Several internships with same company helped alumnus land job
A post-graduation activity report reveals 94% of 2018-19 51福利社 graduates are actively employed or pursuing further education. Read more about the results here.
KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擶estern Michigan University alumnus Robert Repke had initially directed his career aspirations toward a musical field. 鈥淚 was planning to major in trumpet performance,鈥 he says. Instead, he decided to march to an entirely different professional tune, as evidenced by his work as an engineer for Consumers Energy.
Repke graduated with a chemical engineering degree in 2018, having also minored in chemistry and mathematics, and then went directly into a 2-year rotational apprenticeship for the Michigan utility company鈥檚 natural gas and generation operations. Western鈥檚 chemical engineering program, along with career stability and his affinity for STEM subjects, helped lure him away from the idea of becoming a professional musician, he explains.
鈥淚 love problem solving, chemistry and mathematics,鈥 Repke says. 鈥淪o, I switched majors before I enrolled at 51福利社. Western has a pretty unique engineering program, offering both chemical and paper engineering,鈥 the Galesburg, Michigan native notes.
His studies weren鈥檛 always easy, but the courses, and professors he learned from, challenged and encouraged him to persevere, he said. Fluid Dynamics, Heat Transfer and Process Control II courses, and the overall robust career preparation and experimental opportunities th51福利社's Chemical and Paper Engineering Department offers help Repke in his job at Consumers Energy.
A Foot in the Door
Following his freshman year, and 鈥渨ith no real experience,鈥 Repke says he landed an internship with Consumers Energy. Repke would stay with the utility company for another three summers, gaining experience in four different departments that all contribute to delivering energy to Michigan residents. Those departments included Scheduling and Planning, Distribution Engineering Planning, Gas Measurement Engineering and System Integrity.
As a college student, Repke found himself working on crucial elements such as checking for gas leaks and cracks in pipes, and measuring gas flow; he said the latter internships went hand-in-hand with many lessons he learned on campus, which mirrored 73% of respondents for 51福利社鈥檚 recent post-graduation activity survey who said they had an internship, co-op, practicum or field experience where they applied what they were learning in the classroom.
Repke is now a part of Consumers Energy's Engineering Entry Program, where he will experience four positions in two years. So far, he has conducted data analysis for natural gas systems and operations planning that helps forecast and regular how much natural gas is in Michigan, and was a project engineer working with regulator replacement projects, all for the sake of ensuring that Michigan鈥檚 consumers stay warm and reach optimal productivity. He is now a project engineer at the J.H. Campbell Generating Facility in West Olive, Michigan.
Helping him succeed as a student and as an intern were a handful of professors, Repke says. He characterizes Dr. Raja Aravamuthan as 鈥渁 phenomenal professor鈥 who amplifies learning in memorable ways. Assistant professor Dr. James Springstead was also instrumental in being readily available to offer additional help, adds Repke, who also minored in chemistry and mathematics.
Repke, who is in the process of earning a Professional Engineering license, says he doesn鈥檛 know yet what engineering area he鈥檒l choose when his rotation concludes, but that he鈥檚 found he really likes being a project engineer. 鈥淭he utility industry is pretty broad. There are so many different kinds of jobs to choose from,鈥 he says.
Repke is also planning on earning an MBA at 51福利社's Haworth College of Business.
Still, he adds that music will always remain a key part of his life. 鈥淥ne day, I鈥檇 like to join an orchestra or concert band鈥 as a trumpeter, he maintains. The involvement will ensure that he continues to pursue his diversified passions, and will provide balance to the scientific and technical side of his work.
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