- Major: Biomedical Engineering
- Company: Fresenius Medical Care
- Graduation Year: Dec 2022
- E-mail: wblanke2@vols.utk.edu
Profile
My first internship experience was at Schneider Electric in Smyrna, Tennessee. This site manufactured power transformers, and I was responsible for improving inventory management by identifying storage errors. This summer and fall semester, I am on co-op at Fresenius Medical Care in their Global Research and Development Department. This site manufactures dialysis solutions for their dialysis centers across the country. I have been able to take part in studies to maintain the safety of their products. I am also a part time intern at HTS International, where I am responsible for web development of a part quoting page. This has helped turn my hobby into a professional experience and helped me build skills on the side.
I decided to co-op because I wanted to gain a better understanding of industry and get a feel for what I am interested in. There are a lot of different things I am considering going into, and my co-op has helped me gain a better understanding of what career path I want to take.
One of my most significant work achievements was conducting my own study for a product at Fresenius. I was responsible for doing all the testing, data analysis, and writing the project report. I then got to present my findings in front of some engineers. It helped me gain a better understanding of the product development process and feel more confident of myself as an engineer. It has helped me narrow down the field I want to go into, as well as helped me build the industry skills that you can't get from classes.
I think a co-op is a great way to gain more experience and figure out what you like and don't like. It has given me an idea on what I enjoy doing and what I don't see myself going into. It has also helped me expand my professional network and gain an understanding what kind of experiences I need for the career I want to go into. It also gives a nice break from school and helps financially.
When I'm not doing work, I'm either playing soccer at TRECS or exploring the outdoors. Besides that, I love everything Vols and trying new things.
I'm open to answer any questions or talk about any of my experiences!