Co-op Ambassador:
Joshua Senn       

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Graduation Date: May 2020
Co-op Company: Wright Metal Products (WMP) Crates

Why did you decide to co-op?
I decided to co-op because I felt that it gave me the best chance to obtain a job after leaving college. Today's job market is very competitive, so having actual real world experience as an engineer is absolutely invaluable.

What types of projects did you work on?
I worked a lot on the design of our products and either creating new designs with CAD software or utilizing the existing files to update the designs to fit new requirements. I also helped on our warehouse floor by managing projects and ensuring that everything went smoothly during production.

Describe your relationship with your mentor(s) and other colleagues:
My coworkers at WMP are great, they are very inviting and are appreciative of the work that I do. My mentor and I have a very good relationship as well, he and I work side by side on projects, and he is always there if I need any answers or some guidance on a project that I am working on.

What was your most memorable moment on assignment?
The most memorable moments of my assignment was being able to meet my company's president and to actually talk to him. He personally wanted my boss and I to work on a project for him, so to have someone with a lot of power put that kind of trust in a co-op student was really exciting.

What aspect of your co-op assignment do you feel will be the most beneficial after you graduate?
I feel the most beneficial aspect of my co-op assignment was learning how to work alongside customers and understand their needs and requests. In college we learn all the necessary skills to do our job, but dealing with customers never is something that a class can teach and needs to be learned on the job.

What advice do you have for other students looking to complete the co-op program?
100%, without a doubt, do it. The positives far outweigh the negatives, and it will only help you become a more complete engineer and marketable employee for when the time comes for you to get a real job.