Haley Harrison

I began my engineering career as a Quality Engineering Intern at Yamaha Jet Boats Manufacturing in Vonore, TN. During my time at Yamaha, they were preparing to start production for the new model year. I was able to assist in taking the prototype boats out on the water to perform software checks to ensure the boats functioned properly. When the boats started production, I got to oversee the boats as they went through the line to ensure they were being produced correctly. From this experience, I learned how to use solidworks to create simple designs and study measurements on the drawings. It was my first experience with engineering, and I learned a lot about communication with a variety of people.

My next experience was as a Supplier Quality Engineering co-op at DENSO Manufacturing in Maryville, TN. Part of my responsibilities was to assist heavily with sorting through defect materials to ensure that production did not receive defect products. Along with this, I analyzed electronic defects reported by customers and dealers, and worked with the quality labs to create reports and find the root cause of the issue. This experience allowed me to perform root cause analysis and learn how to overcome language barriers to solve problems.

My third experience was back in the boating industry, at Knox Wire Harness in Knoxville, TN. In this position I helped create prototypes of wire harnesses for new customers and ran current production wire harnesses to ensure shipments were on time. This included learning how to electrically test wire harnesses to ensure they function before sending them to the customer. I enjoyed this experience because it allowed me to expand my knowledge about wire harnesses, which I was exposed to for the first time at Yamaha.

Through my experiences I have learned that I am passionate about manufacturing and hope to end up in the automotive, boating, or recreational vehicle industry. Without these experiences, I don’t think I would truly appreciate what I am learning in the classroom and how it can be used. I enjoy being able to get hands on outside of the classroom, and see what an engineering career truly looks like.

In my free time, I love being outdoors where I can kayak or read in my hammock.