Next generation of nuclear professionals working at V.C. Summer Nuclear Station.

• Position: POWERING JOB OPPORTUNITY

V.C. Summer Nuclear Station is preparing the next generation of nuclear professionals through a rigorous high school and college internship program and sponsorships of local chapters of professional organizations such as the North American Young Generation in Nuclear, American Association of Blacks in Energy American Nuclear Society and Women in Nuclear. Here are some of the young professionals working there:

Chester Rodrigues III

Greenville, SC., is home for Chester Rodrigues Ill, but he has traveled around the globe, thanks to his work in nuclear energy. While interning at University of Tennessee, he studied alternate uses of nuclear energy in the medical held and saw how this efficient energy source could help others. It was a presentation by Bill Magwood, a commissioner with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, that illustrated the potential of nuclear energy as a power source and a viable career path. After graduating from S.C. State University with a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering, Chester saw the future he wanted in his home state. An engineer in quality systems since 2011, he visits manufacturers that make components for the reactors under construction. He is president of V.C. Summer's chapter of North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN).

Findlay Salter

Sometimes the best opportunities are closer than you think; at least that was true for Findlay Salter, a licensing engineer for SCE&G's nuclear project at V.C. Summer. Findlay grew up in Irmo, S.C., attending local schools before heading to Clemson University. He hardly knew about the nuclear plant safely operating about 20 miles away. That changed when he returned from Clemson in 2009--at the peak of the recession--with a bachelor's in civil engineering. At a dinner, he heard a V.C. Summer employee talk about pre-construction work as the site prepared its application for combined construction and operating licenses (COLs) for submittal to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. After being hired in the licensing department, he worked on the application submittal, under a process done only once before in the nuclear industry. Since SCE&G received its COLs in 2012, he continues to support construction. He is co-chairman of professional development for V.C. Summer's chapter of NAYGN.

Tyrone Heyward

Tyrone Heyward has understood the importance of service since childhood. Growing up in Bamberg County, S.C., he saw the work his parents provided to the community, joining his...