By Desiree M. Cooper
Many students spent their summer relaxing. Eastern New Mexico University senior Ryan Mitchell, however, was busy working at a prestigious internship in Berkeley, Calif.
The internship was part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) program.
Mitchell 
applied for SULI online through the Department of Energy’s Web site. He was accepted and placed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Mitchell said his internship consisted of researching “novel meso-architectures of gallium nitride nanowires.”
In non-scientific terms, Mitchell said he “helped create a new type of nanostructure that hasn’t been done before.”
The highlights of the 10-week trip for the 21-year-old included using a scanning electron microscope and partaking in a wine tasting in Napa Valley, Calif.
After the internship, Mitchell traveled to Hawaii for a vacation before the fall semester started.
Mitchell is majoring in chemistry with a minor in secondary education. His favorite class at ENMU was Instrumental Analysis Lab with Juchao Yan because he found it interesting to learn how each instrument works and relates to research.
The Portales native chose to attend ENMU because it was close to home. He works on-campus at the Registrar’s office and is an active member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Mitchell’s hobbies include playing guitar and watching TV shows, especially Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, and How I Met Your Mother. His favorite place to spend time is at the Sigma Chi house.
Mitchell has a 4.0 grade point average. His advice to other students is to “go to class. The best way to pass a class is to actually show up.”
Mitchell’s success comes from emulating his two biggest role models: his mom and dad. He says that he looks up to his dad, Randy Mitchell, for “working harder than anyone else I’ve ever met and setting an example.” He is grateful to his mother, Shelli Mitchell, for “always being there and loving me no matter what.”
After graduating, Mitchell hopes to “be happy in a building somewhere, busy working at being awesome.”