1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project.

My STEP Signature Project was a summer internship experience with the United Parcel Service (UPS). I spent 12 weeks with UPS as an Industrial Engineering Intern located in the West Chester (PA) Customer Service Center.

2. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project?

Before starting my internship at UPS, my original thought of the company centered around individuals delivering packages in their famous ‘Browns’ out of a package car. As my internship progressed through the summer and my knowledge of UPS flourished, I found a greater sense of appreciation for the company as a singular unit. I learned about the importance of an industrial engineer in progressing and simplifying the systems within an operation. I was also able to acquire knowledge surrounding individuals in HR and sales at UPS, and how without them, there would be no customers to deliver to. Without one of these key pieces, a Fortune 500 Company like UPS would not be able to function.

In general, I gained a greater appreciation for those around me. I had a great team of industrial engineers at UPS, and I would not claim to say that I would consider them to be my friends! I also grasped the concept of the importance of teamwork and collaboration. This idea is one key takeaway from my summer that I will utilize in my final year at Ohio State.

3. 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?

My summer experience and takeaways from my time at UPS exceeded my original expectations greatly. The team that I had surrounding me, specifically my manager and mentor, provided opportunities for me to learn more about UPS and myself as a young engineer. The experiences that I was able to take part in over the past 12 weeks included engineering projects, travel, and meeting lots of UPSers outside of the engineering department.

My favorite experience that I had this summer was participating in a ‘Ride Along’ with a package driver named Brian. I was able to get dressed in the world famous ‘Browns’ and help Brian in his day-to-day tasks. More importantly, I was able to learn more about Brian, his job as a delivery driver for UPS, and meet amazing customers in Norristown, Pennsylvania. One of my favorite aspects from my long day in a package car was that Brian and I did not stop chatting for the entire shift, which was nearly nine hours!

My summer with UPS allowed me to visit multiple different facilities and make greater connections outside of my immediate team. Within my 12 weeks with the company, I visited six different UPS facilities, with four being in Pennsylvania and two in my home state of Delaware. I had the privilege of stepping onto a Boeing 747 at the UPS Air Hub in Philadelphia that was bound for Germany! I was also able to interact with Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) that help UPS loaders in their daily tasks.

I also built great relationships with my fellow interns and IE team throughout the summer, which I believe contributed to my transformation discussed above. I had weekly meetings where I chatted with the interns about their projects and daily tasks. I was also able to create non-work bonds with the interns, and even spark some conversation about anything from our hometowns to the rivalries between our various colleges. On a global perspective within the company, I was able to participate in a ’12 Questions Video’ with an individual from UPS corporate. This about-me style video was sent in the Quarterly IE Newsletter to all UPS Industrial Engineers around the world!

In a larger picture, all these experiences together provided me with a great summer experience. I made new connections within my industry of choice, learned more about engineering practices in real-world scenarios, and observed various systems and operations. I plan to utilize each experience that I had this summer in my final year at Ohio State within social and school situations. I will use my newfound comfort in asking questions within my various classes. Having a successful summer with UPS allowed me to have the opportunity to go back as a full-time employee next summer, which is a great opportunity that I plan to evaluate over the coming weeks.

4. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?

Through my summer with UPS, I experienced both career and personal development that I will cherish forever. A future academic goal of mine is to graduate and be able to attend graduate school to obtain a Master of Business Administration. I plan to fulfill this dream by using my hard-work ethic that was further developed over the summer. The connections I made this summer will further my personal goal of expanding my professional network. I met many kinds of people with different professions this summer, which I plan to stay in contact with throughout my career. In general, I learned about myself as a person in the workplace and was able to accomplish projects that I could have only dreamed about before the beginning of my rotation. I will take this newfound confidence in myself to Ohio State for my senior year.