- Major: Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
- E-mail: rbozman@vols.utk.edu
Profile
Waverly, Tennessee
I did co-op for Kimberly Clark in Loudon, Tennessee, for two rotations. They made paper towels and bathroom tissue at the mill I worked at. I have also most recently completed my third co-op rotation this summer with ExxonMobil at a refinery in Billings, Montana. At Kimberly Clark I worked in process improvement, primarily related to our bleaching mechanism. At ExxonMobil I did a broad range of projects related to process improvement, process safety risk mitigation, reliability, and safety relief.
I decided to co-op because I had no idea what sort of industry I wanted to go into. It was an opportunity for me to see what was the right fit for me. I also wanted to gain experience in industry prior to graduating because employers look for that when hiring.
One of my greatest lessons I learned through co-ops is the importance of being able to solve open ended problems. In my future career, I will be faced with challenges that are ill-defined, but through my co-ops I have learned how to approach and solve these difficult problems.
Working with real engineers to solve problems and getting to see how they think through situations has prepared me in so many ways. In my classes, my co-op has shown me how to approach problems and be able to understand what the problem is actually asking based off scenarios that these problems actually come from. I have grown professionally in so many ways through my co-op, through both networking and collaboration with fellow engineers. I now know how to present myself in a professional manor.
To someone considering participating in our program, I would tell students that co-op will help you see engineering in a completely different light. You will actually be able to understand why you are learning what you are in your classes and know what your future career will be like. It will prepare you like nothing else to actually get into industry and see what it’s like.
When I’m not busy studying or working, I like to play tennis, watch Netflix, play board games and go to Zumba.
