- Major: Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
- E-mail: xlr234@vols.utk.edu
Profile
Cleveland, Tennessee
I did my co-op with Bayer, known for many brands such as Aspirin, Claritin, MiraLAX, and Coppertone just to name a few. I did three consecutive terms at the plant in Cleveland, Tennessee, which specialized in consumer health products. I was in the technical operations group, which was a midway between research and development and manufacturing. Being in technical operations allowed me to take projects all over the plant. I participated in projects regarding new formulation, product scale-up, operational excellence, and process/occupational safety. I also did a virtual internship during Summer 2020 as a Sector Supply Chain intern at PepsiCo. I was in the maintenance group at the Nashville production site tasked with completing projects in the areas of safety, productivity, and out of the box thinking. I gained lots of experience conducting zoom calls and communicating virtually during this unprecedented time.
My older brother did a co-op at Denso my freshman year in college. I heard great things about the "real world" experience he got while working and I thought it would be good if I did a co-op too.
During my second term at Bayer, I got to help with formulation and packaging of a brand new Coppertone product that hit the shelves summer 2019. This was a big accomplishment for me because I helped make something people could buy at their local stores. It was also cool to be able to walk through the store with friends and family and say, "I helped make that."
Academically, my co-op experience has given me real world examples to the things we are learning. Before my co-op, I struggled to find a reason as to why we were learning so much theory in our classes. After my co-op, I'm able to connect the lessons learned during lecture to the things I actually did as an engineering co-op.
Professionally, I gained work experience that other company’s desire. I did actual engineering work before I got my degree. Simply having "co-op" on my resume has put me miles ahead of any person without co-op or internship experience.
My co-op at Bayer has been one of the best experiences I’ve had in college career. So many more doors have opened up because of it. The lessons you'll learn and connections you'll make will be invaluable during your time as a student as well as in the field. I had such a good experience with my co-op that I'm debating on doing another one.
In my free time, I like to research interesting topics and do DIY projects and science experiments. Recently, I've gotten really into hydroponics. I'm currently growing spinach in my apartment hydroponically. I also have plans on making some really nice cutting boards and other small woodworking projects. When I'm not working on my projects, I like to listen to jazz and play board games with friends.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions about co-ops, engineering, or interesting topics/projects.
