High School Students Get ‘Future Ready’ with NAF and Pratt & Whitney

For 35 students in Puerto Rico and Connecticut, this past year was again full of enriching opportunities and meaningful connections with Pratt & Whitney, but this time with a bonus offering: a unique high school internship. Through Raytheon Technologies’ (RTX) collaboration with NAF – a national nonprofit organization that transforms the high school experience to prepare students for college, career, and future success –  Pratt & Whitney welcomed nearly 10 Benito Cerezo High School interns to its site in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico and over 25 Hartford Public High School interns to its site in East Hartford, Connecticut. In addition to the year-round engagement these students have with Pratt & Whitney – for example, working with employee mentors to compete in FIRST Robotics competitions – this hands-on internship experience gave the students an opportunity to explore their passion for STEM careers and interact with Pratt & Whitney employees and executives.  

Pratt & Whitney has been a long-standing and strong supporter of NAF Academies. For over a decade, employees in East Hartford have provided financial support and mentorship to the NAF Academy of Engineering and Green Technology at Hartford Public High School. In 2020, Pratt & Whitney helped launch one of the first RTX NAF Academies in Puerto Rico. The company has since expanded its work with NAF to create and support additional academies across the nation, including a second NAF Academy in Puerto Rico, hosted by fellow RTX division, Collins Aerospace. Now, through this in-person internship, students have a chance to bring the skills they acquired at NAF Academies to a real-world work environment.