Major: Mechanical Engineering
Career: Sustaining engineer for Fresenius Medical Group
Laying the foundation
Leaving home to travel almost 1,000 miles from Utah to Hesston College was a big deal, but Hesston was a great fit for me and prepared me for a career I love. I am a sustaining engineer for Fresenius Medical Group, one of the world’s leading producers of dialysis equipment. I am a project manager, coordinating efforts between manufacturing, research and development, regulatory, purchasing, quality systems and outside suppliers and vendors. I work with cost savings and product/process improvement projects.
I felt a very personal connection to many of the faculty and staff with whom I interacted. Physics class with Nelson Kilmer was my first exposure working with solar energy technology, which has always been an interest of mine. Biblical Literature and Peacemaking and Justice courses with Marion Bontrager ’57 taught me so much about myself, my personal beliefs and the beliefs of others.
Climbing the ladder
After Hesston, I continued my education at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) where I earned my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. I was fully prepared for my experience at NYIT. Nearly all my credits transferred and I had equivalent or better preparation for my upper level classes when compared to students who started at NYIT or transferred from other schools.
As a member of the softball team as well as a resident assistant, Hesston offered me the opportunity to work with many diverse personalities, backgrounds and experiences. I use those experiences on a daily basis as I work with people from different departments within my plant and those around the country and the world.
Reaching new heights
The Hesston Experience means a lot of things to me. It was meeting people from around the country and world. It was learning how to live in the dorms and share a community. It was learning to stay up until all hours of the night – sometimes to foster a social life and other times for homework. My Hesston Experience was professors who knew me by name, served me Thanksgiving dinner and came to watch my softball games. It was an experience that shaped my life and future.
Right now, I am gaining valuable experience in the manufacturing and business worlds, but I plan to return to graduate school for a master’s degree in engineering. I would eventually like to start or be part of a startup company dealing with alternative energy research and implementation.