Students work intently to develop a standout resume as management of Domtar Ashdown review and decide who they will accept into their internship program each year. Domtar Ashdown hosts a Fast Track Summer Internship Program each summer, open to seniors graduating in May 2026.
The application and interview processes are intense and highly selective, but despite these odds, Texas High students Samuel Cross and Ashlee Salinas earned acceptance into the program.
“In college, I want to go into chemical engineering,” Cross said. “At Domtar, they hire a bunch, so when Mrs. Fuller sent me the email that they were looking for interns, I wanted to apply for it.”
Salinas learned the importance of gaining practical experience after counseling about the internship opportunity.
“I was talking with my brother about it when he was visiting, because he’s also an engineer, and I told him about the opportunity,” Salinas said. “[He said I] need experience now [and to] see what [I] can [learn] about what engineers do day-to-day.”
Draft Day included six speed dating-style interviews, questioning potential interns why they wanted to be there.
“During the interviews, I was really nervous. I was really tired because you have to think a lot about your answers,” Cross said. “I felt relaxed at the end of it because I thought I did my best for what they had.”
Salinas aspired to become an engineer for a long time. Her completion of certain classes helped prepare her for this opportunity.
“I’ve [taken a class] with Ms. Asher before, and she teaches how to use Excel and a lot of Microsoft applications, [which is] one of the requirements to be on the field and work there,” Salinas said. “I feel [like] I can use previous knowledge [and] past experiences to apply to the internship.”
Securing an internship immediately after high school is a rare opportunity that motivates students to prepare for interviews and the selection process.
“Mrs. Suelzer helped [me] a lot [with] being aware and [knowing] what to expect,” Cross said. “Mrs. Fuller, Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Schandua did a mock interview before it, and they taught me how to search for my answers.”
Suelzer worked for International Paper for 10 years before becoming one of Texas High’s engineering teachers.
“As a teacher, I have drawn on [my] experience to include skills that I used in my ‘other life’ to help [students] develop systemic thinking skills, documentation and give them room to fail, without penalty, before they succeed,” Suelzer said. “Both Sam and Ashlee excelled at the approach to problem-solving and thinking through situations.”
With over 20 months of engineering experience before applying for paper mill jobs, Suelzer emphasizes the value of this paid internship, which includes a 40-hour work week, for her students.
“The opportunity to start an internship right after high school is incredible,” Suelzer said. “This experience is advantageous in many ways. [It offers] practical knowledge they can apply in the classes so the content makes more sense, experience on their resumes, building community ties and creating [opportunities] for the students graduating.”
This hands-on experience helps set the students on track to their future careers.
“I’m really hoping to learn about engineering and see if I like electrical engineering, or maybe [I’ll] change [my path],” Salinas said. “I hope I really find a focus in my future, if this is 100 percent where I want to go for the rest of my life.”
Suelzer prepares the students with basic concepts and shares her experiences for advice.
“Before they begin their internships, I will teach them about papermaking and some of the major pieces of equipment,” Suelzer said. “I am also going to talk to them about my experiences being the new, young person in the mill [as well as] the lessons I learned, good and bad, so they have some idea what to expect.”
