Work experiences give students an edge

Savannah Donaldson has no doubt she picked the right major.

A recent co-op with Collins Aerospace in Peabody, Mass., allowed her to work as a manufacturing engineering intern, impacting the efficiency and precision of the company’s digital quality inspection system and repairing aircraft components to restore them to full functionality.

“It’s hands-on experiences like these that make me fall in love with engineering,” said Donaldson, a mechanical engineering technology BS/manufacturing and mechanical systems integration MS student from Middletown, N.Y. She was offered the co-op after attending RIT’s University-wide Career Fair.

RIT’s co-op program is one of the largest and oldest in the nation, beginning in 1912. More than 4,000 RIT students typically complete a co-op each year. In addition, RIT was recognized in the 2025 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges, which ranked its co-op and internship program sixth in the nation.

Moona Guo ’20 (mechanical engineering technology), lead manufacturing engineer for GE Aerospace, worked as a co-op student at the company and was hired full time after graduation. She returns to campus often to recruit students who are searching for opportunities like hers.

“I’m so proud that I’m able to give back to the university that helped set me up for success,” said Guo. “I love calling students who are selected for co-ops. You can feel their emotions over the phone when they realize that someone is willing to take a chance on them. I’m well aware of the impact that we have and the ability to help set them up for their own successes.”

Maria Richart, director of Career Services and Cooperative Education, said that experiences like co-op make hands-on learning one of the hallmarks of an RIT education.

“Time after time, we hear that our students are sought after based on their ability to seamlessly enter the work environment,” she said. “The quality of education that our students receive, paired with their drive, creativity, and desire to innovate, is the reason for our co-op program’s continued success.”