Hello & Background

Hi there,

Welcome to my blog on my engineering experiential experience. I am a junior in chemical engineering at Michigan State University about to start a six month co-op for Unilever in Clearwater, Florida. First some background about myself.

I am nineteen and I have been at MSU (in East Lansing, MI) for three semesters plus a summer study abroad. I am in chemical engineering because I am interested in the field and I'm always up for a challenge. I'm doing a concentration in food science because I would like to end up doing something with food or consumer goods, I think it'd be cool to be a part of something you see on the shelf at a store. I love Michigan State, go Spartans!, and I've had a lot of great experiences there. I enjoy going to the football games and concerts, I love the dairy store :D, a walk down grand river is always fun, Menna's -yum. I was able to study abroad this summer for international food laws & regulations in England, Paris, Switzerland, and Italy, and I definitely thank MSU for that opportunity. Overall I have loved my experience at Michigan State. Before MSU I spent all my life living in Pittsford, NY, a town in the Rochester area. I went to a great high school and I really enjoyed growing up in Rachacha.

So why leave wonderful MSU? I decided that an internship/co-op is a necessary experience for any student. A chance to work in the field of the degree you're painstakingly working on allows you to see the industry for what it really is. When I was looking into culinary arts way back in my sophomore year of high school, I discovered that most programs require at least one internship. So why not make it required in other degree programs? I understand that not all degree programs have the opportunity or resources for an experiential education, but I am extraordinarily grateful that Michigan State College of Engineering encourages students like me to pursue an internship/co-op before graduating. So like many other students, I spent a lot of time at Career Gallery talking to potential employers and doing my best to market myself. After an interview with Unilever I received an offer to work in their supply chain management division specifically in Clearwater, Florida, in their ice creams manufacturing facility.

For those of you who may not know of Unilever, I guarantee you've used one of their products. Unilever is an extremely large parent company that produces many smaller products operating under their own brand name. For instance, Unilever is behind Axe and Dove personal care products, they own Hellman's mayonnaise, they produce delicious Bertolli Italian meals, Lipton iced tea, Slimfast, and more. In the ice cream world, they are behind Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Good Humor, Klondike, and Popsicle. Unilever is a global company with operations all over the world. Unilever also maintains a great relationship with consumers and continues to stay consumer friendly throughout the years.

Although it will be hard to say goodbye's to family and friends, I am looking forward to my new experience. It will be nice to take a break from winter for once and learn what it's like to live in beautiful Clearwater (in the Tampa Bay area). I am excited to learn more about Unilever and show the company how I can be a great potential full time hire in the future. I am really looking forward to finally using all that school work and applying it to making something people eat everyday!

You are welcome to leave comments below on what you would like me to talk about. I understand that some of my readers are students who are looking into an experiential education. Thanks for reading and I will be sure to keep you updated!