ChE junior Holley refreshed by Co-op rotations mixed with course schedule
Olivia Holley had hardly committed to studying chemical engineering at Purdue University when she learned she'd spend a fall preparing to replace a 50-horsepower boiler at Sun Chemical in Maumee, Ohio.
This was the break the rising sophomore had been looking for when Holley learned about the Cooperative Education (Co-op) Program through the Office of Professional Practice (OPP). Working at Sun Chemical would allow her to apply a Purdue education to a full-time working position and have enough time to process and recharge between rotations.
Prior to accepting a Co-op offer in August 2023 to explore a career in chemical engineering, the only work experience she had was as a coffee barista. Boiler installation had not been on her radar. Neither had horsepower.
And she was excited to learn about both.
“Being able to rotate between a semester of class and full-time working and learning in that experience is less stressful,” said Holley, from Fraser, Michigan. “Coming back from my fall Co-op rotation in the spring sophomore year with a fresh palette was very good for my mental health. In my Co-ops I would catch myself thinking, ‘I can’t wait to learn more about these things when I go back to classes.’”
It's exactly what OPP hopes students will get out of the Co-op Program.
OPP, established at Purdue in 1954, connects students with opportunities to learn through global work experiences, certifications and professional development courses. Purdue is ranked No. 7 in the nation for co-ops and internships by U.S. News & World Report.
“Co-op staff are very open and responsive because obviously (a Co-op) is a huge change for most first years because they don't expect to be in and out of campus and a workplace,” Holley said. “They help you get connected with other Co-op students and help with the transition from campus to work.”
Co-op students gain anywhere from 12-22 months of paid work experience through three- or five-term rotations before graduation. All three of Holley's rotations were at Sun Chemical, building upon projects through each cycle and creating a network of familiar professional faces.
“Getting a short-term internship meant I’d be rushing through a project or not getting to finish it,” Holley said. “I really wanted to get to know the company on a deeper level and understand what chemical engineering had to offer.”
Holley, the boilermaker
Sun Chemical provides sustainable ink, pigments, polymers and other ink-related materials on a global basis as part of the Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Corporation, based in Tokyo. Holley’s three rotations — fall 2023, summer 2024 and spring 2025 — at the plant in Maumee, Ohio, refreshed her perspective on the possibilities and magnitude of her chosen major.
“It can be hard, in chemical engineering, to picture a lot of the processes that you're working with,” Holley said. “In classes, you’re doing a lot of small experiments and dealing with equations. With the Co-op you really get to see these reactions you’re learning equations for happen in real time.”
The internship included optimizing a cumbersome automated inventory tool, regularly checking processes in the Sun Chemical plant against national standards to ensure all guidelines were met, using computer-aided design to rewire boiler steam output to varying product lines.
All of these were serving the larger project: progression of the installation of the 70-horsepower boiler through all three rotations. Necessary for providing steam for two different processes within the plant, the work was crucial to get the new boiler up and running — both quickly and effectively.
“I remember a few times where I thought that I knew everything about the boiler and then my supervisor would ask me one question and it would totally change how I thought about the project,” Holley said. “It was a challenge.”
The final, upgraded boiler was given to Sun Chemical for installation on April 20, 2025, signaling the end of an era for Holley.
Returning in the fall 2025 for her junior year, Holley also will serve as the president of the Professional Practice Ambassadors and as lead teaching assistant for ENGR 10301, First-Year Engineering Professional Development, reenergized by her Co-op work to tackle courses in the fall.
“In fall 2024, I was in charge of a group of 18 students in the class as a TA,” Holley said. “I got to know them and their goals and acted as a mentor to them. OPP is really like a second family to me, and I’m so excited to be back on campus.”
