Interns around the map: how Purdue Engineers spend the summer
Purdue Engineering students are across the nation and the globe every summer. Programs like the Cooperative Education (Co-op) Program and the Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education (GEARE), both offered through the Office of Professional Practice (OPP), enable students to step out of their hometowns or comfort zones and try new work environments.
It's exciting. But it can also be jarring to be in a new place, especially with another culture or language to navigate.
Margie Heritage adjusted. After living in eight distinct places between being in West Lafayette and out on Co-ops, the rising senior in aeronautical and astronautical engineering learned that the best approach was to dive right in.
"I embrace the differences by challenging myself to be comfortable with discomfort," said Heritage, a rising senior. "I ran a 5.5K company run with very little running experience, and I had a great time, met a lot of new people I wouldn't have otherwise. I felt like I was part of the community."
In Germany for aerospace research with CarboSpaceTech, Heritage is about as far out of her comfort zone as she could manage: Not only is German outside of her spoken languages — and her Spanish minor — but every day is vastly different.
There is no typical day for Heritage, even while she's taking summer courses to make space for electives in the fall. Though she found the experience through doing a very typical day activity while on campus: checking her email. After exploring research and development in her three Co-ops and spending a semester in Madrid to bolster her Spanish and global engineering minors, Heritage eagerly scans every GEARE and OPP email for her next big shift.
Eryk Chazares also has been in a summer of new experiences. Studying agricultural engineering paired with a global engineering minor, Chazares saw his work in a new light with an early summer trip to Rwanda as part of the Purdue Engineers Without Borders (EWB) chapter and namesake team. He's been on the team for two years. But this was the first time hed seen his projects on the ground in Rwanda.
"This has been one of the most rewarding summers of my college career," Chazares said. "Knowing that my work contributes to real improvements makes every day exciting."
From Rwanda, Chazares flew over his Tampa Bay, Florida, home to start his fourth Co-op rotation with Cargill, this time in Friona, Texas. The internship centered on safety, reliability and operational efficiency, both on the production floor and throughout the plant at large. It's experience that any engineering student would dream of, a high school Chazares included.
Hands-on experiences pulled him toward Purdue Engineering and have kept him engaged in Co-ops and OPP ever since.
"I wanted to graduate with more than a degree: I wanted meaningful engineering experience that would prepare me to contribute from the first day of my career," Chazares said. "The Co-op Program offered exactly that by allowing me to apply what I learn in the classroom while developing professionally in industry. What keeps me committed is seeing how much Ive grown with each rotation. Every experience has improved my confidence, strengthened my technical and communication skills, and helped me become a more well-rounded engineer."
Diverse engineering opportunities caught Ethan Woods attention after receiving a Co-op offer his sophomore year. Co-ops presented a great opportunity — one with no professional downsides, like having to pivot a career in motion — to find himself as a mechanical engineer.
"Being on a Co-op allows me to figure out my interests and tailor my classes accordingly when I return," said Woods, from Glen Ellyn, Illinois. "Flexibility in moving between companies also allows me to stay committed to the program as I discover my passions."
Woods spent the summer in Tucson, Arizona, as a contract technology intern — his fourth of five Co-op rotations needed to earn an Extended Cooperative Education Certificate. He'll continue the role as a part-time internship when returning to Purdue in the fall, working with coding, data analysis, modeling and AI-automated document extraction.
Previous Co-op rotations, which Woods completed during academic semesters, allowed him more personalized glimpses into multiple projects. He learned independence and interdisciplinary communication while working in an internship off-season, which allowed Woods to spearhead his own projects and teams during the summer while supervisors managed many interns.
"Co-ops also allow me to do more in-depth work and see projects throughout their entirety given an extended work period beyond an internship," Woods said. "The experiences have strengthened me both technically and professionally."
