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Kings Mountain native, Vega Weston, is fulfilling an exciting opportunity to support the community through her summer internship at Albemarle. “I was born and raised in Kings Mountain,” she said. “I graduated from Kings Mountain High School. I’ve been here my whole life, and my family has lived here for as far back as I can remember.”

As a first-generation college student at North Carolina State University, Vega adds, “Having a company like Albemarle in Kings Mountain allows me to come back and work here in my desired field when, that wasn’t an option.” A business major with a minor in global leadership and team development, Vega’s interest was piqued when she visited the Albemarle Kings Mountain website to inquire about internship opportunities and found an opening with the community affairs team. “I like working with people and finding ways to give back to the community, not only as a hobby but as a job,” she said. “This position made me gravitate toward an internship at Albemarle this summer.” Vega’s internship is unique as it combines two roles of working closely with the community affairs team, while assisting with the Albemarle Foundation. “It gives me two perspectives – one from the corporate side, and one from being on-site in the community,” she said. 

In her role with the community affairs team, she has had numerous opportunities to connect and reconnect with the Kings Mountain community—even participating in an event at her alma mater. “I work with two of my former high school teachers from chemistry and natural science,” she said. “It’s cool to come back and work as a team. They’ve been able to mentor me further and show me how things operate in the workplace.” Vega says Albemarle’s internship program has been great from a mentoring standpoint. “Everyone has been teaching me so much and they support me professionally and personally. I’m very grateful for their mentorship.” Vega helps organize and participate in Albemarle’s community meetings, open houses, and sponsored events with nonprofit partners. She is currently behind the scenes organizing a charity kickball tournament for employees.

In her role with the Albemarle Foundation, Vega is instrumental in supporting a new tool that allows employees to find volunteer opportunities in the area. For every volunteer hour logged in the portal, Albemarle makes a $25 donation to an organization of the employee’s choosing. If an employee chooses to donate more, the Albemarle Foundation will match the donation up to $4,000. Vega also spends time reaching out to area non-profit organizations to potentially form partnerships with Albemarle, noting that she is helping to organize a volunteer fair for employees to connect with community organizations and volunteer opportunities. “Albemarle has opened doors to better working opportunities. With the potential opening of the mine, there is an opportunity for a significant number of well-paying and stable jobs in the community,” she added. After graduating in May 2025, Vega says that she would love to work for Albemarle. “Albemarle has been such an important player in Kings Mountain and this internship has given me a chance to do good. I’m grateful for being able to do that,” she said.