On Thursday, Nov 18, Ferris held Aerospace Day for students to learn about the different opportunities in the aerospace industry.
Attendees included business and technology students and those who just wanted to see what the industry is like. The event offered panel discussions, classroom visits, an expo and interviews for internships and full-time employment.
Mechanical Engineering sophomore AJ Baker went to the panel and the expo.
“I was able to meet and connect with a number of people who are interested in me as an intern and learned about the options available to me as a young engineer and the wide variety of paths I can take in engineering,” Baker said. “During the panel, I was able to hear a wide range of descriptions of different jobs and how people have worked their way up in the field.”
Bill Bobek works at Sharp Tooling Solutions in Romeo, Mich. Sharp Tooling Solutions specializes in making small tools that are cost-effective for the mobility market for companies that may need them. Bobek talked about how he got started with Sharp and how he has adapted to the change.
“The team worked well together, the building was clean and they were all respectful to each other. I [knew] that was the type of work environment I wanted to work with,” Bobek said. “It’s a team of 82, so we all are able to get along. I have been there now roughly 18 months. It was a big change from where I was before. There are a lot fewer people at Sharp, but they were able to help me adjust just fine.”
Throughout the day, students were able to talk one-on-one with different companies and organizations based all over Michigan for potential internships or even future employment.
Criminal justice freshman Alexis Moreland attended this event to see what types of opportunities other programs had to offer post graduation.
“I was walking through the [David L. Eisler Center] and saw the event. I walked in to see what was going on and was impressed by all the people who showed up to it,” Moreland said. “As a criminal justice major, I never thought about aerospace until today and going through the different tables and learning about bits and pieces of it. This event, in my opinion, was a great way to get other students outside of the program to see what aerospace engineering is about.”
Lorie Przybylo and Rick Slade are employees at United Technical, which is a company located in White Lake, that focuses on welding and engineering. United Technical is a service based company that helps companies that need help in the engineering departments.
Przybylo loves the team she works with because of how well they work together.
“We have a strong team, and they are just as passionate as everyone else, and they bring energy to the table,” Przybylo said. “Working in aerospace engineering, I have met some of the nicest and most energetic people ever.”
Slade enjoys working with United Technical because he can help people with their problems the best that he can. Slade enjoys seeing the payoff when the projects are finished.
“I like helping people with their problems. Since we are a consulting based company, we deal with a lot of different people, and our goal is to find a solution for them. It’s nice to see their projects launch after working with them,” Slade said.
Information systems and intelligence freshmen Logan Cosgrove isn’t a part of the business or technology program, but his interest in aerospace is what brought him to this event.
“I like aerospace because not only does it bring humans one step closer to actually being able to explore and experience outer space more fully, it also brings more technology to planes, making them faster and safer with each advancement, making travel across our planet more efficient and reliable,” Cosgrove said.