- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Company: BAE Systems
- Graduation Year: May 2022
- E-mail: tcarte32@vols.utk.edu
Profile
Church Hill, Tennessee
I did a year-long (three rotation) co-op with BAE Systems at the Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Kingsport, Tennessee. The Holston Plant is known as a "GOCO"- Government-Owned, Contractor-Operated- where the site is owned by the United States Army but is currently operated by BAE. BAE Systems in Kingsport produces high-quality explosives to be used by our servicemen and women in different branches of the military. I worked with the Facilities Engineering group and was able to work on a variety of different projects, including a wastewater pump design and replacement, truck scale installation, steam insulation survey, culvert repair, building steam system design, and a plant air system model creation in AFT Arrow. I decided to co-op in order to learn and to gain valuable work experience.
Overall, I would say that I am most proud of how much I was able to dig in and learn during my co-op. I didn't know a thing going into it compared to when I left. Before my co-op, I wasn't super confident in myself as an engineering student. During my co-op, however, I soon realized that as long as I kept a humble mindset and wasn't afraid to ask questions, there is no concept or system that is too complex to understand and learn.
My co-op with BAE better prepared me to be an engineer, not only through the technical skills I learned, but also by showing me how valuable people skills are. Many of my successes throughout my co-op could be attributed to gleaning knowledge from more experienced engineers and workers.
I would highly encourage anyone considering a co-op or internship to do it! I truly believe you will have no regrets.
In my free time, I enjoy reading and spending time outdoors. I love to camp, hike, kayak, and travel.
Before anything else though, I love Jesus. I believe He is the One who has gotten me to where I am today and given me everything I have. I'm excited to step into this new gift of serving as an ambassador for the 2021-2022 school year!
