PERSEVERE
Writing one of these reviews is always a bittersweet feeling. I always enjoy the opportunity to reflect and look back on all the incredible things I got to be a part of this year. However, it also tells me I'm edging closer and closer to graduating college and becoming an "adult".
The Fall of 2018 was one of the most academically demanding semesters I have faced at my time in UC. Fresh off a semester in London, I came in wholly unprepared for the largest course-load I was to face in college so far. In addition, there was the added stress of finding a new co-op for the Spring that was eating into my time. I made a decision to cut down on some of my extra curricular activities at UC, choosing to only be a ROAR Guide and UHP Ambassador during the Fall. Being back in classes also meant my intramural soccer team gave one last push to winning the championship before everyone graduated. In historic fashion, we didn't concede a single goal during the entire regular season only to lose in PKs in the first round of the playoffs. C'est la vie. Thankfully, I was able to grit my teeth and, after many sleepless nights finishing projects and homework, I finished the semester with nearly all As. I was also able to secure a co-op at Hyperion Materials and Technologies in Columbus, Ohio. Thankfully, this meant moving wouldn't be that painful.
I was optimistic going into my spring semester at my new co-op in Columbus. At Hyperion, I worked as a Process/Project Engineering Co-op, focusing primarily on the diamond Finishing value stream of the company. This was my first time working in process engineering, historically having worked in reliability and design. This was also my first time working in industry in over a year, having interned in London doing design work my past rotation. These factors, and many others, led me to being overwhelmed during my first month and a half. I found myself taking much longer to perform standard tests and tasks, constantly doubting my ideas and managing my time extremely poorly. I struggled to keep up at work, eventually even getting to the point where I had to ask my supervisor to take me off one of my major projects because I feared it was eating so much of my time that I couldn't focus on my other projects. The combination of being away from most of my friends, performing poorly at work and the stress of searching for a summer co-op took a mental toll on me. Thankfully, I was able to find success in some of my other projects at Hyperion, but overall I am not ashamed to say I was disappointed in my progress. I like to look at this time as an opportunity for growth as opposed to a failure. I really liked the problem solving and experimental design aspect of process engineering and was excited to accept a position as a Process Engineering Co-op at Teva Pharmaceuticals for my last co-op in the summer.
Summer is here and I'm back in Cincinnati, days away from starting my last co-op rotation at Teva Pharmaceuticals. I'm glad to be back in the Queen City and am excited to start a new job in my home city. I made a promise to myself to see my shortcomings in my last co-op rotation as a learning experience and to apply what I learned to my new job at Teva. As i'm rounding out my fourth year here at UC, I cant help but admire the incredible journey it has been to get to where I am right now. Who would have thought this kid from an island thousands of miles away would travel to Cincinnati to be a part of these incredible experiences and meet some incredible people. I am forever grateful for my time here at UC and I am nervously anticipating my final year here before graduation rolls around.
The Fall of 2018 was one of the most academically demanding semesters I have faced at my time in UC. Fresh off a semester in London, I came in wholly unprepared for the largest course-load I was to face in college so far. In addition, there was the added stress of finding a new co-op for the Spring that was eating into my time. I made a decision to cut down on some of my extra curricular activities at UC, choosing to only be a ROAR Guide and UHP Ambassador during the Fall. Being back in classes also meant my intramural soccer team gave one last push to winning the championship before everyone graduated. In historic fashion, we didn't concede a single goal during the entire regular season only to lose in PKs in the first round of the playoffs. C'est la vie. Thankfully, I was able to grit my teeth and, after many sleepless nights finishing projects and homework, I finished the semester with nearly all As. I was also able to secure a co-op at Hyperion Materials and Technologies in Columbus, Ohio. Thankfully, this meant moving wouldn't be that painful.
I was optimistic going into my spring semester at my new co-op in Columbus. At Hyperion, I worked as a Process/Project Engineering Co-op, focusing primarily on the diamond Finishing value stream of the company. This was my first time working in process engineering, historically having worked in reliability and design. This was also my first time working in industry in over a year, having interned in London doing design work my past rotation. These factors, and many others, led me to being overwhelmed during my first month and a half. I found myself taking much longer to perform standard tests and tasks, constantly doubting my ideas and managing my time extremely poorly. I struggled to keep up at work, eventually even getting to the point where I had to ask my supervisor to take me off one of my major projects because I feared it was eating so much of my time that I couldn't focus on my other projects. The combination of being away from most of my friends, performing poorly at work and the stress of searching for a summer co-op took a mental toll on me. Thankfully, I was able to find success in some of my other projects at Hyperion, but overall I am not ashamed to say I was disappointed in my progress. I like to look at this time as an opportunity for growth as opposed to a failure. I really liked the problem solving and experimental design aspect of process engineering and was excited to accept a position as a Process Engineering Co-op at Teva Pharmaceuticals for my last co-op in the summer.
Summer is here and I'm back in Cincinnati, days away from starting my last co-op rotation at Teva Pharmaceuticals. I'm glad to be back in the Queen City and am excited to start a new job in my home city. I made a promise to myself to see my shortcomings in my last co-op rotation as a learning experience and to apply what I learned to my new job at Teva. As i'm rounding out my fourth year here at UC, I cant help but admire the incredible journey it has been to get to where I am right now. Who would have thought this kid from an island thousands of miles away would travel to Cincinnati to be a part of these incredible experiences and meet some incredible people. I am forever grateful for my time here at UC and I am nervously anticipating my final year here before graduation rolls around.