For Southern California Edison intern Rafael Rodriguez, Marvel’s “Iron Man” is more than a witty action movie. It’s a story of how innovation can push the bounds of what was once thought impossible.

“Iron Man wasn’t just a mechanical engineer, he did a bit of everything — electrical, civil and aerospace engineering,” said Rodriguez. “That’s the well-rounded type of engineer I want to be and the type of work I’ve experienced this summer.”

As a transmission power line engineering intern, Rodriguez believes you don’t have to fit into a box. In fact, the best engineers rarely do.

The California State University, Fullerton junior is applying his passion and knowledge learned in the classroom to the real world over the course of 12 weeks at SCE.

This summer, Rodriguez is focusing on stretches of power lines that need the most attention — areas where a line crosses unusual distance, like a canyon or a freeway, or where overhead wires connect underground.

Rodriguez and his team work to make sure those lines meet safety requirements — something he checks when visiting project sites, like the one his team is prepping for the 2028 Summer Games.

With the Games only two years away, SCE is checking equipment capacities and planning for any additional needs to sustain the mass amount of energy required to power the events.

“To meet the expected demand, we are installing a larger transformer that will increase capacity, but to do that we need to relocate some of the existing transmission lines in the area,” Rodriguez said.

Before walking the job site, Rodriguez and his team use specialized engineering software to create models of the project in the office. This allows them to get an idea of whether and how real-world execution will work.

“The modeling is helpful, but getting out in the field to see it with our own eyes is important to identify key elements that will help with our analysis,” said Bruce Garcia, an SCE transmission engineer manager and Rodriguez’s supervisor. “Connecting the models to the real world helps connect the dots for young engineers like Rodriguez — I know it did for me.”

Garcia, who also started as an intern at SCE 18 years ago, came to the company with no utility background. He spent two summers learning from the transmission engineering team and that experience laid the foundation for his career.

“I had a really great experience,” said Garcia. “In my time interning, a lot of engineers took the time to mentor me, so I knew I wanted to give back and do the same for the next generation.”

That mentorship, along with the new skills he’s learned, is something Rodriguez says he’ll carry with him back to campus this fall and share with anyone considering the same path.

“Knowing the work I’m doing at SCE is helping make the Summer Games possible is really cool,” said Rodriguez. “What you learn in the classroom is a lot different than what you learn in the field, so my advice to anyone interested in interning at SCE is to make the experience your own and don’t be afraid to try anything that interests you.”

For more information, visit sce.com/careers.

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