Greetings Belles! As I approach my 2nd anniversary of graduating from SMC (shout out to my fellow Math majors!), I’m honored to have this opportunity to share my life’s happenings since May 2014. First and foremost, I want to thank each and every one of you for your enthusiasm and support in this program. The Saint Mary’s Dual-Degree Engineering Program brought me to an amazing job, but more importantly, made me the person I’m proud to be today. The biggest milestone that happened to me after receiving my Math degree from Saint Mary’s was capturing the light at the end of the tunnel and graduating from Notre Dame in Mechanical Engineering! I was so ecstatic that day that it still makes my heart happy thinking about it. Ladies, the light exists, and it gets bigger and brighter as you approach it. With your heart, mind, and soul in-tuned, you will finish. After a very productive summer of sleeping-in and visiting college friends whenever I could, my Big Girl Life started on July 27, 2015. On this day I started as a Product Development Engineer in Body Interior for Ford Motor Company in the Ford College Graduate program. Translation: I work as an engineer in Ford’s engineering rotational program for recent graduates, and I rotate to different product development roles within the Body Interior Department (BI is anything that you see, touch, feel, and hear inside the vehicle), and to the veterans of Ford, I’m called an “FCG” Within my first six months at Ford I worked for three weeks on the F150 assembly line, made a professional recommendation that is being executed, and completed a three month assignment in Canada. On that assignment, I lived and worked outside of Toronto (the GTA – greater Toronto area – as the locals call it) at the Ford Oakville Assembly Complex. There I supported a new vehicle launch while being the engineer on-site for the Seat Complete Team. Since then, I’ve returned back to Dearborn where I’m wrapping up this first rotation in order to start my next rotation at the beginning of April Since starting at Ford, I’ve gotten involved in various committees ranging from the Professional Development committee for Body Interior / Exterior FCGs to being involved with the Notre Dame Recruiting team as the Internship Coordinator. I’m very happy with my decision to start at Ford. The environment is much like what we experience at SMC where the people are supportive and hardworking but favor being laid back and having a fun time. Since being almost a year out of college, “real world” to me mostly feels like being a small child trying to navigate the playground while learning a new language and trying so desperately to show the “big kids” you know what you’re doing. I try to take away a life lesson each day, but I take comfort in the fact that even the veterans are learn as they go. Despite all of that, I know these truisms are for certain: It all works out; the time I spent stressing about not graduating from the program (while the tears and come-to-Jesus meetings with Dr. TLO are healthy!), I could have actually been doing my engineering homework / proving those Abstract Algebra proofs. My quality of life has gone way up since graduating. I now love Sundays. I love being able to travel, read books because there is the time, and actually have a full night’s rest…among other things! I can keep going with what I’ve learned, but I’ve surpassed my word limit..and the top two are what I know for certain! Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to say Hi! SWE holds an incredible place in my heart; it helped me realize where my joy in life lies. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns about the future!! Supporting my fellow lady peers in STEM is where my true passion, so you can easily reach me at hshester@ford.com or 734-751-1488. All the best, Hillary
Job Title: Master Black Belt - Fulfillment at GE Aviation
Following graduation, Erin took a position with GE Aviation as part of the Operations Management Leadership Program where she completed 4 rotations over a 2 year span as a Safety Specialist in Durham, NC, Industrial Hygienist in Dayton, OH, Environmental Specialist in Hooksett, NH and a Shop Supervisor in Rockford, IL. Upon completion of the leadership program, Erin took a role as the Environmental, Health, and Safety Leader at the Rockford, IL facility responsible for leading integration efforts to GE EHS Systems and developing a proactive safety culture. In the spring of 2013, Erin relocated to Cincinnati as the Aviation Systems Fulfillment Leader driving the delivery recovery of 787 landing gear to Boeing Co. and implementing strategic delivery improvements. Currently, Erin is the Master Black Belt for the Material Fulfillment organization leading the process improvement strategy for engine and spares delivery. She is still very involved in the Cincinnati SMC Alumnae Club as the Treasurer and a lead recruiter for GE at Notre Dame.