NCCC Success Story

Hometown
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Degree programs
Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management B.S/M.Eng.

Year of graduation
2017

Place of employment
General Electric-Aviation, Baltimore, Maryland

Job Title
Supply Chain Intern

Work Responsibilities
At General Electric-Aviation, I worked closely with the Production Control (PC) department at Middle River Aircraft System (MRAS)/GE Aviation in Baltimore, Maryland. My main responsibility was to assist with the transition of the CF34-10E engine composite program from a facility in Mississippi back to MRAS. Even though the production program for this engine composite was being transitioned back to its original manufacturing location, the production schedule needed to remain on track and this required many resources and coordinating operations. As an intern, I was responsible for creating and recording schedules and coordinating with the CF34-10E master schedule for meeting production flow deadlines and creating recommendations of how to make the production flow more efficient. I also was assigned to other process improvements with the PC department.

How my career relates to my degree from RIT/NTID
In addition to the coursework I completed directly related to my major, I realized the importance of soft skills, such as leadership and communication. Being involved with many activities and organizations and working with different people on projects or group assignments on campus gave me a rich experience working with people from other backgrounds and experiences. This gave me the opportunity to understand what it takes to communicate with or work along with different peers. This really was valuable while on co-op where team work often was essential.

Advice
The single most important thing I learned was that you shouldn’t underestimate your abilities. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new each day. You will have good days and bad days. You can't expect something will go smoothly or perfectly each day. The co-op experience opened my eyes to the opportunities that exist. People tend to overlook them because they don’t believe in themselves, but you have to seize those opportunities. It is not all about what you accomplished at your desk; it's everything around you. Networking is important as a professional and it’s important to be as active as possible at your place of employment for your reputation and recognition. Great things will come to you unexpectedly as your show your interest and motivation.