Honda Co-op Reflection

 

For my STEP Signature Project I worked as an Industrial Engineering Co-op at Honda’s manufacturing plant in East Liberty, Ohio. My role this semester was in the Vehicle Quality Department with the New Model Group. In this position I helped develop tools to help associates process cars more effectively.

Working for a large company like Honda poses many opportunities for professional growth. I saw how different departments operate and interact with each other and learned that people can have vastly different approaches to a problem based on their own perspectives. In my projects I had to communicate information between associates with different backgrounds. It was important for me to communicate the relevant information to each person and be able to piece together information from all those sources into a clear picture. This meant that I had to become comfortable with being the subject matter expert in conversations where the other associate was not as familiar with a process or tool that we were discussing.

My projects were assigned to me by my mentor and my supervisor. These assignments came from improvement opportunities that they identified and goals they hoped to reach within the department. I communicated with them regularly to understand the resources I had and the direction I should be going to achieve those results. Throughout the semester I reached out to them for feedback on the work I’d completed so far and advice on how to proceed.

One of these projects involved building a program to assist associates with data acquisition and processing. The project was initiated by my mentor because it would be valuable to people in his position who make evaluations based on that data. The tool would also benefit the associates on the floor who are taking the data. These two groups perform different jobs and have different perspectives on the situation, so it was important for me to work closely with both to make sure all stakeholders were involved in developing a solution. By communicating with floor associates and department managers I was able to view the problem from multiple perspectives and gain a more complete understanding of the problem.

This experience has made me more agile in problem solving and more confident in the work that I do as an engineer. I know that I can create value for a company despite having less experience because there is always going to be more to learn. Not everyone at a company knows everything about that company, and realizing that taught me to share the expertise I have and reach out for the information I need. With these new skills I will be more confident entering and growing my professional career.

STEP Reflection – EY Chicago Winter Internship

For my STEP project, I worked as an Assurance Intern for Ernst & Young in their Chicago office. During this time, I helped with year-end auditing throughout the course of busy season. STEP made this financially possible as I previously did not possess the funds to cover living expenses.

During my time within this project, I developed not only in the workspace, but personally as well. The initial change that took place was living in the heart of Chicago. Growing up in a small suburb outside of St. Louis, I have never had the opportunity to experience city life. Living in Chicago for a few months was something that gave me a newfound sense of open mindedness and an ability to adapt. Every person in Chicago seems to have their own unique personality and is something that makes the city so incredible. As I lived there, I began to embrace the beauty of this and became more empathetic towards those I could previously not relate too. The same thought applies to the many personalities of Ernst & Young. Many of my coworkers had different backgrounds and upbringings than myself. Despite many differences in personality, I found pleasure in working with individuals that I could learn from. Most employees at Ernst & Young were hardworking individuals who are very skillful in the workplace. I developed numerous mentors who helped me get settled in and showed me the ropes throughout my tenure there. I attempted to soak in anything they were telling and embraced these new teachings. Overall, this project opened my mind to the many different personalities in the world and forced me to get out of my comfort zone and try something new.

Throughout the course of my internship, there were many events that were impactful regarding my development as a professional and as a member of society. Throughout my tenure, I was able to develop a very close-knit with the partner on my team which made it the job easier to pick up om. Mr. Henderson served as a mentor during this project and taught me numerous things from the ethics within public accounting to character traits that lead to success to even the best restaurants in the Chicago area. I can safely contribute a large sum of my development to Lee Henderson.

When working with my respected team, I was often tasked with roles that were challenging yet stimulating. An internship during busy season gave me the opportunity to really test my skills during the most intense period in the public accounting year. From controls testing, to formulating lead sheets, to tieing out the final 10-K, I was tasked with things that I had no prior knowledge or experience doing. There were most definitely some learning curves during this time but, fortunately, I had a team that was willing to help at any time.

5 months before the start of this internship, I had just switched my major to accounting. At the time, I was not entirely sure of what I wanted to do but I knew Accounting would be a great place to start. There was no better way to reaffirm that notion than this internship. At Ernst & Young, I worked long hours over a two-month span during busy season. It was tough, but very stimulating work. As an intern, I was able to see what all goes into a business from operations to sales. As we performed our audit, I realized that I was enjoying the work I was doing. I was also able to withstand the most intense time of the year, so I knew I was cut out for this career. This experience not only reaffirmed my interest in this career path, but also allowed me to gain key experience in the public accounting field. This experience will play a major role when attempting to find full time jobs next fall.

Overall, through countless experiences and interactions with different individuals, I truly had a transformational experience. The experience was very humbling as I learned that I don’t know as much as I thought I did. This applies to not only life in the workplace, but the social aspects as well. I was taught countless lessons and created relationships that I hope will last a lifetime. I would encourage anyone to participate in STEP as it gave me an opportunity to wander out of my comfort zone and finally do something to better myself.

STEP Reflection – NYC Internship

My step signature project was an accounting internship in New York City. I worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers as an Assurance Intern in the Alternatives practice. Every day I was either working at the client site or the main PwC office in Midtown Manhattan.

My three months in New York City greatly transformed my view of the world. I got to experience one of the most diverse places in the United States. I learned to appreciate all different types of cultures and ideas even when they varied greatly from my personal ones. I learned and gained a deeper understanding of my own values. First, a value I learned to serve a large importance is respect and kindness. I also learned the value of hard-work. I have always known that respect, kindness, and hard-work were important to me, but through my experience I realized that these are the most impactful for not only myself, but others as well. I made sure to implement all three of these into my life each day I spent in New York City and continue to express them each day now that I am home in Ohio.

One of the first relationships I formed during my STEP Project was with my Senior on my client team. She served as the person I worked closest with by giving my different tasks as well as reviewing the work I would complete. Our relationship had many ups and downs, but I could say we ended on good terms. When I first met her, I received an abundance of work and was expected to complete this work quickly and accurately. This resulted in me working extremely hard to make sure I was able to meet those expectations. I quickly learned the importance of hard-work to many people in New York City. It is a very fast moving city and I picked up on this.
There were some times that I struggled with the work I would receive or something I was required to do and it made it much easier to get through the difficult times when I was respected by others and coworkers. I made sure to try and always respect everyone’s time and schedules when I would interact with them because I saw how much of an impact that had on my life. I also worked with several people within the company and in my personal life outside of the internship that had come from many different companies. We would share our own opinions and ideas and when there was mutual respect between us, we were more productive and could learn new ideas. Respect is something I have always been aware of but my time in New York City taught me to be more conscious of it and make sure to implement it at all times.
The last biggest value that I discovered was important to me was kindness. I had encounters with many people who did not seem to put an emphasis on kindness in the same way I do. This was mostly the case with strangers on the streets, in stores, and on public transportation. I always made sure to give up my seat on the subway if someone who seemed to need it more than me was standing and people really appreciated such a little act of kindness that I would never even think twice about. I learned how much kindness is truly appreciated and it made my day when I saw kindness being spread. I again am making sure to bring back all these new values I learned the importance of and plan to continue to implement them into my life each day.

The values I have gained in my experience will benefit me in my personal, professional, and academic life. Hard-work, respect, and kindness should not be applied to any specific events, but they should be applied to every event. I had the opportunity to see first-hand how beneficial these values were in a professional environment at PwC and outside of my internship in my everyday personal life. My experience was elevated once these values were consciously added and practiced so I can only imagine how much this is going to assist me in my academic and personal life here in Ohio. I look forward to continuing to practice these values and share them with others.

The Learning Spectrum Reflection

1) Interning through The Learning Spectrum with autistic children gave me many opportunities to grow within myself and my future career path. At the school I aided in teaching math classes in small groups, looked after the children when they had independent time, interacted with them on assignments, read to the children, and helped put together lesson plans with the classroom teacher.

2)I learned a great deal about myself through interacting with autistic children each week I interned. Not only did I learn about how each of the children function in day to day life, they taught me things I did not know about myself. These children proved my assumptions wrong and changed the way I view the world. Before coming to TLS, I assumed all autistic children barely spoke and underestimated their basic knowledge. In interacting with these first and second graders (the classroom I was assigned), I learned my assumptions to be very inaccurate.

With each activity I completed with the students, whether it be learning addition or reading a book to them, I quickly learned how much each child was capable of. Every single child in my classroom was very vocal, which was something I was not familiar with regarding autistic children. In proving me wrong, my view of the world drastically changed. I now see how each child has an unlimited capability of what they can learn, no matter the disability. I never doubted what each child could accomplish, however what they showed me as an intern was life-changing. The transformation within myself happened over the entire course of my internship, with the ability to gain more insight after each visit to TLS.

3) Through the duration of my internship, I encountered difficult interactions, formed many relationships, and participated in several activities. When first arriving to TLS, I was not sure what to expect, as I had never worked so closely with autistic children. When a child would have a meltdown because something did not go their way, or a child would eat sand, glue, or cut their hair, I was met with difficult decisions on how to approach the situation in a professional manner.  I quickly learned I needed to work with each child individually because each child had different needs.

One child for example was more ahead in our math class than the others. I sat down with him and we worked on the next lesson together. There were other situations where it was the opposite, and I would work with the group of students who were struggling a little more. A second event that aided in changing my view of the world is how hard each child works. Though the children were educationally delayed, this did not stop them in achieving all they did. Seeing how hard they worked and the determination they endured in the most difficult times truly opened my eyes in a way they never have been before. Something that seems so simple like being asked to sit and listen to a book was a challenge for the kids. Sometimes they would run out of the classroom, and I would have to run after them and bring them back. When the child did calm down and focus, they did with such enthusiasm and care. These events helped shape my view to this day in the fact I gained a tremendous amount of patience and understanding. Working with mentally disabled children taught me a lot about how they learn in a classroom environment as well as how they interact with others. I now know each child is different in their own unique ways and aiding each child requires different techniques to meet their individual needs.

Along the way, I developed many relationships with teachers and the children. In working alongside my classroom teacher and classroom aid, I learned a lot in regards to strategies when helping the children. I learned how to speak to the children, address problems and ways to fix them, and developed the ability to ask the teachers questions about the kids. If I did not know how to approach a child’s behavior or had a general question about why they are working on a particular task, I gained the confidence and ability to form questions. These relationships developed each time I met with the teachers and continued to grow strong throughout the internship. I felt very welcomed by the classroom teachers and received answers to the many questions I had. The relationships I formed with the teachers allowed me to feel at ease and ultimately allowed me to gain a tremendous amount of knowledge that shapes my view of society today. I see how many individuals are out there actively trying to teach mentally disabled children. It is obvious to me how many people truly care for these kids and their futures.

4) This transformation I endured is beyond valuable to my life. Not only did I learn a great deal for future careers and my professional goals of working with disability, I developed my personal future as well. As a person, I have always been intrigued with helping others and it is a constant life-long goal of mine to help disabled people get to the future they ultimately desire. Without this positive change and experience in my life, I would not have the skills I do now. I now know how to professionally engage in conversations with persons of authority, I can interact with disabled children, learn more about myself in the process, and decide if this is a future career path I want to continue with. I can confidently say after this internship, I do want to continue in this career direction of learning about disabled persons and teach them how to better help themselves.