The College of Engineering recently took an alternative spring break trip to Little Rock to tour various businesses that employ many University of Arkansas alumni. During the three day excursion, the students toured Southwest Power Pool, Dillard’s, Arauco, L’Oreal, and LM Wind Power, led by Brian Henderson, directory of employer relations and Kelsey Levine, career services specialist. The students also received a tour of the Presidential Clinton Library from Jim McClelland who is a 1967 civil engineering alumnus of the U of A and on the Uof A Engineering Advisory Council.
“It’s such a great experience for our students to get out and tour different companies to better understand the different engineering fields and what type of jobs are out there for engineers,” said Henderson. “Engineers are in such high demand today and students have so many options no matter what major they are pursuing”.
Meena Mana, a junior computer science and computer engineering student studying artificial intelligence, attended, taking the opportunity for a productive break.
“I had the whole week off so I wanted to do something that would further me in my career interests and show me companies in Arkansas that I’m not familiar with,” said Mana.
By exploring a variety of businesses, the group got the chance to learn more about the diversity of the world of engineering.
“By touring Dillard’s IT department, we got to experience a side of Dillard’s that you don’t often hear about,” said Mana. “At L’Oreal, we saw how the makeup is put together, how they are packaged, and how much goes into the whole process.”
Mana recommended this trip to all other engineering students due to the importance of industry experience, business connections, and branching out from your particular department. By touring with industry professions, they were able to learn the perspectives of potential future employers and what they look for in job candidates.
The College of Engineering will host another Alternative Spring Break trip in the Spring 2017 semester with new companies and opportunities for students to see a variety of businesses.