Five people stand in front of a large blue Marathon El Paso Refinery sign on a sunny day. They are dressed in business or business casual attire and are smiling at the camera.

Ysleta ISD Students Take Part in Summer Internships at Marathon

Trisha Luna

July 29, 2026

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (Marathon) is pleased to have hosted five summer interns from the Ysleta Independent School District (YISD) at the El Paso Refinery. YISD Career and Technical Education (CTE) students benefit from curriculum aligned with state and national academic standards while developing technical expertise and career-ready skills. Marathon’s internship program provides hands-on experiences to YISD CTE students who have the chance to apply their learning in authentic, real-world settings that position them for long-term success. The interns are employed from June 1st to July 31st .

“Every summer, our partnership with Ysleta Independent School District’s CTE program affords us the ability to bring the brightest and most energetic students to the refinery for real workplace experiences as interns. Marathon truly benefits from the classroom knowledge and skill sets that the interns bring to our departments. In turn, we hope that they will consider a career with us in the years to come,” said V.J. Smith, Marathon’s Principal ESG and Stakeholder Engagement Representative V.J. Smith.

"Through meaningful collaboration with local employers like Marathon, our CTE programs bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice, equipping students with the hands-on skills and industry exposure they need to step confidently into internships and build lasting careers across a wide range of professional fields. Partnerships like this one are invaluable — and we are deeply grateful to Marathon for their continued investment in our students and their futures," said Cecy De La O, CTE Workplace Coordinator, Career and Technical Education at Ysleta Independent School District.

Most of the interns are rising seniors and YISD students participating in CTE Programs of Study.

Representing Parkland High School is Emilio Escarcega. Emilio studies business at Parkland and is certified in Entrepreneurship & Small Business, as well as Adobe Illustrator. He is spending his internship in Marathon’s IT department.

From Del Valle High School, Marathon employs Dylan Lujan, who is studying engineering at the Early College campus, as well as robotics. Dylan is interning in the Maintenance Inspection department at Marathon.

Joining the summer interns from Ysleta High School are two students. Aaron Marquez studies engineering, robotics and computer repair. Jordyn Villarreal is a business student and is certified in Excel, Word, and Photoshop. They are both spending their internships in the IT department.

Rounding out the group of interns is Elias Quinonez who attends Riverside High School where he studies engineering and robotics. Elias is Fusion 360 Certified and is spending his internship working in the Environmental department.

"Real-world experiences like this one are exactly what our Career and Technical Education programs are designed to lead to," said Hugo Martinez, Director of Career Programs at Ysleta ISD. "When students step into a workplace like Marathon's El Paso Refinery they see firsthand how the skills they're building in the classroom translate into meaningful careers. Partnerships like this one are helping our students build the confidence and skills they need to succeed long after graduation."

Since 2014, Ysleta ISD has enjoyed a steady yet strategic climb toward becoming one of the top-rated districts in Texas and the #1 school district in the El Paso region, undergoing a stunning transformation of its 49 schools through the passage of nearly $1 billion in voter-approved facilities bonds. Ysleta ISD’s stable leadership, innovative educational offerings, and dedicated teachers and administrators have led to the area’s highest percentage of students earning Industry-Based Certification, as well as 12 athletic state championships over the past decade. This year, the Ysleta Education Foundation awarded scholarships totaling nearly $835,000 to 215 graduating students in the Class of 2026.

Marathon Petroleum is a leading, integrated, downstream energy company that operates the nation's largest refining system. Marathon’s El Paso refinery employes approximately 400 full-time employees, manufacturing gasoline, diesel, propane and other fuels, as well as asphalt and petrochemicals. More information is available at https://www.marathonpetroleum.com/Operations/Refining/El-Paso-Refinery/.