Name: Emily McDonel

Type of Project: Internship

• Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.

I was the product commercialization co-op at The Hershey Company in Hershey, PA during the fall of 2018.  As an engineering co-op, I worked on the startup of a production line to produce our newest product, and have also implemented my skills and learnings in the food technology labs and the pilot plant to determine why certain products were not processing as expected.

• What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP
  Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.

After completing this project, I realized that I want to pursue a career in the food and beverage industry.  Throughout this co-op, I was able to combine my passions for both engineering and research to make a positive impact on the company.  In the food and beverage industry, I will be able to continue this path while working in a less harsh environment than a research lab — it is much easier to work with chocolate than hazardous chemicals.

• What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in
  #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project
  that led to this change/transformation.

At Hershey, I was able to aid in the start-up of our newest product: a mash up between Hershey chocolate and Reese’s Pieces.  This was the first time I had been in a production plant, and it was incredible.  I was able to see the process from the making of the chocolate to the packaging of the final product.  There were a multitude of people and talents that were needed to aid in this start-up, and it truly showed that it didn’t matter how smart you were or what your GPA was, but how you applied your intelligence and skills.

I have always been willing to get my hands dirty and figure out how something works which allowed me to be of assistance on the production floor even during my first rotation.  This also led to me being asked back to the production plant to aid in troubleshooting a problem on an additional line later in my rotation.  These skills also led to much pilot plant work.  In the pilot plant, process equipment and design are tested to determine the ideal parameters for the production of new products and the optimization of current ones.  Pilot plant testing not only led to a chocolate coating on a product but also on various articles of clothing.  Although, I enjoyed the experience every step of the way and often went home smelling of coca butter.  Win win.

Overall, this experience was transformational as it allowed me to experience many  aspects of The Hershey Company and the confectionery industry.  Hershey provided many opportunities as a first rotation co-op which not many companies do.  They also had different events and business resource groups within the company to make sure minorities — such as women engineers — felt included and had a support group behind them.  This experience illuminated the fact that these are the types of ideals and programs I would want the company I work for to have and will be sure to look for in future interviews and career decisions.

• Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or
  professional goals and future plans.

This experience has been significant as it has narrowed my career interests to the food and beverage industry.  It has also showed me ideals I want in the company for which I will be working; in interviews the company is not only interviewing you, but you are also interviewing the company.  Academic wise, I will be adding a food processing minor to continue courses on a field I am passionate about and make me more competitive in the job market.  I will be returning to Hershey in the summer of 2019 and am excited for the new opportunities I will have and the new skills I will learn.

Overlook of Hershey, PA

Assisting Reese at our annual children’s Halloween event