1: For my STEP signature project, I was able to do an industrial and systems engineering co-op with COTA at their McKinley office here in Columbus. During these 6 months, I was able to work in the engineering department and help out with their day-to-day tasks. I was also able to work on my own project that included data collection and interpretation, creating a solution based on the data, and presenting the solution.

2: Going into this internship, I had no idea what to expect. I had no previous experience of the corporate world and even less experience about the workings of a bus or transit authority. Walking into my first day, I was unsure how my skills would fit into a work environment. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be equipped to handle everything that was thrown at me. I also had no idea how interacting with co-workers would go. But, as the months went by, I learned to trust myself more and have more confidence. I did have enough knowledge to be able to do a good job. I had the work ethic to be able to learn about things I had no exposure to previously. I also did make strong connections with my co-workers that I never thought possible.

Additionally, I gained a new insight about the world. It was fascinating to be able to see how the busses worked behind the scenes. I never thought there were so many different parts that would come together to create a transit authority. It was incredible to be able to interact with many different departments and see what they do for people. I also was able to get a feel for how working for government/public sector is like and how that affects the way things get done. I thought making change would be easy to implement but in reality, it takes a lot of work and convincing for any difference to be made. This gave me a newfound appreciation for the people who care about making a difference and put in the effort to actually make that difference. Also, I was able to see how important it is for a company to care about its employees and its customers.

3: Interacting with my mentor had the largest impact on the transformation I had. My mentor was incredibly supportive and had a unique perspective on the world. He was able to guide me through my project (since I was working alone) and instill confidence that I would produce good quality work. He also really like to talk about how things at COTA worked and how public sector differed from private sector. He was the one who talked about what it takes for things to be implemented at COTA. He was the one who told me how things are approached in the public vs private sector. He really did have a huge impact on the way I see things.

Being at COTA gave me the chance to interact with a lot of people in power and people in different departments. I was able to meet with people from IT and HR but also people as high as the CEO of COTA. It was really helpful to be able to talk about the ideas I had for my project and gain a perspective of things I could implement for its success. It really reassured me that I did know how to approach & solve problems and how to communicate with other people. Being able to interact with these different departments also gave me a good idea of the type of people who need to come together to make a company work. Everyone has had their own unique journey that contributed to them finding their place at COTA. It was really interesting to hear all about it.

Lastly, being able to tag along and join miscellaneous events was extremely helpful and insightful. Here, I was able to see what the company was about. It showed me how much COTA does care about its employees. There were all sorts of events catered towards giving employees benefits (like massages, mammograms, free lunches, free ice cream, etc…). There were also events catered towards giving back to the community (volunteering at events like red white and boom, hosting food drives, etc…). It is nice to see how a company takes action to make a good work environment for its employees and a good community for its costumers. It brought to my attention how I value that in a company and I want to make sure that whoever I work for has these aspects to them as well.

4: This internship experience will definitely be one I will never forget. From the work experience to the people I’ve met, the lessons I’ve learned will stick with me and be applied for potentially forever. Academically, I will feel more confident about my problem solving skills. This can be applied to homework problems I’m struggling with, exams, and even group projects. Being able to approach problems with confidence Is extremely important in being successful in college. This internship has reassured me of my abilities and has motivated me to continue doing well. It has also increased my confidence in creating relationships with other peers and faculty. If I’m able to do it at this internship then I’ll be able to do it at school too.

When it comes to my professional life, I will try to make sure that I’m with a company that has a similar vibe to COTA. What I mean by that is I want to make sure that I’m in an environment that will be able to help me gain/keep confidence in myself. I don’t want to feel as though I’m inadequate in my job. I also want to be apart of a company that not only cares about its customers, but about it’s employees as well. Getting those benefits can make coming to work feel so much more worth it. Additionally, being able to be surrounded by different types of people who are willing to share knowledge is important. I want to be able to talk with people of differing status and departments. I want to be able to get that different perspective in the future, regardless of what position I’m in.

My STEP project fell under the internship category and was with the United States Government. I performed office work, occasionally assisted agents with various aspects of their cases, and worked special events.

During this project, I learned a lot more about what happens behind the scenes to protect this country. I also came to appreciate the sacrifices that many employees who work in the national security sector make daily, which better helped me determine what kind of career I want to pursue in the future. Throughout my experience, I was also able to learn more about how to protect myself in everyday life, and various aspects of criminal behavior.

Interactions with members of the public and government employees have helped in the transformation. Interactions with certain individuals from the public have opened my eyes to some of the harsh realities of the world and with guidance from federal agents, I have learned how to behave during certain real-life situations.

During the course of my experience I got to participate in multiple events with individuals in the government who hold or previously held positions of power and got to witness what goes into events where those types of people will be present. These experiences helped me further develop situational awareness and further understand the nature of various threats and dangers. Working in the events to a limited degree opened my eyes to more careers that I was previously unaware of.

Financial crimes are prevalent in our country. Learning more about our currency and financial crimes has helped me learn various ways to protect myself financially. Not only am I able to better protect myself, but I can now better help my friends and family with financial related security measures.

This experience is helpful academically because I can apply real world experience/knowledge to my courses, some of which relate to national security. Personally, the transformation from this experience has helped me in more ways than I can explain. Aside from the ways it has helped me that I described above, it has given me the ability to meet individuals from many agencies in the government and network. No pictures included, thank you for understanding.

-Grant Warner

For the past six months I interned as a process engineer at DuPont working on their Vespel resin process. Vespel is a high-performance polyimide resin, with a complex synthesis process. As an intern I was responsible for several different projects ranging from quality control test design, management of change – subtle and technology, test authorizations, and investigational project management. I worked independently on about half of my projects and with a team on the other half.

Being my first engineering internship, I feel that I gained a much better understanding of what engineering in industry looks like and what it’s like to fill a process engineering role. I went in reserved and while I felt technically competent, I didn’t feel as comfortable speaking up in team meetings with other engineers and I was hesitant to ask for help when I was struggling with a project. The Vespel team was group oriented and quickly helped to cultivate confidence with teamwork and my own ideas. I was able to gain confidence in my ideas and learned to speak up when I have input. Both are valuable lessons I have taken with me and will continue to implement as I go back to school in January and down the road at future internships and my career.

Aside from how my experience affected my confidence working in teams, I also gained a new understanding of the role an engineer plays in process safety management. The production of Vespel is classified as a high-hazard process and thus must be treated with high levels of caution from an environmental, health, and Safety (EH&S) approach. The Vespel EH&S engineer mentored me on three of my nine projects and instilled an appreciation for the burden an engineer carries in keeping the line operators safe and the environment clean. Prior to this internship I didn’t fully grasp the independent responsibility for safety each engineer carries. I now understand how crucial it is to double check your work and ensure a deep understanding of any process prior to making changes to a system.

The Vespel technical group meets as a whole group every morning and afternoon–Monday through Friday. In between these two meetings there are also several smaller group meetings with individuals working on the same project. I think the general focus on collaboration helped me to feel more comfortable working with other I didn’t know so well. It felt much more open and relaxed than prior team experiences I’ve had, and this allowed me to become quickly comfortable with contribution. Contribution felt not only welcome but often expected during meetings, even if it was just to update others on what I did that day.

The open line of communication that Vespel maintained was crucial to the safe function of the process and this became apparent on a few occasions where a lack of communication caused issues in the process. The most common example of this was an engineer making a process change without adequately informing operations of the change to their role. This caused failed batches, and sometimes damaged equipment (each batch is nearly $1MM on the market, 4-8 batches per day). Both impact production and pose potential safety hazards if severe. The responsibility that I had to communicate with my team and involve the group whenever I was in doubt forced me out of my shell quickly and allowed me to grow as a team player.

Moving into what I learned about process safety, the first two weeks of my internship consisted mainly of safety training and process tours. Prior to this internship I didn’t fully comprehend the independent responsibility a process engineer plays in safety. In my head, I expected this to be more diffuse and automated, but it is very real and possibly the most important part of the job. When implementing a change an engineer must create a Management of Change transmittal (MOC,  industry standard). While this does ensure every change has a minimum of 3-4 engineers signing off and reviewing the change, the responsibility of any change is ultimately that of the MOC originator. This burden made it very clear to me the necessity in speaking with others and taking their input and following up based on their ideas. While I was only responsible for less PSM-critical changes, I saw many critical changes occur while I was there, and it was easy to see that a mistake could be costly both in safety and monetarily.

The deeper understanding, appreciation, and competency I have for teamwork will be beneficial throughout the rest of college, and as I navigate my career post-graduation. Most careers in engineering mandate the ability to work on a team and I think gaining this ability early on is invaluable to me as a beginning applicant out of school. The confidence this experience developed will make it easier to work on group projects, present, and better communicate throughout school and in whatever field I decide to pursue.

The better understanding of safety and personal responsibility is a life-lesson that is commutative to any field, not just industrial work. A deep sense of independent responsibility for my work cultivates better ethic and a stronger personal investment in my work. While this can be a burden to carry, it can also be a sense of efficacy for the work I do, it develops ownership over my projects down the road and emphasizes personal contribution as equally as important as the result. Both changes to my thinking will make me both a better student and a better potential applicant and asset down the road.

(I am not permitted to upload photos from my internship)

Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project.

My STEP Signature Project was an internship completed in fall 2023 with Ohio State Alumni Magazine. During my time there, I learned how a publication like OSAM is idealized, created and distributed. Additionally, I used my experience in journalism to write feature stories for both online and print publication.

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

Most of all, I feel as though my sense of community was heightened during my time at Ohio State Alumni Magazine. Being a Buckeye is not only about attending Ohio State, but is about honing our shared values. Writing stories about some of the amazing things happening not only on our campus but by Buckeyes around the world during this internship was incredible. And, the opportunity to create relationships with these individuals helped me to truly understand why the community at Ohio State is so great.

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?

Referring to the prompt above, I feel as though being able to meet some of these incredible Ohio State alumni and hear their stories helped to improve my sense of community. And, while writing the three stories (linked below) I had published throughout my internship, I was able to learn a lot about what kinds of opportunities our campus offers.

His student job: ‘It’s almost been an escape for me.’

Join us in the new building for filming and fighting

Women & Philanthropy: A group investing in the future

I think the activities that led to this newfound sense of community came mostly in the writing process of the three stories mentioned above. I was able to explore places on campus that I never thought I would. I was able to interview both students and faculty. And, most of all, I was able to learn a thing or two from each of these individuals. Working for University Advancement, it is our job to tell the stories of what Buckeyes are doing both in Columbus and around the world. Hearing what each of these people were passionate about and in turn putting their ideas on paper for others to read about was all in all a great process.

To sum, the opportunities at Ohio State are endless, and I was only able to explore a few. This experience led me to a newfound curiosity and goal: I want to tell the stories of the incredible things people are doing around Ohio State. Hopefully, I’m able to give readers a sense of Buckeye community like this internship did for me.

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

Growing up in a small town, community has always been important to me. Consequently, moving to Ohio State was a little overwhelming. I had always been told that I would find a home here at Ohio State. After working for OSAM, I have not only found that home, but I can feel it, too. Reading countless stories and doing hours of research on Buckeyes around the world may sound meticulous, but it was actually enjoyable: Because, when reading these things, I knew that I had something in common with them. This feeling of near-nostalgia gave me even more drive than before to get my diploma. And, it made me strive learn more about the community of Buckeyes, which is one of the largest alumni bases in the world.  

My STEP Signature Project was a summer internship as a Park Ranger for Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Peninsula, Ohio. My main duties were in the Community Engagement Division. I led many youth programs with activities such as presentations, educational hikes, bike rides, fishing, games, songs, crafts, and more. I also assisted with visitor services by providing information at the visitor center, at pop-up booths throughout the park, and informally as I was roving the trails.

As a Landscape Architecture major, I am hoping to someday design parks and outdoor spaces for people. In my studies so far, all our projects are hypothetical, our designs do not get built, and there is no community engaging with our designs. This has always been a bit frustrating for me, as the main reason I am interested in Landscape Architecture is the people who will get to enjoy the spaces I design. Though my internship was not at a place I came up with, getting to share my passion for it with others was encouraging and inspiring. I have been an avid visitor of Cuyahoga Valley since I was a little kid, so it was exciting for me to meet and talk with people who might be only visiting for a day, or who are local to the area and have been coming for ages. I got to experience some children’s first experiences with nature, reminding me why I came to love it so much.

I am an extrovert, and this summer fueled that side of me. I gave many safety talks and educational presentations, performed in multiple children’s plays, and played more games than I could count. But one element of this that challenged me a great deal was developing my own programs. For each of these events, we had a specific program outline with key interpretive points, tools for learning, and demonstrative activities. While I have many times followed a script or lesson plan, I have never had to write my own before. We had extensive training on what elements make a good program and aligned with National Park Service themes, but I went through many rounds of edits before the hiking and history program I wrote was ready for the public. This process made me better at receiving and giving feedback and asking good questions.

Another part of my internship I felt transformed by was the number of check-ins we had with our team. When I first received this position, I felt underqualified. Everyone else in my same role had a year of experience at the park, and I had none. My duties also included leading a group of volunteers, and occasionally I was our team lead for the day and was in charge of whole events. This seemed daunting to me, but through the help of my manager, and co-workers, I received lots of constructive feedback and asked lots of questions. We started and ended each day with a briefing meeting, which prepared me and ensured I accomplished all I had set out to do on any given day. Since our schedule varied so much, and I have never been an organized person, this was essential to keep me on track. In addition to our briefings, I also had individual quarterly check-ins with my manager, who made sure I had all the opportunities I needed for personal and professional development. This made me feel like a valuable employee and that my voice was heard. I hope to do this kind of evaluation in other jobs I might hold in the future. 

Besides learning from my coworkers, I made connections daily with the visitors I interacted with. Sometimes they were older than me and had wonderful stories to share about their experiences adventuring outdoors. But most of the time, I led youth summer camp groups and hosted events at community centers in Cleveland and Akron. The majority of our programs were attended by families and children who have little access to the outdoors in their neighborhood. We would bus in groups from the cities, or come bring elements of the park to them. One group that especially moved me was called Project RISE, which served people experiencing homelessness in Akron. Most groups only came once or twice, but these families were always so excited to come to the park. I saw the same people many times throughout the summer and got to know many of them. A lot of the kids in this group were really little or had difficulty communicating, but it was amazing to see them light up from just playing volleyball or frisbee. We grew close and learned from each other though we did not formally talk about the park. 

This experience opened my eyes to the wide variety of backgrounds and motivations for people exploring the outdoors. As an aspiring Landscape Architect, I am always curious about the purpose behind a place, and it was encouraging to see that people can make a purpose out of anything. From exercise to walking their dog, to environmental education, or exploring history, there is something for everyone to enjoy outside. I am still discerning what my future might hold. This internship stuck my foot in the door for a career with the National Park Service, but I am unsure whether I would want to stick with the behind-the-scenes design work of a Landscape Architect, or let my extrovertedness shine through as a Park Ranger. Either way I go, I will have the experience I gained this past summer to inform my career. I am excited to share that this upcoming spring I am doing another internship with a Landscape Architecture firm in Columbus. This co-op semester would not have been attainable for me if not for the experience I gained at Cuyahoga Valley, so I am thankful for this STEP Signature Project.