'm in college -- food service can be a tiring profession."

Berry is the daughter of Bernard and Diane Berry of Lordsburg. She expects to graduate from Tech in the spring of 2001 with a bachelor of science degree in management.