- Major: Industrial & Systems Engineering
- Company: Bridgestone
- Graduation Year: Dec 2021
- E-mail: seubank4@vols.utk.edu
Profile
I did a co-op with Bridgestone Americas. They're mainly known for their tires, and I did a six-month rotation in Nashville at their LaVergne plant, and a summer rotation through corporate at their Wilson, North Carolina, plant. While I was at LaVergne, I was placed as the head Industrial Engineer for the Extrusion department. I worked mainly on data verification and downtime improvement projects. While I was in North Carolina, I worked with the corporate Operational Excellence team on a cost reduction project in the mold shop.
I decided to co-op so I could get a substantial amount of experience before I graduated, and help determine what fields of industrial engineering I'm interested in. During my last rotation, I helped save Bridgestone half a million dollars. In order to get there, I learned I really had to be confident and persistent in my work and in what I was asking for others, even if I was uncomfortable, because the results wouldn't have made as much of an impact if I hadn't.
Participating in a co-op has helped me learn new terms and ways of practice that I can apply to my academics, and to understand the experience first-hand, rather than just reading about something in a book. Professionally, I've learned to be a better communicator and team player, because collaboration with others is constant and necessary.
If you're nervous, it's okay, but take that leap of faith and do a co-op, because you never know what other doors and opportunities it will lead you to.
Outside of work or studying, I love traveling and being active, or simply relaxing on a boat at the lake.
